Rosh Hashanah 5785

As we come to the close of תשפ"ד, it has certainly been a year to remember. On a personal note, I want to take a moment to thank all those who reached out to me during the period of שבעה for my father. Whether you visited, called, or sent messages, your support was deeply touching. I am especially grateful to those who learned in זכות of my father, משה בן בערל. His שלושים falls on הושענא רבה, a day that’s easy to remember, and I encourage you to continue learning in his memory. Any חזרה or learning that you can do לזכות משה בן בערל would be greatly appreciated.

This year was profoundly shaped by the tragic events of October 7th. It was a hard and painful year for כלל ישראל. While on תשעה באב, we are forbidden from learning, the rest of the year we were able to continue learning the דף. Day after day, despite our attention often being elsewhere, focused on the suffering and tensions in ארץ ישראל, we pushed forward. We moved through בבא קמא, בבא מציעא, and now we’re about two-thirds of the way through בבא בתרא. It’s been an incredibly significant journey.

As we end this year, we’re excited to announce our new collaboration with Oraysa. Zichru materials are now available on their platform, and we feel privileged to share our resources with their לומדים. This collaboration will help more people take advantage of the זכרו method as they learn one מסכת after another.

We also reached a major milestone this year. We’ve crossed the 1,711 דף mark, which means we have fewer than 1,000 דף left to complete in our journey through ש"ס. In any other cycle, that number might seem daunting. But for our members who have been with us since the beginning and have already completed over 1,700 דף, it’s now entirely doable. This is one of the defining features of זכרו—it transforms what we believe is possible. We keep pushing ourselves to learn more, retain more, and experience the incredible satisfaction that comes from recalling so many דף. Whether you’re working through a specific מסכת or reflecting on past מסכתות, the connections you’re making in your learning are truly remarkable.

I want to remind each of you that you are pioneers. Everyone who has joined זכרו during this cycle is part of something unprecedented. This year, I’ve been asking people, “Can you imagine בעלי בתים completing 1,700 דף?” Next year, we’ll be asking, “Can you imagine בעלי בתים completing over 2,000 דף?” And soon enough, we’ll be marveling at בעלי בתים who know all of ש"ס. We are all growing together.

As we enter this new year, I have one piece of advice: think bigger. Whatever you’ve achieved so far is just a sign—no pun intended—that you can achieve so much more. כלל ישראל is at a pivotal moment. In the coming year, בעזרת השם, we will finish סדר נזיקין and begin סדר קדשים. Who knows? This year could see the realization of a rebuilt בית המקדש.

We need to step up and become the fullest versions of ourselves, with תורה at our fingertips and תורה שבעל פה in our hearts. Together, we can create a world alive with learning, discovery, and a deeper connection to הקדוש ברוך הוא.

So, as we embark on this exciting new year, think bigger and aim higher. בעזרת השם, may we merit to see the rebuilding of the בית המקדש soon. Wishing you all a שנה טובה and a כתיבה וחתימה טובה