Thursday, May 08, 2025

Aderei Hatorah event- based on an extremely conservative estimate -Dan-Li'kaf-Ze'chus- דן לכף זכות

Here is a comprehensive analysis of the full scope of bitul Torah (loss of Torah learning time) caused by the Adirei HaTorah event, accounting for all known components: travel, preparation, meetings, logistics, and post-event effects.


 I. CORE EVENT PARTICIPATION

1. Lakewood Yungerleit

  • Attendees: ~8,000–10,000
  • Time Loss per Person:
    • 2 hours travel
    • 3 hours at the event
    • 1 hour prep/socializing
    • 1 hour of lost seder time before or after
    • Total: ~6–7 hours
  • Cumulative Loss:
    → 8,000 × 6 = 48,000
    → 10,000 × 7 = 70,000
     Range: 48,000–70,000 hours

2. Lakewood Bochurim

  • Attendees: ~3,000–5,000
  • Time Loss per Person:
    • Night seder missed
    • Travel & group logistics (~2 hours)
    • Disruption next morning
    • Total: ~6–8 hours
  • Cumulative Loss:
    → 3,000 × 6 = 18,000
    → 5,000 × 8 = 40,000
     Range: 18,000–40,000 hours

3. Out-of-Town Yungerleit & Bochurim

  • Attendees: ~3,000–4,000
  • Time Loss per Person:
    • 6–8 hours travel
    • Missed sedarim before/after
    • Accommodations, fatigue
    • Total: ~8–12 hours
  • Cumulative Loss:
    → 3,000 × 8 = 24,000
    → 4,000 × 12 = 48,000
     Range: 24,000–48,000 hours

4. Roshei Yeshiva / Rabbeim / Chavrei Kollel

  • Attendees: ~500–1,000
  • Time Loss per Person:
    • Shiur prep interruption
    • Organizational roles
    • Travel + attendance
    • Total: ~6–10 hours
  • Cumulative Loss:
    → 500 × 6 = 3,000
    → 1,000 × 10 = 10,000
     Range: 3,000–10,000 hours

5. Baale’batim (Working Men Who Learn)

  • Attendees: ~10,000
  • Time Loss per Person:
    • Night chavrusa / shiur
    • Disruption to morning seder
    • Total: ~1–2 hours
  • Cumulative Loss:
    → 10,000 × 1 = 10,000
    → 10,000 × 2 = 20,000
     Range: 10,000–20,000 hours

 II. INTERNAL BMG LOGISTICS & PREPARATIONS

6. Roshei Chabura Meeting

  • Attendees: ~250
  • Time Loss per Person: ~3.5 hours
    • Central meeting (~1.5 hrs)
    • Follow-up calls/emails (~2 hrs)
  • Cumulative Loss:
    → 250 × 3.5 = 875 hours

7. General Yungerleit BMG-Wide Meeting

  • Attendees: ~6,000–7,000
  • Time Loss per Person: ~2.5 hours
    • Attendance at general meeting (~1 hr)
    • Pre- and post-discussion with chaveirim (~1.5 hrs)
  • Cumulative Loss:
    → 6,000 × 2.5 = 15,000
    → 7,000 × 2.5 = 17,500
     Range: 15,000–17,500 hours

8. Ticket Purchasing and Coordination

  • Families Participating: ~7,000
  • Time Loss per Household: ~1 hour
    • Buying tickets, choosing seats, arranging for kids, carpools
  • Cumulative Loss:
    → 7,000 × 1 = 7,000 hours

 III. INDIRECT AND FOLLOW-UP LOSSES

9. Post-Event Fatigue and Late Start Next Day

  • Applies to many yungerleit and bochurim who return late
  • Estimated yungerleit affected: ~5,000
  • Time Loss: ~1 hour (missed 1st seder or late arrival)
  • Cumulative: 5,000 × 1 = 5,000 hours

 IV. TOTAL ESTIMATED BITUL TORAH

Category

Minimum

Maximum

Lakewood Yungerleit

48,000

70,000

Lakewood Bochurim

18,000

40,000

Out-of-Town Lomdei Torah

24,000

48,000

Roshei Yeshiva / Rabbeim

3,000

10,000

Baalebatim

10,000

20,000

Roshei Chabura Prep

875

875

General BMG Meeting

15,000

17,500

Ticket Coordination

7,000

7,000

Post-Event Lag

5,000

5,000

TOTAL HOURS

130,875

218,375


Summary

The Adirei HaTorah event, while a major display of kavod haTorah, directly results in an estimated:

 130,000 – 218,000 hours of bitul Torah

This figure includes:

  • Actual event attendance
  • Travel
  • Internal coordination within BMG
  • Meetings and ticket logistics
  • Post-event disruptions

Additional Considerations:

  • Wives/Mothers: Lose shiurim, seder hours, household stability, especially if husband is away for long.

  • Post-event lag: The day after has reduced productivity in many kollelim and yeshivos.

  • Prep time for organizers: A select group may lose days or even weeks preparing.

 


2 comments:

  1. It's all worth it for those individuals that they live and breath KOVOD, without which למה לי חיים

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey, don't mess with Louie's 'baby'!

    ReplyDelete