The Chabad community of Chile celebrated a historic milestone this week with the official establishment of the country’s first Yeshivas Hashluchim. The festive evening drew local families, bochurim, and supporters, and was marked with Torah, inspiration, and lively simcha.

The program opened with hatomim hashliach Motti Wenger, who outlined the many initiatives and activities that the new yeshiva will be launching, highlighting its role in strengthening Yiddishkeit and Chassidus across Chile.

This was followed by a special phone address from Harav Menashe Perman, head shliach to Chile, who expressed heartfelt joy at this long-awaited milestone. He encouraged the talmidei hashluchim to see themselves as pioneers carrying out the Rebbe’s vision, building a strong foundation of Torah and Chassidus in Chile.

The newly appointed mashpia of the yeshiva, Rabbi Mendel Cohen, then shared words of inspiration, setting the spiritual tone and vision for the students. The program’s sponsor, Mr. Ari Fried, spoke emotionally about his personal journey, recalling how his early encounters with Lubavitch bochurim left a lasting impression on him and ignited his love for Chabad. He expressed his deep joy and excitement at seeing a yeshiva now established in Chile, and how its bochurim will help shape and strengthen the Jewish community.

The audience was then uplifted by divrei Torah from hatomim hashliach Eli Hecht, who spoke about a sicha of the Rebbe on this year’s maseches Bava Kama and explained how a shor muad can be transformed back into a shor tam through a shinui reshus, relating this lesson to our work with our nefesh habehamis by getting involved in the reshus of Torah and mitzvos.

The keynote address of the evening was delivered by Harav Osher Farkash, esteemed mashpia in Argentina. Rav Farkash shared a powerful teaching from the Rebbe’s father, Reb Leivik, on the very name “Chile” (when he spent time in a city with that name in Kazakhstan). He explained that the word is made up of “צל” (shadow, darkness) and “א-ל” (Hashem), symbolizing the mission to transform darkness into light, and to illuminate Chile with the light of Torah and Chassidus. His words deeply moved the crowd and set a meaningful tone for the evening.

The program continued with a spirited farbrengen, led by Harav Osher Farkash and opened by Rabbi Ishai Liberson, one of the shluchim to Santiago, and Rabbi Meir Perman, shliach to Santiago and rosh yeshiva. The farbrengen lasted late into the night, with joyous dancing interspersed throughout, filling the room with achdus and simcha.

The establishment of Yeshivas Hashluchim in Chile marks a new chapter in Jewish life in the region, serving as a beacon of Torah, Chassidus, and light – transforming “צל” into “א-ל.”