It is truly amazing! Year after year, Yeshiva Madreigas HaAdam celebrates its annual dinner in a fashion that is simply extraordinary. The excitement and joy that permeates these gatherings imparts the attendees with a surge of energy that provides them with a long-lasting wellspring of ruchniyus.
This year was particularly meaningful, because after a three-year hiatus of face-to-face, panim-el-panim dinners, as a consequence of the COVID pandemic, the Rosh HaYeshiva, Rabbi Moshe Faskowitz, and the Mashgiach, Rabbi Berman, decided it was time to resume the “live event” and invite talmidim and friends to once again join together in honor of the Torah and the b’nei Torah that emerge from the halls of Madreigas HaAdam.
The m’laveh malkah dinner was held at the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, a wonderful and convenient location for the majority of the more than 300 people who came out to pay homage to the Yeshiva and the rebbeim.
The theme of the evening was “The Comeback.” The Rosh HaYeshiva referred to a comeback mentioned in Chumash B’reishis: “Va’yavo Yaakov shaleim ir Shechem”–Yaakov comes back whole and intact to the city of Shechem. Rashi tells us that “shaleim” means physically b’gufo, financially bi’m’mono, and spiritually b’Toraso. Yaakov was challenged physically when he wrestled with Eisav’s guardian angel, challenged financially by Lavan and his sons, who tried to steal all that he had, and spiritually by Lavan himself, who tried to purge Torah tradition and erase any vestiges of Yiddishkeit from the heart of Yaakov. But Yaakov emerged triumphantly, whole and intact, and not derailed in the least. “Va’yavo Yaakov shaleim ir Shechem.”
Yeshiva Madreigas HaAdam, said the Rosh HaYeshiva, emerged from the physical, financial, and spiritual challenges of the pandemic to “come back.” In a world that mocks the very belief of the Creator of the world and has totally and shamelessly abandoned core Torah and simple humane values, where accountability has become a dirty word, and where Woke culture is intent on stamping out and eradicating all that is good and replacing it with evil, Madreigas HaAdam held strong, firm, and unwavering. A steadfast guardian of the tradition of Torah u’Musar, the Yeshiva stands its ground, never to compromise, certainly not to capitulate.
The keynote speaker was the world-renowned orator Rabbi YY Rubenstein, who entertained with a beautifully woven tapestry of Torah, musar, agadah, and hashkafah. His stories and m’shalim provided life lessons that stirred everyone’s neshamah. With humor, a little sarcasm, and a sprinkle of “Jewish salt,” he brilliantly engaged the audience in that fashion that is the hallmark of his success.
This wonderful evening was arranged and coordinated by the dinner chairman, Rabbi Gilboa Merdinger, who has dedicated himself with unrelenting m’siras nefesh to extending the legacy of Madreigas HaAdam since joining the Yeshiva as one of its founding talmidim in 1998 and being the Yeshiva’s first talmid to receive his s’michah from the Rosh HaYeshiva.
A delicious menu was prepared and presented by Upper Crust of Queens. In addition, straight from Eden Wok on 34th St. in Manhattan, owner and operator Kevin Cohnen, a dear friend and longtime supporter of the Yeshiva, presented his magnificent sushi station to the satisfaction and enjoyment of all.
Now that the dinner is over, the Yeshiva anticipates welcoming the new bachurim who will be arriving after the winter break. They will be received warmly by the superb rebbeim and by the mature and disciplined young talmidim who make Madreigas HaAdam a first choice for a college-bound student seeking a serious learning program.
