My voice joined with all those others at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey, a short drive from midtown Manhattan, the stadium that is home to the NY Giants football team.
By MICAH HALPERNJEWS SING and dance during the 13th Siyum HaShas at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on January 1.(photo credit: JEENAH MOON/REUTERS)
It was the “amen” heard round the world.More than 90,000 people saying “amen” in unison is an awe inspiring event – for anyone. For Jews and for non-Jews, religious or completely secular, 90,000 is a big number. And the event that brought it all together was not only heard round the world, it was seen round the world. Whether by streaming satellite or front page photos in the international news media, the world was privy to a life-altering experience.The 90,000 Jews, standing proud and celebrating learning: It’s what we are all about. We learn. We stand together. And we are proud.The word “amen” in and of itself is powerful. It is an exclamation more than a single two-syllable world. It does not simply mean ‘yeah man’ or ‘I agree” – that’s how it is used in today’s colloquial English; how it’s used in non-Jewish prayer. But for Jews, it is a confirmation. It is the word that is uttered by those hearing another make a blessing. It is our way of participating in the blessings of others. The word itself has power. It has resonance.In fact, the Hebrew root of the word “amen” is the same as the root of the word “emunah,” which is the foundation of the concept of belief. “Amen” suggests that God heard the blessing and that we, together with God – with that one word – agree and sanction the blessing.It’s been a rough time for Jews in the tristate New York area these past few weeks. Jew hatred has been at an all-time high. Attacks, both verbally abusive and physically violent, have become almost commonplace in many places. And yet, despite the obvious target presented by 90,000 easily identifying Jews gathered in one place – and despite the bone chilling, blustery cold – men, mostly, and also children and women, came out to celebrate learning.I was there. My voice joined with all those others at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey, a short drive from midtown Manhattan, the stadium that is home to the NY Giants football team. And we were all there to celebrate the 13th worldwide Siyum HaShas.A Siyum is performed when one finishes studying a portion of Torah, or Mishna or Gemara aka the Talmud. This Siyum was in celebration of the completion of all 2,711 pages of Talmud. It was seven years and five months in the making. No breaks, no days off, no excuses. The process is as grueling as it is impressive. I speak from experience. I’ve completed it twice. It’s called the Daf Yomi; sometimes, just The Daf. One “daf” (two sides of a folio page) every “yom”(day).The concept of learning or studying Daf Yomi was instituted in 1923 by Rabbi Meir Shapira from the Polish city of Zonik and later Lublin. Shapira, a hassidic rabbi, was creating a new, cutting edge yeshiva whose cornerstone was laid in May 1924. He wanted his students to be fluid in both the world of Talmud and in the secular world. Worried about assimilation, Rav Shapira believed that Jews needed to be anchored in Jewish text. He was convinced that with the Daf Yomi, Jews would be unified and connected wherever they lived and anywhere they traveled.Wherever a Daf Yomi participant went, he would be met by a clique of people studying the very same tractate on the very same page. It was the great unifier for Jews who studied Torah and Talmud. And he was right. To this day, there is nothing more comforting than walking into an unfamiliar synagogue, sitting down among strangers and knowing that those around you are learning the exact same tractate that you left behind before your voyage began. It’s like traveling abroad and finding your favorite cereal or peanut butter or brand of shampoo in the local market.The story going around these past few days since the Siyum HaShas is of a local rabbi from New Jersey who was caught speeding by a New Jersey state trooper. After pulling the man over, the trooper glanced inside the car and saw a Gemara lying on the seat. In a stern voice the trooper asked, “have you learned your page yet today?” The incredulous driver responded, “no.” The trooper said, “then get home safe and do study your page.”Then he explained. He said that the day before he was on duty at Met Life Stadium for the Siyum HaShas, and that seeing all those Jews, gathered together – fearlessly, peacefully, happily singing and dancing and celebrating learning – was, for him, awe inspiring.Maybe it’s true, perhaps it’s allegorical. But without a doubt, the Siyum changed lives.And to that, once again, I say “amen.”The writer is a political commentator. He hosts the TV show Thinking Out Loud on JBS TV. Follow him on Twitter @MicahHalpern.
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