The Yeshiva Campus of Suffield pulsed with chayus on Sunday, 15 Elul, as bochurim, shluchim, and anash gathered for a celebration that was at once deeply emotional and profoundly joyous.

The occasion was a Siyum and Hachnasas Sefer Torah in memory of bochur Mendel Bluming a”h, who tragically passed away a year ago. The Torah, the first owned by the Yeshiva, was commissioned l’ilui nishmas Menachem Mendel ben Gedalyahu, with family, fellow bochurim, hanhala, and friends joining together to dedicate the Torah, complete with elegant coverings and a crown modeled after the crown of the Rebbe’s Sefer Torah.

The date carried double significance: The Siyum began on Erev Tes-Vov Elul and carried into the night. Tes-Vov Elul marks both Mendel’s yahrzeit and the founding of Tomchei Tmimim in Lubavitch by the Rebbe Rashab.

Adding to the joy, the Yeshiva also marked the chanukas habayis of its newly completed Batei Medrash, ready just in time for the new year.

The festivities began at 2:00 PM as the final letters of the Torah were delicately penned by bochurim, shluchim, anash, and members of Mendel Bluming’s extended family from the Bluming and Ceitlin sides. Sofer Yirmiyahu Gourarie, a bochur shliach at the Yeshiva, oversaw the writing in the library, the same room that had until recently served as the Zal, and where Mendel himself learned with diligence and warmth.

Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for: the Torah was lifted, held under a chuppah, and borne aloft in a jubilant parade. Live music rang out, children carried torches, and circles of dancing surrounded the Sefer Torah as it was escorted through the campus to the new Yeshiva Gedola Zal. Upon its arrival, the other Sifrei Torah were brought out in greeting, and the celebrations rose higher with the start of the customary eight hakafos, each led by a distinguished guest.

As night fell, the celebration continued with a grand seudah, followed by a farbrengen marking Tes-Vov Elul and the Siyum. Inspiring words and memories were shared by Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Bentzion Bluming; Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Ceitlin of Toronto, Mendel’s grandfather; Rabbi Gedaliah Bluming, Mendel’s father; Rabbi Shmuli Ceitlin of Texas, Mendel’s uncle; and others. The farbrengen carried on late into the night, in true Chassidishe spirit.

On Monday morning, the new Sefer Torah was read from for the first time during Shacharis. Following Krias HaTorah, the bochurim erupted into a heartfelt sisu v’simchu b’simchas Torah.

“Mendel immersed himself fully in the life of the Yeshiva, seizing every opportunity to grow in his learning,” the hanhala of the Yeshiva shared. “He took everything to heart, with a special passion for recording all the Shiurim, both in Nigleh and Chassidus. Mendel was always up early, beginning his learning even before Seder, with vitality and warmth.”

“This Sefer Torah, will be used throughout the year, on weekdays, Shabbosim, and Yomim Tovim, and will stand as a lasting tribute to Mendel’s life and a milestone in the continued growth of our Yeshiva,” they said.

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