Peak excitement has gripped Toldos Aharon. With the arrival of the month of Adar, the dam has burst in the chassidus. Eighty-three couples celebrated their engagements over the past week, with nearly every home in the neighborhood marking a family simchah. And behind it all lies a closely guarded secret that the mechutanim kept in their hearts throughout the winter so as not to disturb the shteiging in the Toldos Aharon yeshiva.

In recent years, the chassidus instituted a well-known rule that second-year talmidim in the Toldos Aharon yeshiva gedolah do not enter the shidduch world before the month of Adar. As a result, the end of this past week saw an extraordinary outpouring of simcha.

A fascinating detail reveals the depth of discipline: in some cases, even when a shidduch was finalized during the winter months, the matter was kept strictly confidential. The mechutanim, the chosson, and the kallah guarded the secret carefully and did not reveal it to anyone, not even to their closest family members.

All of this was done to preserve the concentration of the chosson’s fellow talmidim in yeshiva and to prevent any disruption to the learning. Only with the arrival of Adar was the news made public. Then, all at once, families learned of the joyous occasions.

In the official community bulletin released ahead of Shabbos, chassidim were informed of the staggering figure: No fewer than 83 shidduchim were completed in a single week among members of the community, bli ayin hara. (See the listings below.)

The reality on the ground is remarkable. There is hardly a family in the chassidus that does not have a first-degree relative, brother-in-law, or cousin who celebrated a l’chaim this week. The streets of Meah Shearim and its alleyways have turned into one continuous parade of mazel tov platters, flowers, and the sounds of singing emanating from homes.

The focal point of the celebrations is, of course, the residence of the Rebbe of Toldos Aharon, where the mechutanim hold their l’chaim gatherings.

The successful model of Toldos Aharon has, in recent years, spread to additional chassidishe yeshivos. At the Rachmastrivka yeshiva and other prominent chassidic institutions, roshei yeshiva have likewise implemented the rule that the winter term is dedicated solely to limud haTorah.