Rabbonim Reflect on Reb Yoel at Boro Park Siyum

At the siyum Sefer Torah held at Bais Menachem Lubavitch of Boro Park in memory of Reb Yoel Kahan a”h, a series of powerful speeches were delivered by Rabbanim and mashpi’im reflecting on his life and legacy. Anash.org is pleased to present full video coverage of these addresses.

By Anash.org reporter

At the siyum Sefer Torah held on Sunday, 12 Sivan, at Bais Menachem Lubavitch of Boro Park in memory of Reb Yoel Kahan a”h, a series of powerful speeches were delivered by Rabbanim and mashpi’im reflecting on his life, legacy, and lifelong dedication to the Rebbe’s teachings.

The siyum brought together community members, family, Rabbanim, Roshei Yeshiva, Shluchim, and supporters, along with the talmidim and mekuravim of Reb Yoel. The Sefer Torah – written collectively by the kehilla, composed largely of his talmidim – was a tribute to his more than 50 years of shiurim and farbrengens in Boro Park. After lively hakafos, the crowd joined for a seudas mitzvah, where the heartfelt words were shared.

Anash.org is pleased to present full video coverage of these addresses.

Rabbi Leibel Schapiro, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Gedolah of Miami and rov of Beis Menachem, addressed the event via video. He spoke about Reb Yoel’s incredible mind and deep knowledge, but emphasized that what we can truly learn from him is his profound humility. Despite his brilliance, Reb Yoel treated everyone as an equal and dressed in a simple short jacket during the week. Most of all, he exemplified total bittul and unwavering dedication to the Rebbe.

Reb Shia Shlomo Graus, a prominent talmid of Reb Yoel, spoke about Reb Yoel’s life mission to spread the wellsprings of Chassidus to the furthest corners of the world to hasten the coming of Moshiach. He highlighted the title the Rebbe gave Reb Yoel: “דולה ומשקה מתורת רבו לאחרים” – “He draws and shares his Rebbe’s Torah with others” – which defined his life’s work of transmitting the Rebbe’s teachings to Chassidim.

Reb Sholom Charitonow, mashpia in Oholei Torah, who also frequently farbrengs in the shul, shared how Reb Yoel always looked beneath the surface. Whether reviewing a sicha, preparing a maamar, or working on the Encyclopedia of Chassidus, he sought to fully understand the inyan. “We can all learn from him not to be superficial, but to always look deeper,” he said.

Reb Nachman Shapiro, mashpia in Oholei Torah and member of the Vaad L’Hafatzas Sichos, who also delivers shiurim in the shul, spoke about the Sefer Torah completion and how it reflects Reb Yoel’s entire life – dedicated to teaching Torah and Chassidus, especially in this very beis medrash. He urged everyone to continue learning Chassidus and to influence others to do the same.

Rabbi Leibel Altein, of Vaad L’Hafatzas Sichos and rov of Bais Menachem, spoke about the Rebbe’s siyum of the Moshiach Sefer Torah on Yud Shevat 5730 (1970), and reviewed the maamar the Rebbe said then about the mitzvah of writing a Sefer Torah.