Kitah Chet 2021 Siyyum!!!!

So kitah chet! - If you think back, you'll realize that we have covered a LOT of content together this year! This list includes:

Values - (friendship, honoring the elderly, standing up for each other during times of need...)
Mindfulness (reciting berakhot throughout the day, traditional prayer as mindfulness...)
Contemporary Issues (racism in our communities, conflict in Sheikh Jarra)
We've read about the lives of some of our ancestors and early Israelite Heroes (Abraham, Deborah, David, Matityahu, Micah...)
Sefaria Navigation Skills
And more! (Can you think of anything I missed?)

ALL of the above makes up but one tiny part of a MASSIVE universe called Torah!
Over 2,000 years ago, there was a man who was contemplating just how vastly all-encompassing the Torah truly is. (You'll notice he has kind of a funny name.)
Finally, full of awe and wonder, he uttered the following statement (Which by the way, is the only statement of his that would survive to us today):

משנה אבות ה׳:כ״ב

(כב) בֶּן בַּג בַּג אוֹמֵר,

הֲפֹךְ בָּהּ וַהֲפֹךְ בָּהּ, דְּכֹלָּא בָהּ. וּבָהּ תֶּחֱזֵי, וְסִיב וּבְלֵה בָהּ, וּמִנַּהּ לֹא תָזוּעַ, שֶׁאֵין לְךָ מִדָּה טוֹבָה הֵימֶנָּה:

Pirkei Avot 5:22

(22) Ben Bag-Bag said:

Turn it over, and turn it over, for everything is in it! Look into it; Become gray and old with it; And do not move away from it. For you have no better portion than it!

What do you think about this statement?

First of all - do you think it's true?
Think back on some of what we have studied together. Was there anything you found surprising to be considered Torah?
Has your understanding of What is Torah, or Why study Torah changed at all over the last year? How so?

Before concluding with our Hadran, I want to leave you with one more passage. This comes from the book in TaNaKh called Devarim, or Deuteronomy:

דברים ל״ג

(ד) תּוֹרָ֥ה צִוָּה־לָ֖נוּ מֹשֶׁ֑ה מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה קְהִלַּ֥ת יַעֲקֹֽב׃

Deuteronomy 33

(4) The Torah that Moses charged us with is the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob!

Note that each of YOU, Kitach Chet, are all included in this verse. For each one of you is part of the kehila, the congregation, of Jacob. Which means that the Torah is your inheritance just as much as anyone else's in the world, including any rabbis, Talmud scholars, and even prophets!
Let's now recite our Hadran:

הדרן

הֲדְרָן עֲלָךְ מַסֶּכֶת (יאמר שם המסכת) וְהֲדְרָךְ עֲלָן, דַּעְתָּן עֲלָךְ מַסֶּכֶת (יאמר שם המסכת) וְדַעְתָּךְ עֲלָן. לָא נִתֽנְשֵׁי מִינָךְ מַסֶּכֶת (יאמר שם המסכת) וְלֹא תִתְנְשֵׁי מִינָן, לָא בְּעָלְמָא הָדֵין וְלֹא בְּעָלְמָא דְאַָתֵי:

(ד) מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לְּפָנֶיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֶאֱלֹהֵי אַבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁשַּׂמְתָּ חֶלְקֵנוּ מִיּוֹשְׁבֵי בֵּית הַמִּדְרָשׁ

(ה) יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אלקי, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁעֲזַרֽתַּנִי לְסַיֵים מַסֶּכֶת (יאמר שם המסכת), כֵּן תּֽעַזְרֵנִי

לְהַתְחִיל מְסֶכְתוֹת וּסֽפָרִים אַחֵרים וּלְסַיֵימָם,

לִלְמֹד וּלְלַמֵּד,

לִשְׁמֹר וְלַעֲשׂוֹת

וּלְקַיֵּם אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי תַלְמוּד תּוֹרָתְךָ בְּאַהֲבָה,

וּזְכוּת כֹֹּל הַתְנָאִים וְאָמוֹרָאִים וּתַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים יַעֲמוֹד לִי וּלְזַרְעִי שֶׁלֹא תָּמוּש הַתּוֹרָה מִפֽי וּמִפִי זַרְעִי עד עוֹלָם. וַיִתְקַיֵים בִּי:

בְּהִתְהַלֶּכְךָ, תַּנְחֶה אֹתָךְ, בְּשָׁכְבְּךָ תִּשְׁמֹר עָלֶיךָ; וַהֲקִיצוֹתָ, הִיא תְשִׂיחֶךָ.

כִּי-בִי, יִרְבּוּ יָמֶיךָ; וְיוֹסִיפוּ לְּךָ, שְׁנוֹת חַיִּים

אֹרֶךְ יָמִים, בִּימִינָהּ; בִּשְׂמֹאולָהּ, עֹשֶׁר וְכָבוֹד.

'ה' עֹז לְעַמּוֹ יִתֵּן; ה', יְבָרֵךְ אֶת-עַמּוֹ בַשָּׁלוֹם.

Hadran

We will return to you, and you will return to us!

Our mind is on you, and your mind is on us!

We will not forget you, nor will you forget us; Neither in this world, nor in the next world!

(4) We are thankful for an opportunity to be amongst those who explore the universe of Torah!

(5) May it be your will, Adonai-our-god, that just as You have helped us to learn Torah together, so too may you help us to continue to:

Begin other books;
Complete them;
Learn them;
Teach them;
Observe them;
Do them;
And to fulfill the words of the teaching of your Torah with love.

And may the merit of all of our leaders, prophets, teachers, and scholars be present with us, to ensure that the Torah is always with us.

And may the following be fulfilled:

(Proverbs 6:22) "When you walk, it will lead you; When you lie down, it will watch over you. When you awake, it will speak with you."

(Proverbs 9:11) For through me your days will be multiplied, and the years of your life will be increased."

(Proverbs 3:16) "Length of days is in her right hand; in her left, riches and honor."

(Psalms 29:11) "God will give strength to His nation, God will bless his nation with peace."

So with that, my prayer is that each of you truly feels more ownership of and connection to the Torah than you did a year ago; That the Torah continues being a part of your lives even beyond our Havura, that you partner with havrutas with whom to continue exploring and growing - for every single moment with Torah is a moment well-spent.
Thanks to each of you for making such an amazing Havura!

Appendix: Verses Quoted from Above

משלי ו׳

(כב) בְּהִתְהַלֶּכְךָ֨ ׀ תַּנְחֶ֬ה אֹתָ֗ךְ בְּֽ֭שָׁכְבְּךָ תִּשְׁמֹ֣ר עָלֶ֑יךָ וַ֝הֲקִיצ֗וֹתָ הִ֣יא תְשִׂיחֶֽךָ׃

Proverbs 6

When you walk, it will lead you; When you lie down, it will watch over you. When you awake, it will speak with you.

משלי ט׳

בְּהִתְהַלֶּכְךָ, תַּנְחֶה אֹתָךְ, בְּשָׁכְבְּךָ תִּשְׁמֹר עָלֶיךָ; וַהֲקִיצוֹתָ, הִיא תְשִׂיחֶךָ

Proverbs 9

For through me your days will be multiplied, and the years of your life will be increased.

משלי ג׳

כִּי-בִי, יִרְבּוּ יָמֶיךָ; וְיוֹסִיפוּ לְּךָ, שְׁנוֹת חַיִּים

Proverbs 3

Length of days is in her right hand; in her left, riches and honor.

משלי כ״ט

'ה' עֹז לְעַמּוֹ יִתֵּן; ה', יְבָרֵךְ אֶת-עַמּוֹ בַשָּׁלוֹם.

Proverbs 29

God will give strength to His nation, God will bless his nation with peace.