The day's events began in the morning, ushering in the
seminar held that day for graduates of Miktze Ha'aretz's
previous seminars: Hundreds of men, women and children had
arrived at the auditorium of the Genesis Hall in Beit Shemesh
from all over the country, reconnecting with the warm and
unique atmosphere that characterizes Miktze Ha'aretz
seminars.
Miktze Ha'aretz volunteers, who had worked intensively during
the weeks preceding the seminar, found that the seminar
graduates they approached were very eager to come to the
meeting. In fact, to the organizers' chagrin, there came a
point where they were compelled to halt the registration due
to lack of space!
The auditorium was packed with previous seminar graduates, as
well as participants in Miktze Ha'aretz's regular Torah
lessons held in Beit Shemesh, along with a group of parents
whose children study at the Shuvu schools. Both Miktze
Ha'aretz and the Shuvu network are very satisfied with the
ongoing cooperation between the two which adds to the success
of seminars and their results, as well as to the spiritual
progress of the children and parents at the Shuvu schools.
The participants heard Torah-related and other inspirational
lectures from some of Miktze Ha'aretz's top speakers. The
thirst for knowledge among the people in the audience was
palpable. To the organizers' amazement, most of the
participants declined to leave the hall for a break,
preferring to remain seated and listen to lecture after
lecture. : "We came here to learn," they said, "so let's not
waste time!"
The day reached its climax with the impressive conference
held in the evening in the conference hall of the Genesis
Center. The seminar participants sat and listened eagerly to
the welcoming and inspiring words of the rabbonim. In
addition to the seminar participants, many other friends and
supporters of Miktze Ha'aretz arrived at the conference.
Three Miracles
The first speaker was HaRav Ben Tzion Zilber, the son and
follower of HaGaon Hatzaddik R' Yitzchok Zilber zt"l
who was the spiritual leader of Russian Jewry and a deeply
committed supporter of Miktze Ha'aretz and who had
participated personally in several of its seminars.
HaRav Ben Tzion spoke in Russian, enumerating the three great
miracles experienced by Soviet Jewry: (1) The fact that in
the period between the two World Wars, almost all the Torah
centers of eastern Europe were located in areas not under
Soviet-Communist rule, a fact that facilitated the blossoming
of the Torah world in that critical period; (2) The fact that
the Nazi oppressor did not succeed in his avowed objective of
totally destroying the Jewish nation; and (3) The wondrous
spiritual revival, as witnessed here — and this is the
greatest miracle of all — of Soviet-Jewish olim
to Israel, at the highest levels of Torah scholarship and
adherence to Jewish faith and tradition!
HaRav Simcha Hacohen Kook, the Chief Rabbi of Rechovot, was
next to speak. He told the audience about his historic visit,
as part of a delegation of rabbis from all over the world to
the Kremlin 18 years ago, before the collapse of the Iron
Curtain. The main message the delegation wanted to deliver on
this occasion was: "Please, let your Jewish subjects give
their children a truly Jewish education!" The response of the
Kremlin's representative was decisive: "Do not interfere in
our State education!"
Somewhat taken aback by the Russian's gruff reaction to their
request, the rabbonim decided to challenge him: "Please ask
every single rabbi who is present here today: Who was your
teacher? Where did he get his education?"
The Russian accepted the challenge and went from rabbi to
rabbi with these questions. It turned out that all the
rabbonim in that delegation had studied with rabbonim who
grew up in Soviet countries! "You see," they told the Soviet
official, "the source of our education was right here in
Russia, and we feel obligated to pass on to our children what
we have received from your country!"
And — wonder of wonders! — this authentic message
clearly left its mark on the man from the Kremlin. "If
Lenin," concluded HaRav Kook, "made the revolution that
caused millions of Jews to be cut off from Jewish life, you
people, are part of the counterrevolution, bringing Russian
Jews back to Torah!"
Since HaRav Shmuel Auerbach was unable to attend, as he
planned, his letter of warm greeting and encouragement was
read out to the participants.
From Mitzpe Ramon to Beit Shemesh
Towards the end of the evening, the director of the Beit
Shemesh branch of Miktze Ha'aretz, R' Chaim Levin, rose to
speak. R' Chaim is himself a graduate of one of the early
seminars of Miktze Ha'aretz. During the years he lived in
Mitzpe Ramon he founded the Miktze Ha'aretz branch in that
town in the heart of the Negev. Six years ago when, on the
advice of gedolei Yisroel, R' Chaim Levin and his
family moved to Beit Shemesh and found there a total
spiritual wilderness as far as Russian Jewry was concerned,
he set about the task of "turning the situation around."
Though he already had his hands full, with his studies at the
Kolel and his work as a teacher, R' Chaim managed, on top of
that, to devote himself to putting Miktze Ha'aretz "on the
map" at Beit Shemesh as well, generating a veritable
revolution there in the educational facilities for the
Russian immigrants. His crowning achievement: the
organization of five regular shiurim with some one
hundred olim — men and women, older people and
youngsters, beginners and advanced students —
participating today in this Torah study program in Beit
Shemesh.
R' Chaim spoke of the feeling of tension that comes over him
when he is engaged in this work of spiritual rescue — a
tension that reminds him, somehow, of what he felt when he
worked as an ambulance driver and took part in the work of
physically saving lives. He still gets excited, he said, when
he recalls how on one occasion he succeeded, thanks to a
glass of tea, in introducing a totally alienated Jewish soul
to the bright light of Torah — and changing this
person's life forever! "It's not really such a difficult
thing to accomplish," he said, "once you set your mind to it.
If saving one soul is like having saved the entire world, as
our Sages say, look how easy it is sometimes to save the
world!"
Concluding remarks were delivered by HaRav Uri Aumann, the
founder and Chairman of Miktze Ha'aretz, who began by
thanking the Borei Olom "for the miracles and wonders
He has shown us, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute."
HaRav Aumann also expressed his heartfelt thanks to all who
helped make the work of Miktze Ha'aretz possible, including a
number of generous donors who have stood faithfully by the
organization and helped it to cope with its dire financial
difficulties. Precisely these people, HaRav Aumann said, have
thus earned the merit of pouring the oil into the
Menorah that brings the light of understanding to the
dispersed sons and daughters of the Jewish people who have
now come back to their ancestral land.
Also gracing the conference with their presence were some
local rabbonim among them: (named here in alphabetical
order): HaRav Moshe Dinkel, rabbi of the Bayit Umenuchah
neighborhood of Beit Shemesh; HaRav Nosson Hacohen Kopshitz,
rabbi of the Nachalah Umenuchah neighborhood; and HaRav
Shlomo Zalman Perlstein, rabbi of Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef.
