While the rest of the world fear the coming year of 2012, the Jewish people will be looking forward to this year to sanctify the Name of Hashem in a big, big way. August 2, 2012 (15 Av, 5772) is the date of the 12th Siyum HaShas (the completion of the 7-year Daf Yomi cycle), which calls for a big celebration and kiddush Hashem all over the world.
Rabbi Eli Mansour of LearnTorah.com teaches that when Jews get together in achdus (unity) to do a mitzvah, for example at the public Megillah reading that's coming up shortly, or even at a minyan to daven together as a tzibur, the potential for our prayers to reach a special place in heaven, called "Kol Yisrael (כל ישראל)", meaning ALL of YISRAEL, where there is no din (judgement) and no interference from the Satan, is so great and powerful.
Interestingly, the word tzibur (צבור), contains the letter צ, which stands for the tzadikim; the letter ב, which stands for the beinonim (in between, middle, neither tzadik nor rasha) and the letter ר which stands for the rasha. In a tzibur, every stripe of Jew is welcome -- the righteous together with the wicked and the average. Much like the mitzvah of the lulav and esrog which signifies the unification of the Jewish people, when Hashem sees that His children can get along and be tolerant of one another, He brings so much blessings to the world, THROUGH us, and not calamities, BECAUSE OF us.
Speaking of Purim, another opportunity to bring a tzibur together to hear the reading of the Megilah, the Talmud says:
“They established and accepted” (Megillat Esther 9:27) – “They established that which they had already accepted.” At the time of Esther and Mordechai, the Jews established the Oral Law which they had already accepted, however, when they first accepted the Oral Law it was out of coercion, only at the Purim story did all the Jews accept the Oral Law out of love. (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 88a).
May each of us merit to do teshuva every day, and become better and better and look forward to the day of the great sanctification of Hashem's Name, August 2, 2012 at the Siyum HaShas.
The Talmud, from the Jewish Point of View
Source: Mikveh of People, Midreshet B'erot Bat Ayin Purim Message
