The Yovel celebration officially began with shiurim by some of the rebbeim of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo and Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid , followed by a reception at which parents , alumni , and friends of the yeshiva had an opportunity to greet the roshei yeshiva , reconnect with rabbeim , and walk around the reception area at Bell Works , whose walls were adorned with posters of pages from the new fullcolor coffee-table book released in honor of the occasion : Pathways to Shleimus , on the history of Darchei Torah with an elaborate description of its many current divisions .
All of this was a lead-up to the inspirational , rich program that followed .
Mr . Dovid Scharf , a longtime member of the Yeshiva ’ s board of directors and a devoted parent , opened the program and related a personal story . At the first PTA meeting for one of his sons , who had entered ninth grade , Mr . Scharf wanted to tell the rebbi , Rabbi Yisroel Meir Stern , of the challenges that his son had dealt with in eighth grade and which were not yet fully resolved . Before he could begin , Rabbi Stern stopped him . “ When the year starts , I view every one of my talmidim as a metzuyan who has the ability to be very matzliach ,” he said . “ I don ’ t want to hear anything that will taint my view of your son .” The bachur had a very successful year and continued to shteig after that .
The crowd had already welcomed with joyous singing the zekan roshei hayeshiva , Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky . Rav Shmuel now offered his warm , heartfelt berachah for the Yeshiva ’ s continued hatzlachah , a hatzlachah that he said was rooted in simchah .
In his trademark fashion , the Rosh Yeshiva , Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky , delivered a powerful message . He quoted Rav Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg , who discussed the mitzvah for a melech to have a second Sefer Torah to carry with him — in addition to the Sefer Torah that every Jew is commanded to write and which the king kept in his treasury . Rav Scheinberg explained : Before becoming king , the melech fulfilled every mitzvah , living his life al pi Torah . However , becoming king brings with it its own unique nisyonos . The Sefer Torah in his treasury represented how the king lived his life before becoming melech , while the one he carried with him represented the way he was living his life now . And so , from time to time , the melech had to “ compare ” the two Sifrei Torah and ask himself , “ Are the two Sifrei Torah the same ? Am I fulfilling the mitzvos now the same way as when I was not yet a melech ?”
Addressing the hundreds of Darchei alumni in attendance , Rav Altusky said , “ Each one of you must reflect on how you lived your life within the koslei hayeshiva and how you are living it now . And you must make sure that the two ‘ Sifrei Torah ’ are one and the same .”
And what kind of life does a Darchei talmid live ? The Rosh Yeshiva said that often , parents of daughters in shidduchim express a desire for a “ Darchei bachur .” He said that a Darchei bachur personifies Shlomo HaMelech ’ s description of the Torah as “ Derachehah darchei noam , its ways are pleasant .” “ Pleasant ,” he said , is like pictureperfect weather : a beautiful blue sky , comfortable temperature , a gentle breeze . A Darchei talmid has a perfect balance of bein adam l ’ Makom and bein adam lachaveiro , a lamdan who takes his davening seriously and is sensitive to the needs of others .
Executive board co-chairman Mr . Elisha Brecher then welcomed the Yovel campaign ’ s hosts and co-hosts to the stage . These nine individuals invested extraordinary efforts into super-charging the Yeshiva ’ s fundraising efforts this year , helping to make this dinner campaign the most successful ever .
Mr . Brecher then introduced the S ’ gan Rosh HaYeshiva , Rabbi Moshe Bender , as someone who “ has his pulse on every aspect of Yeshiva Darchei Torah .” Focusing on the relationship between Moshe Rabbeinu and his father-inlaw Yisro , Rav Moshe quoted his rebbi , Rav Elya Svei , who explained that Moshe Rabbeinu was
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