Dvir Kodsheinu (our Holy Sanctuary) – an evening in memory of Dvir Sorek
Approximately 600 people attended a moving evening in memory of Dvir Sorek z”l in Ohr Torah Stone’s Robert M. Beren Machanaim Hesder Yeshiva
Arutz 7 | 4 October, 2019
An evening of learning entitled “Entering the Dvir (Sanctuary)” took place yesterday (Thursday) in memory of Dvir Sorek of blessed memory at Ohr Torah Stone’s Robert M. Beren Machanaim Hesder Yeshiva.
The event drew hundreds of people who came to study, to reminisce and to “find the way into the sanctuary (dvir)”. These included Dvir’s friends from the yeshiva, rabbis, faculty at the yeshiva and the leadership of Ohr Torah Stone, the educational network to which the yeshiva belongs.
The event included Torah lectures on topics related to the High Holy Days, as well as personal stories and recollections of Dvir shared by rabbis and rabbaniyot alike.
Dvir’s father, Yoav, spoke of his son’s personality, his Torah values and the general principles by which Dvir lived: “Our son Dvir was a loyal soldier, always striving to see the good in everything and to add good to everything.
“In the last moments of his life, he probably had the realization that he would soon be joining a long list of kedoshim [martyrs] who gave up their lives as part of our return to this land, our adherence to Torah, and our settling the area of Gush Etzion. It goes without saying that these last moments did not erase the unblemished faith and purity of spirit which guided him all his life. He sanctified God’s name, first and foremost – during his lifetime: through the light that shone from his face and his love of mankind and this land,” recounted the bereaved father.
The rabbis of the yeshiva also spoke of Dvir. “Sanctity is embedded in life, in the mitzvot, in empathy for the other and for the world at large, in family, in study, in both the public and the private spheres. It seems that this belief pushed Dvir to choose our yeshiva as a place to grow in the study of Torah,” said rosh yeshiva Rabbi Shlomo Vilk.
Rabbi Sarel Rosenblatt, a teacher in the yeshiva, said that Dvir “had shining eyes and an embarrassed smile, and the riddle behind Dvir and his name is how he had managed to jump into the dvir, the sanctuary, that inner sanctity. In other words, his fervor for both the sublime and the sacred as well as for moral righteousness. His devotion to both is what characterized him. And this evening’s seminar wishes to tackle this precise question.
“Dvir, our beloved student who was murdered by despicable murderers has been taken from us. We had the merit of his dwelling, if only for a while, in our sanctuary, studying Torah between the walls of our beit midrash, and brightening our lives in the short time he was with us. This evening is not a symbol for who Dvir was; rather, Dvir is the one who is actively creating the symbols to be learned. In other words, the event taking place here is not meant to shed light on who Dvir was; rather – Dvir himself is the light which illuminates for us those topics of which we will talk during this seminar. He is the lighthouse that shows us the way into the holy sanctuary, as we tread the paths of our physical life.”
Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander, President and Rosh HaYeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone, added: “Since there are two messianic entities – Mashiach ben David and Mashiach ben Yosef – we must acknowledge that there are two stages to the Redemption. When we look at the State of Israel, we get the sense that Mashiach ben Yosef – who is responsible for the earthly beauty of our environment and our external presence – is already among us. However, Mashiach ben David, who is responsible for the spiritual redemption, has not yet arrived, and we have still to follow the road that will invoke his coming.
“In the Robert M. Beren Machanaim Hesder Yeshiva one can find much earthly beauty, but not only. Through the style of learning this yeshiva promotes, the way in which it is managed and the approach that guides it, the yeshiva also commends and practices the great light of Mashiach ben David, and Dvir was the manifestation of this duality. We have been blessed that a boy such as Dvir z”l chose to study here and teach us so many things through his actions and deeds. Dvir will continue to be a significant figure in our yeshiva and we will continue to act upon and implement the legacy and the values that he left behind.”
Torah lectures were also given by Rabbi Ronen ben David, Rabbi Elchanan Nir, Rabbanit Billy Rabenstein, Rabbi Chananya Swartz, Rabbanit Oriya Mevorach, Rabbi Nir Manusi and Rabbi Shaul Vider.
The evening concluded with a panel titled “A discourse on religious restlessness and zealousness” which included the head of the hesder yeshiva, Rabbi Shlomo Vilk and teachers Rabbi Yosi Froman and Rabbi Maoz Kahana.
