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Hachnasat Sefer Torah which was Written in Memory of their Beloved Rav HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Cohen ztz’l
A Hachnasat Sefer Torah and Siyum HaShas on the first yahrtzeit of HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Cohen ztz’l, the rosh yeshivah of Yeshivat Orchot Moshe, was held in Moshav Berekhya in southern Israel.
Aharon Roth 28/10/2009 10:17
In Moshav Berekhya in the south of Israel, an emotionally laden special event was held for a Hachnasat Sefer Torah which was brought into the Beit Midrash of the Yeshivah Ketanah Orchot Chaim with much glory and splendor. It was written as an aliyat neshamah and in the memory of HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Cohen ztz’l, the founder of “Mosdot Chochmat Rachamim” and the rosh yeshivah of Yeshivat Orchot Moshe, one of the rabbanim who have strengthened the commitment to Torah of the Djerba Jewish community. The Sefer Torah was completed on the first yahrtzeit after the sudden death of HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Cohen ztz’l while on a mission of teaching Torah in France.
Before the Hachnasat Sefer Torah the sons and brothers of the departed Rav ztz’l visited the homes of maranan v’rabbanan shlit’a, the Gedolei Yisrael, to invite them to the event and honor them with writing one of the last letters in the Sefer Torah. Among them were the following rabbanim: Maran HaGaon Aharon Leib Shteinman shlit’a, Maran HaGaon Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef shlit’a, Maran HaGaon Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz shlit’a, Maran HaGaon Gershon Edelstein shlit’a and HaGaon Rabbi David Povarsky shlit’a – Roshei Yeshivat Ponevezh; his teachers, the Roshei Yeshivat Toshiyah-Tifrach – HaGaon Rabbi Friedman shlit’a and HaRav HaGaon Rabbi Aviezer Piltz shlit’a; HaGaon Rabbi Moshe Tzadkah shlit’a and HaGaon Rabbi Yehudah Meullam shlit’a, Roshei Yeshivat Porat Yosef; HaMekubal Rabbi Shalom Hadaya shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat Beit El; HaGaon Rabbi Meir Mazuz shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat Kiseh Rachamim; HaMekubal Rabbi David Batzri shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat HaShalom; HaMekubal Rabbi Beniyahu Shmueli shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat Nahar Shalom; HaGaon Rabbi Hirari, head of Mosdot Pituchei Chotam in Tel Aviv; HaGaon HaTzaddik Rabbi David Pinto shlit’a, head of Mosdot Orot Chaim V’Moshe; HaAdmor of Chernobyl shlit’a, HaGaon Rabbi Avinoam Postevsky shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat Birchat Yitzchak, and more.
During the visits the Gedolei Yisrael mentioned memories of HaGaon Rabbi Chaim’s blessed activities and deeds on behalf of establishing places of Torah study in Moshav Berekhya in southern Israel, especially with the establishment of the Merkaz Torani “Chochmat Rachamim” and the yeshivot and kollel in the moshav. They recalled his special activities for spreading Torah among the immigrants from the Tunisian island of Djerba in Israel and in the Diaspora. He inspired the immigrants to keep the Torah heritage of their families, to keep the coal ablaze in the path of the Torah with a pure Torah education in the ways of Yisrael Sabba. He always worked with completely sincere self devotion.
The Hachnasat Sefer Torah began in the afternoon hours, in the home of the HaGaon Rabbi Chaim ztz’l in Kiryat HaRav Avramsky in Ashdod. There they wrote the last letters of the Sefer Torah and sewed together the parchments of the scroll, with the participation of important rabbis, including: HaGaon Rabbi Sheinin shlita’, rav of the city of Ashdod, HaGaon Rabbi Shmuel David HaKohein Gross shlit’a, HaGaon Rabbi Aberjil shlit’a, head of the Mosdot Torah V’Chessed, as well as a large attendance of friends from Israel and the Diaspora.
After they finished writing the last letters and put the Sefer Torah into a beautiful silver plated box, upon which was engraved the names of all those who were partners in buying parshiyot of the Sefer Torah, the procession proceeded a short distance in the street until the intersection of Rova Gimmel. From there they continued in organized transportation to Moshav Berekhya, where all the residents were dressed for a festive occasion for the Hachnasat Sefer Torah, which is a rare event in the Moshav.
All the Moshav’s residents and the yeshivah students waited in the square opposite the Heichal of the Yeshivah Ketanah “Orchot Chaim,” where they burst into song and dance when the new Sefer Torah arrived at the Moshav. Rabbis and important guests came to the event and completed the last letters. From there the procession continued with much celebration and with the participation of a large throng, “elders together with the young,” as people came out of the homes and threw candies to those who were singing and dancing for the Torah’s honor throughout the moshav’s streets. Many of the residents who participated in the procession wiped tears from their eyes due to the great excitement of the event, which included the Hachnasat Sefer Torah as well as the first yahrtzeit of their beloved Rav, HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Cohen ztz’l.
A large vehicle decorated with thousands of colored lights proceeded in front of the procession and amplified music and lyrics for the dancing. From time to time one of the dancers would take the Sefer Torah into his arms and dance with it in the center of the circles of dancers to the sound of the music. When they reached a large plaza close to the gravesite of the Rav ztz’l near the moshav’s entrance the Yeshivah students went out to greet them with sifrei Torah and they all broke into dancing. After Kabalat Ol Malchut Shamayim and reciting verses as customary in the Djerba communities they entered with the sifrei Torah into the large hall that is on the gravesite of the rav, where the attendees gathered to say tefillat Arvit.
Immediately after the tefillah they sat for the seudat mitzvah accompanied by the drashot of the yeshivah’s rabbis and the rabbanim shlit’a. They spoke words of Torah and blessings in honor of the big event, the Hachnasat Sefer Torah and the first yahrtzeit of Hagaon Rabbi Chaim Cohen ztz’l. The meal began with a siyum of Shas that was learned in the course of the year by the brother of the niftar, yebedel l’chaim aruchim HaRav HaGaon Rabbi Barachel HaKohein, a rosh mesivta in the Yeshivah Ketanah Orchot Chaim. After reciting “haderech dekula talmuda” he said Kaddish as all the attendees stood on their feet.
The letter of HaGaon Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat Chazon Ovadiah, author of the Yalkut Yosef, was read, as he could not attend the event personally. He wrote in the letter: “Continue the great endeavor of your father a’’h, develop his institutions, because the yeshivah was very dear in his eyes. He would speak about it all the time, and it held all his interest. It is his heritage and it is prohibited for you to decrease, Heaven forbid, his endeavors. On the contrary, you should increase the study of Torah and establish a yeshivah on his gravesite, to increase Torah and knowledge among the learners, in the spirit of the hashkafah of yeshivot, to which the niftar was so deeply attached. Be strong and courageous to increase soldiers for Torah in his memory and for an elevation of the pure neshamah of the rav a’’h, ztz’l.”
Certificates of appreciation were handed out to all the participants who came from all over Israel and had purchased parshiyot in the Sefer Torah.
At the conclusion of the event, the uplifting evening was completed with an elevated feeling and appreciation for the high level of our holy Torah, the personality of HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Cohen ztz’l, and all his productive endeavors in guarding the wall of the Torah. Certainly, this appreciation will remain with all the participants for a long time.
It’s important to note that HaGaon Rabbi Avinoam Postevsky shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat Birchat Yitzchak, came last week on a special visit to Yeshivah Ketanah Orchot Chaim, which carries the name of the niftar, and delivered words of chizuk to the Yeshivah’s students. He spoke about his refined midos and his special example as the founder of the mosdot and as the one who brought a flourishing of Torah in the moshav and the entire area.
Another Sefer Torah was written for the aliyat neshamah of the rav ztz’l and was brought Tuesday night into the Beit Knesset of the Djerba community in Marseille, France, where HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Cohen ztz’l used to deliver regular shiurim over the years.
The Sefer Torah left in a procession from the Kehillah of Rabbi Mamoush Pinish, the rav of the Djerba Kehillah in Marseille. From there proceeded to the Beit Knesset of a friend of the Mosdot, R. Simo Eliyahu Hadad. Then they traveled to Paris where a seudat mitzvah was held with the participation of important rabbis from the Kehillah and those who wish to give honor to the memory of HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Cohen ztz’l. The most prominent guest was HaGaon Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivat “Chazon Ovadiah” and the author of “Yalkut Yosef,” who arrived especially for the event.
Before the Hachnasat Sefer Torah the sons and brothers of the departed Rav ztz’l visited the homes of maranan v’rabbanan shlit’a, the Gedolei Yisrael, to invite them to the event and honor them with writing one of the last letters in the Sefer Torah. Among them were the following rabbanim: Maran HaGaon Aharon Leib Shteinman shlit’a, Maran HaGaon Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef shlit’a, Maran HaGaon Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz shlit’a, Maran HaGaon Gershon Edelstein shlit’a and HaGaon Rabbi David Povarsky shlit’a – Roshei Yeshivat Ponevezh; his teachers, the Roshei Yeshivat Toshiyah-Tifrach – HaGaon Rabbi Friedman shlit’a and HaRav HaGaon Rabbi Aviezer Piltz shlit’a; HaGaon Rabbi Moshe Tzadkah shlit’a and HaGaon Rabbi Yehudah Meullam shlit’a, Roshei Yeshivat Porat Yosef; HaMekubal Rabbi Shalom Hadaya shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat Beit El; HaGaon Rabbi Meir Mazuz shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat Kiseh Rachamim; HaMekubal Rabbi David Batzri shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat HaShalom; HaMekubal Rabbi Beniyahu Shmueli shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat Nahar Shalom; HaGaon Rabbi Hirari, head of Mosdot Pituchei Chotam in Tel Aviv; HaGaon HaTzaddik Rabbi David Pinto shlit’a, head of Mosdot Orot Chaim V’Moshe; HaAdmor of Chernobyl shlit’a, HaGaon Rabbi Avinoam Postevsky shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat Birchat Yitzchak, and more.
During the visits the Gedolei Yisrael mentioned memories of HaGaon Rabbi Chaim’s blessed activities and deeds on behalf of establishing places of Torah study in Moshav Berekhya in southern Israel, especially with the establishment of the Merkaz Torani “Chochmat Rachamim” and the yeshivot and kollel in the moshav. They recalled his special activities for spreading Torah among the immigrants from the Tunisian island of Djerba in Israel and in the Diaspora. He inspired the immigrants to keep the Torah heritage of their families, to keep the coal ablaze in the path of the Torah with a pure Torah education in the ways of Yisrael Sabba. He always worked with completely sincere self devotion.
The Hachnasat Sefer Torah began in the afternoon hours, in the home of the HaGaon Rabbi Chaim ztz’l in Kiryat HaRav Avramsky in Ashdod. There they wrote the last letters of the Sefer Torah and sewed together the parchments of the scroll, with the participation of important rabbis, including: HaGaon Rabbi Sheinin shlita’, rav of the city of Ashdod, HaGaon Rabbi Shmuel David HaKohein Gross shlit’a, HaGaon Rabbi Aberjil shlit’a, head of the Mosdot Torah V’Chessed, as well as a large attendance of friends from Israel and the Diaspora.
After they finished writing the last letters and put the Sefer Torah into a beautiful silver plated box, upon which was engraved the names of all those who were partners in buying parshiyot of the Sefer Torah, the procession proceeded a short distance in the street until the intersection of Rova Gimmel. From there they continued in organized transportation to Moshav Berekhya, where all the residents were dressed for a festive occasion for the Hachnasat Sefer Torah, which is a rare event in the Moshav.
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| HaGaon Rabbi Avinoam Postevsky shlit’a writes a letter in the Sefer Torah [צלם] |
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| Gaon Rabbi Shmuel David HaKohein Gross shlit’a writes a letter in the Sefer Torah [צלם] |
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| HaGaon Rabbi Shalom Cohen shlit’a, rav of the Regional Counsel Shapir writes a letter [צלם] |
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| HaRav HaGaon Rabbi Rafael Binyamin Cohen shlit’a, rav of Moshav Berekhya, writes a letter [צלם] |
A large vehicle decorated with thousands of colored lights proceeded in front of the procession and amplified music and lyrics for the dancing. From time to time one of the dancers would take the Sefer Torah into his arms and dance with it in the center of the circles of dancers to the sound of the music. When they reached a large plaza close to the gravesite of the Rav ztz’l near the moshav’s entrance the Yeshivah students went out to greet them with sifrei Torah and they all broke into dancing. After Kabalat Ol Malchut Shamayim and reciting verses as customary in the Djerba communities they entered with the sifrei Torah into the large hall that is on the gravesite of the rav, where the attendees gathered to say tefillat Arvit.
Immediately after the tefillah they sat for the seudat mitzvah accompanied by the drashot of the yeshivah’s rabbis and the rabbanim shlit’a. They spoke words of Torah and blessings in honor of the big event, the Hachnasat Sefer Torah and the first yahrtzeit of Hagaon Rabbi Chaim Cohen ztz’l. The meal began with a siyum of Shas that was learned in the course of the year by the brother of the niftar, yebedel l’chaim aruchim HaRav HaGaon Rabbi Barachel HaKohein, a rosh mesivta in the Yeshivah Ketanah Orchot Chaim. After reciting “haderech dekula talmuda” he said Kaddish as all the attendees stood on their feet.
The letter of HaGaon Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat Chazon Ovadiah, author of the Yalkut Yosef, was read, as he could not attend the event personally. He wrote in the letter: “Continue the great endeavor of your father a’’h, develop his institutions, because the yeshivah was very dear in his eyes. He would speak about it all the time, and it held all his interest. It is his heritage and it is prohibited for you to decrease, Heaven forbid, his endeavors. On the contrary, you should increase the study of Torah and establish a yeshivah on his gravesite, to increase Torah and knowledge among the learners, in the spirit of the hashkafah of yeshivot, to which the niftar was so deeply attached. Be strong and courageous to increase soldiers for Torah in his memory and for an elevation of the pure neshamah of the rav a’’h, ztz’l.”
Certificates of appreciation were handed out to all the participants who came from all over Israel and had purchased parshiyot in the Sefer Torah.
At the conclusion of the event, the uplifting evening was completed with an elevated feeling and appreciation for the high level of our holy Torah, the personality of HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Cohen ztz’l, and all his productive endeavors in guarding the wall of the Torah. Certainly, this appreciation will remain with all the participants for a long time.
It’s important to note that HaGaon Rabbi Avinoam Postevsky shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat Birchat Yitzchak, came last week on a special visit to Yeshivah Ketanah Orchot Chaim, which carries the name of the niftar, and delivered words of chizuk to the Yeshivah’s students. He spoke about his refined midos and his special example as the founder of the mosdot and as the one who brought a flourishing of Torah in the moshav and the entire area.
Another Sefer Torah was written for the aliyat neshamah of the rav ztz’l and was brought Tuesday night into the Beit Knesset of the Djerba community in Marseille, France, where HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Cohen ztz’l used to deliver regular shiurim over the years.
The Sefer Torah left in a procession from the Kehillah of Rabbi Mamoush Pinish, the rav of the Djerba Kehillah in Marseille. From there proceeded to the Beit Knesset of a friend of the Mosdot, R. Simo Eliyahu Hadad. Then they traveled to Paris where a seudat mitzvah was held with the participation of important rabbis from the Kehillah and those who wish to give honor to the memory of HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Cohen ztz’l. The most prominent guest was HaGaon Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivat “Chazon Ovadiah” and the author of “Yalkut Yosef,” who arrived especially for the event.
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| Son of the Baal HaHilulah, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat Orchot Chaim, writes a letter [צלם] |
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| The Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat Kiseh Rachamim writes a letter [צלם] |
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| HaRav HaGaon Shimon Brok, one of the rabbis of Berditchev, Ukraine [צלם] |
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| Elders of Moshav Berekhya in the procession [צלם] |
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| During the procession [צלם] |
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| [צלם] |
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| The Rav of the Moshav blesses one of the participants [צלם] |
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| The simcha knew no boundaries [צלם] |
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| [צלם] |
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| The Rav of the Moshav during the procession [צלם] |
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| [צלם] |
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| The kohanim bless the assembly as they enter the Beit Midrash [צלם] |
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| Bringing the Sefer Torah into the Beit Midrash [צלם] |
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| [צלם] |
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| During the Seudat Mitzvah [צלם] |
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| One of the participants views the gift given to the assembly with pictures of the Baal HaHilulah [צלם] |
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| One of the congregants receives a blessing from HaRav HaTzaddik Rabbi Baruch Hori shlit’a [צלם] |
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| [צלם] |
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| During the recital of Yizkor and Kel Meleh Rachamim [צלם] |
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