5 months ago

Kfar Chabad: Thousands Celebrate Siyum Harambam in Historic Gathering

A grand celebration marking the completion of the 45th cycle of daily Rambam study took place in Kfar Chabad, where close to ten thousand Chabad chassidim and Rambam learners from across the spectrum gathered for the event • Full Story, Photo Gallery

The capital of Chabad in Israel took on a festive atmosphere as nearly ten thousand participants filled a massive specially built hangar in central Kfar Chabad on Monday for the celebration marking the completion of the 45th Rambam learning cycle, in accordance with the Rebbe’s takanah, which includes three study tracks – three chapters a day, one chapter a day, and Sefer Hamitzvos.

Even before the program began, crowds streamed into Kfar Chabad from across the country, arriving by buses and by special expanded Israel Railways service arranged for the event. Many arrived dressed in Yom Tov clothing befitting the occasion—fathers with their children, grandparents with grandchildren, young and old, chassidim and not-yet-chassidim alike—representing all segments of the Jewish people united through the Rebbe’s sacred study initiative, which has drawn increasing participation from Torah leaders throughout the years.

The event opened with the Siyum of the Rambam by Israel’s Rishon LeTzion and Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Dovid Yosef, while the opening of the new cycle was led by Kfar Chabad’s mara d’asra, Rabbi Meir Ashkenazi.

The musical program featured renowned chassidic singers Benny Friedman and Zanvil Weinberger, accompanied by the Malchus Choir and a children’s choir, conducted by Naor Karmi and his expanded orchestra.

The distinguished stage, set at the center of the enormous hangar, was filled by leading Torah and Chassidic figures including rebbes, prominent Chabad rabbanim, city and neighborhood rabbis, roshei yeshiva, mashpi’im, shluchim, and Chabad House directors who made special efforts to attend and lend strength and encouragement to the learners and to the Rebbe’s initiative, which continues to attract thousands more participants each year.

Among the many Torah leaders who attended were the Makava Rebbe; the Alexander Rebbe; Rabbi Yaakov Meir Stern; the Pittsburgh Rebbe; the Shomrei Emunim Rebbe; the Bitchkov Rebbe; the Ahalin Rebbe; the Kaliv Rebbe; Harav Chaim Meir Hager, Av Beis Din Vizhnitz; Israel’s Rishon LeTzion and Chief Rabbi Rabbi Dovid Yosef; Israel’s Chief Rabbi Rabbi Kalman Ber; Rabbi Yitzchak Abuchatzira, and others.

Representing members of the Knesset was MK Rabbi Meir Porush, while Bnei Brak Mayor Rabbi Chanuch Zeibert represented municipal leadership.

For more than three hours, the massive audience remained seated side by side, captivated by the rich and carefully prepared Torah program organized by the Tzeirei Chabad Siyum HaRambam headquarters, led by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Aharonov. The program paid tribute to the dedicated learners who persevere in their daily study while also providing powerful encouragement for others to join the Rebbe’s sacred study initiative. Every participant felt the grandeur and inspiration of the moment.

One of the most emotional highlights of the event occurred when R’ Tzvi Levinshtern, father of Elisha Levinshtern HY”D, who fell in battle in Gaza, addressed the crowd. He shared the special connection his son had to daily Rambam study and described how Elisha completed his daily lesson shortly before sacrificing his life for the Jewish people.

The enormous hangar and surrounding grounds were filled with close to ten thousand participants who traveled from across the country for the historic celebration.

This year marked the first time the event was held in Kfar Chabad, inside one of the largest hangars in Israel, which was specially imported from abroad and transformed into a magnificent venue by Tzvaim Productions. The event stood as a powerful honor for Torah and Torah learners.