In an emotional moment at Yeshivas Chevron in Givat Mordechai, senior posek Rav Moshe Sternbuch delivered a powerful address to the thousands of bochurim gathered in the beis medrash, marking the yahrtzeit of the yeshiva’s rosh yeshiva, Rav Avrohom Moshe Chevroni zt”l, author of Massas Moshe.
But the highlight of the evening came when Rav Sternbuch revealed that he had come not only to inspire, but to finally fulfill a mission he had received seventy years earlier from the Belzer Rebbe, Rav Aharon Rokeach.
Upon his arrival at the yeshiva, Rav Sternbuch was warmly welcomed by the roshei yeshiva, Rav Moshe Mordechai Farbstein, Rav Dovid Cohen, and Rav Yosef Chevroni, who expressed deep gratitude for his visit and the chizuk he was about to offer.
In his remarks, Rav Sternbuch spoke about the essence of a ben yeshiva, quoting Rav Chaim of Volozhin who insisted on referring to his talmidim not merely as talmidei hayeshiva, but as bnei yeshiva—because the yeshiva doesn’t just teach Torah, it shapes one’s very identity in Torah, yiras Shamayim, and refined middos.
But then, toward the end of the shmuess, Rav Sternbuch stunned the bochurim with a personal story and a sacred mission he had been holding onto for decades.
“I am about to conclude,” he said, “but first I must fulfill a shlichus that the holy Belzer Rebbe, Rav Aharon zt”l, entrusted to me nearly seventy years ago.
“I’ll tell you what happened. During the years I was learning in Yeshivas Chevron, I had the zechus to enter the presence of the Rebbe of Belz. He asked me where I was learning, and I told him, ‘In Chevron.’ He then asked me to deliver a message to the bnei hayeshiva: When learning a masechta, one must complete it—from beginning to end, without skipping a single daf.
“He explained that for every masechta a person learns in this world, he builds a corresponding house for himself in the World of Truth. If someone learns a masechta but doesn’t finish it, then his future home will be lacking—missing a window, or a door. It will be a blemished structure, and this deficiency will be a source of eternal shame, chas v’shalom. Only by finishing the masechta can one ensure that his home will be complete and beautiful. Therefore, he said, one must hurry to finish what he begins.”
With visible emotion, Rav Sternbuch continued, “Today, I am finally fulfilling that shlichus—encouraging you, the bnei hayeshiva, to complete your masechtos. One who wants to grow in Torah will find the time to learn both in depth and in breadth. Don’t waste a moment. Learn diligently, complete your masechtos, and may you all be zocheh to brachah, hatzlachah, and nachas.”
{Matzav.com Israel}