Nightly Gemara Shiur Hold Siyum on Eruvin

Sunday evening, 15 Tammuz, the Crown Heights Nightly Gemara Shiur held a siyum on Maseches Eruvin at Empire Shtiebel. Among the distinguished participants was Rabbi Yossi Paltiel, who spoke about the idea of Eruvin according to Chassidus.

Eruvin is one of the tougher masechtos in Shas, and is also one of those that is very rarely studied in yeshivah. Most people have at least a general idea of its basic concepts, but the details tend to be left to Rabbonim (and the occasional resident of a camp or bungalow colony who wants to take a Shabbos afternoon walk outside the grounds).

The participants in the Crown Heights Nightly Gemara Shiur have achieved the rare privilege of having learned Eruvin through, cover to cover. For the last three and a half months, day in and day out, weekday and Shabbos alike, rain or snow or shine, they have been learning one blatt Gemara a day – and of course, as befits a shiur for Anash, also discussing insights from Chassidus relating to what is being learned.

The celebration on Sunday was more than just a regular siyum masechta, such as the ones that take place every year on Erev Pesach and during the first half of Menachem Av. It marked a milestone for the baalei batim who attend (and that includes the maggid shiur), who are weighted down with the “millstone of parnassah” but who nevertheless have committed themselves to a serious kevius in learning, a kevius bizman and benefesh.

The Crown Heights Nightly Gemara Shiur has now started Maseches Pesachim, which is – generally – about much more familiar topics, and which you may well have learned in your yeshivah days. Join the Shiur and (re-)explore it! Bring nothing but yourself (and a friend), plus your desire to learn, to ask and to understand.

Shiur takes place daily between Minchah and Maariv, at Bais Binyomin, 680 Montgomery St.

The maggid shiur, Alexander Heppenheimer, can be reached at (917) 837-0683 or by e-mail at aheppenh@yahoo.com. Also visit http://chnightlygemarashiur.wordpress.com/ to listen to audio files of previous shiurim.