כ׳ ניסן ה׳תשפ״ו | April 6, 2026
Miami Bochurim Set Out to Make Rebbe’s Maamar Accessible
Two Miami bochurim, Shmuel Elkayam and Yehoshua Korf, turned their class mivtza to learn the Rebbe’s maamar Ve’atah Tetzaveh by heart into a full structured booklet – complete with clear explanations, review pointers, and quizzes. The booklet is now being distributed to bochurim looking to learn the maamar properly.
What started as a simple class mivtza in Miami turned into something bigger.
Shmuel Elkayam and Yehoshua Korf, 8th grade bochurim at Lubavitch Educational Center in Miami, were part of a group initiative to learn the Rebbe’s maamar Ve’atah Tetzaveh by heart and be tested on it, with a trip to New York – visiting 770, the Ohel, and the Rebbe’s home – as the culmination.
Early on, the two realized the maamar wasn’t easy to hold onto. The concepts are layered, the structure intricate, and without a clear system it’s easy to sit through a shiur and still struggle to explain it or remember the flow. You could walk away feeling like you learned it, and still not be able to explain it clearly.
So Shmuel started building one. He began putting together a structured guide that broke the maamar down step by step, making it possible to actually understand and retain. Not long after, Yehoshua joined him, and the two began spending hours together – learning, organizing, writing, and refining.
What started as notes for themselves grew into a full booklet.
They didn’t cut corners. Every section was explained in clear English, with bolded pointers summarizing each paragraph for quick review. They built quizzes so the material would actually be known, not just read. Many late nights of writing and rewriting went into it – driven by a genuine desire to connect to the Rebbe’s Torah and help others do the same.
As Yud Alef Nissan approached, the project was ready.
After completing the mivtza, the bochurim traveled to New York. They visited 770 – where the maamar had been said. They went to the Ohel, davening and reflecting on the effort they had put in. They also visited the Rebbe’s home.
For Shmuel and Yehoshua, the trip wasn’t just a reward – it was a continuation. The maamar they had worked so hard to understand was no longer just words on a page. It was something they had struggled through, clarified, and made their own.
Their booklet, originally created for a small class mivtza, is now being distributed more widely so that other bochurim can benefit from the clarity and structure they built from scratch.
COMMENTS
amazing booklet!
i saw the hard work and effort they put into it during class and the ahavas yisrael they had for sacreficing their own time just to help other kids learn it,
the rebbe has much nachas!
Rabbi Davidsohn was the incredible teacher at LEC who taught the boys the Maamer and encouraged them with major incentives , including coming to 770 and the Ohel. Thank you Rabbi Davidsohn of LEC!
Kudos to Rabbi Yakov Garfinkel for his tireless energy and producing this!
His inspired leadership has galvanized the staff and the students of LEC with a passion and an ardor for the Rebbe and his teachings.
Thank you so much for making this booklet it helped me make the trip