הדרן עלך

Today marked yet another regular day here at Ma'aleh Gilboa. Yawn. Good thing we that we have so much fun stuff going on. For example, since I know that so many of you have been asking, I have found a new bkiyut chevruta. Unfortunately, his name is Jason Ast, which means that he's bound to disappear at random times and tell no-one. Like today, for example, when he ditched our first session to go fishing. We'll try again tomorrow... no wait, Thursday, since tomorrow bkiyut time is spent doing community service.

Another fun thing we did today was a much-anticipated shiur with Rav Elisha. The much-anticipation, to me, seems a bit bizarre, since the topic was concubination, the noun form I may have made up to describe the profession of a concubine. I think we thought it was a shiur about PMS (premarital sex), but Rav Elisha always manages to surprise us. Or confuse us. Or maybe this was the shiur, and we just didn't know it. Rav Elisha is like that.

However, the highlight of the day by far was the siyum, or finishing party of a set of learning. So far, I have been to three siyums: one for Tractate Eruvin, by one of the bogrim; one for season four of Seinfeld; and one fake siyum that was actually a surprise party. This siyum, following the pattern of fake-fun siyums, celebrated Ronen and Gadiel's completion of the novel "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (a book that probably takes longer to read than a gmara). They provided beer bottles labelled "Butterbeer" (right), construction papers rolled up to make wands, and newspapers with "The Daily Prophet" and "The Quibbler" taped over the mastheads. There was also food, which he gave to us as we used the "Accio" incantation.

The highlight, which had most people in tears, was the following, which is a play on the ceremonial oath recited at the conclusion of the tractate. The hebrew is by Ronen and Gadiel, and the English translation is mine. I sincerely recommend looking at the real version, which can be found at the end of a standard gmara (Schottenstein edition for the english). Not only to compare, but hopefully also when you finish a tractate of gmara.

Note: the Hebrew version is much funnier than the english, which I included to give you a general idea. Especially when you know the real "הדרן עלך."

הדרן עלך הארי פוטר חמש והדרך עלן
דעתן עלך הארי פוטר חמש ודעתך עלן
לא נתנשי מנך מסדר עוף החול
ולא תתנשי מנן
לא בעלמא דמוגלגים
ולא בעלמא דקוסמים

יהי רצון מלפניך דמבלדור מורינו ופרופסינו שתהא הלטת הכרה בעולם הזה ותהא עימנו
בעולם הבא. הארי בר פפא, רון בר פפא, הרמיוני בת פפא, ג'יני בת פפא, טחובר בר פפא, פרד וג'ורג' בני פפא, לונה המכונה מג'נונה בת פפא, נוויל השלומפר בר פפא, הדוויג בת פפא

הערב נא דמבלדורינו את קסמיך בשרביטינו ובשרביטי כל צבא דמבלדור. ונהיה [כולנו] אנחנו וצאצאינו וצאצאי צאצאינו וצאצאאציצינו ו.. צאצאי כל מסדר עוף החול כולנו יודעי שמך (דמבי) ולומדי פטרונוס לשמה. מוולדרמורט תחכמיני קסמיך, כי הנבואה אצלי. יהי שרביטי תמיד בהיכון למען אעשה אעלוהאמ"ורע. לעולם לא אשכח נבואתיך כי בם חייתני. אמן אמן סלה ועד.

מודים אנחנו לך פרופסור מקנגל, ששמת חלקינו מיושבי גרינפנדור, ולא שמת חלקינו עם אוכלי המוות. שאנו משכימים והם משכימים, אנו משכימים ללמוד מגננה, והם משכימים לברוח מאזקבאן. אנו עמלים והם עמלים, אנו עמלים ומקבלים בירצפת, והם עמלים וחוטפים לפנים. אנו עפים והם עפים, אנו עפים במשחק הקווידיץ, והם עפים לאזקבאן, שנאמר: "אני חוששת... אני חוששת שנשקפת לך סכנה איומה!" חתמה הפרופסור טרלוני בגבה מורמת." (ה"פ 5, דף שכ"ו פ' ההע"ה [ט"ו])

יהי רצון מלפנייך גברת רולינג, כשם שעזרת לי לסיים ספר חמישי מממכן תעזרי לי להתחיל ספרים חדשים ולסיימם, לקסום
ולהקסים ולתקוף ולהתגונן ולהפעיל את כל קיסמי המגננה באהבה. וזכות כל הקוסמים וההילאים וכל תלמידי הוגוורטס יעמוד לי ולזרעי, שלא ישכח הספר הזה מפי ומפי אחי ומפי חברי עד עולם. ותתקיים בי הנבואה: "כי איש מהם לא יוכל לחיות כל עוד ימשיך השני להתקיים".
הארי לעולם אמן אמן. ודמבלדור מת!

We shall return to you, “Harry Potter 5”, and you shall return to us. Our thoughts are on you, “Harry Potter 5”, and your thoughts are on us. We will not forget you, “Order of the Phoenix”. We will not forget you— not in the Muggle world, not in the magical world.

May it be your will, Professor Dumbledore, that your Occlumency be our preoccupation in this world, and remain with us in the world to come. Harry son of Pappa, Ron son of Pappa, Hermione daughter of Pappa, Ginny daughter of Pappa, Tachover son of Pappa, Fred and George the sons of Pappa, Loopy Luna Lovegood daughter of Pappa, clumsy Neville son of Pappa, Hedwig daughter of Pappa.

Please, Professor Dumbledore, sweeten your incantations in our wands and in the wands of all of Dumbledore’s Army. And may we— we, our offspring, our offspring’s offspring, our offspring’s offspring’s offspring, our offspring’s offspring’s offspring’s offspr— and all of the Order of the Phoenix know your name (“Dumby”) and learn the Patronus charm for its sake. Your magic makes me wiser than Voldemort for the Prophecy is with me. May my wand forever be ready, so that I may perform the Alohamora charm. I will never forget your Prophecy, for through it you have preserved me. Amen! Amen! Selah! Forever!

We express gratitude before you, Professor McGonagall, that you have established our portion with those who dwell in Gryffindor, and have not established our portion with the Death Eaters. For we arise early and they arise early; we arise early to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts, while they arise early to escape from Azkaban. We toil and they toil; we toil and receive Butterbeer, while they toil and are severely punished. We fly and they fly; we fly in the game of Quidditch, while they fly to Azkaban, as it is said: "I am afraid… I am afraid that you are in grave danger!” (“Harry Potter 5”, Chapter 15)

May it be your will, Ms. Rowling, that just as you have helped me complete the fifth book, so may you help me to begin other books, and to complete them; to perform magic and to be magical, to strike and to protect all the spells of Defense Against the Dark Arts with love. May the merit of all the wizards and Aurors and all the students of Hogwarts stand by me and my children, that this book shall not depart from my mouth and from the mouth of my brothers and from the mouth of my friends forever. And may the Prophecy be fulfilled: “and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives.”

Blessed is Harry forever, Amen! Amen!
And Dumbledore dies!