Rav Uren Reich shlita delivers Keynote Address at Adirei Hatorah 2025

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Rav Uren Reich shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Gedolah of Woodlake and son-in-law of Rav Shneur Kotler zt”l, delivered a powerful keynote at the 2025 Adirei HaTorah gathering, offering deep chizuk and perspective to Klal Yisrael. With heartfelt clarity, Rav Reich reflected on how the seeds of Torah’s rebuilding in America were planted during the war years—whether in Europe or in Shanghai. This maamad, he declared, is living proof of the netzchiyus of Klal Yisrael. We may live in a different tekufah, he explained, but the mesirus nefesh of today’s yungeleit is no less real. In a generation of entrepreneurship and distraction, they say no to the yetzer and declare: “Labris habet v’al teifen l’Yetzer”. They want to learn Nashim and Nezikin. These are the true millionaires and billionaires of Klal Yisrael—the Adirei HaTorah. (Crowd applauds.) How fitting, Rav Reich said, that we’ve come together to be mechazek ourselves by honoring those who sacrifice so much to sit and learn. He concluded with a message to the families of the bnei Torah: “Ashreichem ba’olam hazeh, v’tov lachem la’olam haba.” And to the machzikei Torah, the Zevuluns who give not only their money but a piece of themselves to be connected to the world of Yissochor—he offered admiration and gratitude. When Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l needed help, it was a small group of baalei batim who stood up. Today, Rav Reich noted, we may not have a single Yissochor like Rav Aharon, but Rav Shneur zt”l taught that a tzibbur of bnei Torah carries the power of a gadol hador. That’s what we see in Lakewood today. Is it any wonder that the Zevuluns want to be close? Tonight, we witness Torah and gedulah b’makom echad. The gevirim have become meshulachim for the Lakewood Yeshiva. And we say to them: “Ashrecha ben Buzi, shebiza atzmo al divrei Torah.”