Online Torah study session helped prepare for upcoming holiday of Shavuot - Jewish World

'We pray that this historic event will bring a complete recovery to our people and the entire world,' organizers say.

For the first time in Jewish history, on the day when the people of Israel have traditionally camped at the foot of Mount Sinai, an international unity event was held. The event included Torah lessons by four Chief Rabbis of Israel (from the past and present), together with Diaspora Chief Rabbis, world leaders, community rabbis, and leading speakers from a wide range of sectors and views.

Under the name "Va'Ichan sham Yisrael neged Ha'har, k'Ish echad belev echad" (and the People of Israel camped opposite the mountain, as one person with one heart (Exodus 19:2), Yeshivat Hakotel led and produced the event in collaboration with the world's leading Jewish organizations: OU Israel, the World Mizrahi, the office of the Chief Rabbi of South Africa, and "Aish Ha'Torah" in South America. In addition, many congregations, synagogues, meetings, seminars and studios also took part in the program.

In the event, more than 80 speakers gave lectures from all across the country and abroad, most of them in English and attended by tens of thousands of people around the globe. The event was dedicated to the memory of the Rebbe of Novominsk, Rabbi Yaakov Perlov z"l, the president of Agudath Israel in America, and the chairman of its Torah Council, who has worked extensively for "Clal Israel."

"Chag Shavuot (the holiday of the Festival of Weeks - ed.), the giving of the Torah holiday is approaching, and we are preparing for it," said the CEO of the Western Wall Colonel Moti Jerby. "The entire Jewish world is recovering from tremendous losses of the corona pandemic and we seek to unite the entire Jewish world, in Israel and in the Diaspora, around the Torah."

"Many good things happened thanks to the Corona," explained Rabbi Avi Berman, CEO of OU Israel. "The most important thing was the assembling of so many rabbis from various seminaries, who came together for joint prayer and study. This shows a great connection in heart and mind, and it makes all the Jewish people all over the world connect to one another. It is important that we all come together and pray for all our brothers and sisters around the world."

Rabbi Baruch Vider, head of Yeshivat Hakotel, commented: "In the third month, the people of Israel came the Sinai desert, exactly on Rosh Hodesh (the first of the new Jewish month). Mount Sinai was a one-of-a-kind event inspired by God's Shekhinah (Divine Presence) in which we received the Torah. But this Shekinah is always in the Beit Midrash and in the Holy of Holies in Jerusalem. Jerusalem, as the city that is joined together and connects all Israel together."

"Yeshivat Hakotel symbolizes the return of the Shekhinah and Torah to Jerusalem between the ancient walls, through the gathering of Torah leaders from all over the world, a direct continuation of the Torah teaching on Mount Sinai. Lately the situation has been dire for Jews around the world, and we all pray that this special and historic event will be a blessing for complete health to all our sick and for the entire world."