Dear YWN,
I am extremely perplexed and literally at a loss for words.
Millions of Yidden are in extreme danger right now, and for the most part we are silent.
We see massive asifos called for AI. We see gatherings and campaigns regarding giyus and many other important matters. But I ask with a broken heart: where is the yom tefillah? Where is the united cry of Klal Yisroel?
Where are our Gedolei Yisroel calling on the tzibbur to dedicate a day for tefillah and limud haTorah on behalf of our brothers and sisters living under constant missile fire?
The reality is that millions of Yidden are living in Eretz Yisroel and are in sakana every single moment.
Just today, more than 100 rockets were fired by Hezbollah into northern Israel in under 15 minutes, while Iranian missiles were being launched simultaneously. Entire cities were running to shelters.
And yet we continue with life as usual.
Where is the trembling? Where is the crying out to the Ribono Shel Olam?
I also want to raise another point that has been bothering me. How many shuls last Shabbos recited a Mi Shebeirach for President Trump (“…????? ????? ??????”), and how many will do it this coming Shabbos. It is appropriate to show hakaras hatov to leaders who stand with the Jewish people, especially a President who just wiped out an existential nuclear threat that could have annihilated the entire Eretz Yisroel in a split second.
I remember hearing that in the Mirrer Yeshiva, under the leadership of the great Rosh Yeshiva Rav Shmuel Berenbaum zt”l, they recited the tefillah for President Bush on Yom Kippur following the attacks of 9/11. It was done with tremendous seriousness and recognition of the moment.
So why today, when Klal Yisroel is under such massive threat, do we not see a unified outpouring of tefillah?
Have we become so numb to war that we simply move on with our routines while rockets are falling on Jewish cities?
Our silence is deafening.
I write this with pain and confusion, not with criticism. Perhaps others can explain what I am missing.
But to me, it feels like the moment calls for something far greater from all of us — more tefillah, more Tehillim, more limud haTorah, and more achdus.
May the Ribbono Shel Olam have mercy on His people and protect all of Klal Yisroel.
Pained in Lakewood,
Chaim B.
PS: Here is the Tefilah for President Trump. Make sure your Shul says this on Shabbos:
????? ????? ?????? ?????? ???????, ?????? ????? ?? ??????.
??? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????? ????? ????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ?? ??????.
????? ???? ??? ?????? ?????? ??? ??? ????? ???? ??? ?????, ????? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ????.
??? ???? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ?????.
????? ??????? ???? ????? ?????? ????? ????, ??? ????? ????.
??? ??? ???? ????? ???.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
19 Responses
You ruined your entire letter with your PS.
please do not question Daas Torah, they know best. It is border line kefira this letter.
Very well said.
Mordechai gathered everyone to daven, where are we?
I have a goyish friend who told me their mission fasted for three days for Jerusalem.
Where are we?
My shul already says it. But don’t expect yeshivish places to ever say that. Anyway I think it’s war fever people are just sick of being depressed and nervous that the only coping mechanism is try to stick to your schedule and keep your head down. It’s sad that that’s how it’s playing out but if you don’t you’ll really go out of your mind
In kaj they say every ???
I AM DAAS TORAH AND I APPROVE THIS LETTER
Because you Chaim B. clearly are NOT familiar with your Daily Prayers.
Our Prayers are full of Bakoshos & requests for Geuloh & salvation, and for destruction & elimination & of our enemies.
Our Shuls already at every Kerias haTorah recite MiSheBerach for Medinat Yisroel & for the entire IDF forces.
You Chaim B. may need to invest in a Siddur with English translation, and you may become quite embarrassed by the contents of this mailbag which you submitted.
Your letter is sadly right on target! Sadly, we are busy with Yom Tov sale purchasing now and disconnected. Some are worried that their daughters may have a hard time coming home because of the war. Gimme a break! Let them stay in E.Y. for Yom Tov. Let their schools earn the $30,000 they charge for not even 8 months of school and zero Shabbos meals: but that’s a separate issue. Why we just follow the bombardment of Iran and not cry out for ????? ??? ????? ??????? ??? ??? ???? ????? is beyond, beyond, beyond.
Was that tefilla ever said for Woodrow Wilson or FDR during two world wars?
lakewoodbt
No it’s not. Your suggestion tries to shut down independent thinking and a true cry. I don’t understand why the gedolim aren’t even talking about this war! How about an “Elul” like cry every day before learning?
Sadly the threat to Jews is not just in Israel. It is a lot broader than it is being described in this piece rachmana litzlan. This operation in Iran is a sakanah to all. As a limud zechus people are just worn out after years of fighting coming on the heals right after years of COVID shutdowns and restrictions and tragedies in Meron etc. It is hard to live with stress and anxiety so denialism kicks in. It’s not an excuse but a reality. We also need a real cheshbon hanefesh about the unquestioning infatuation and embrace of Bibi and Trump and to ask where this is all heading. BTW did the author of the post say the tefilah for the government when Biden was in power? Just wondering.
Please don’t speak on behalf of all Jews or Jewish communities.
The Vaad HaRabbanim of Baltimore has called numerous Tehillim Asifas since Oct. 7th.
Letter writer is 1000000% right. It’s sad that he had to write such a letter, like our money fressing leaders are still collecting tips they can’t think of our brethren and our kids in trouble. For those with son’s in Yeshiva and need to come home for Pesach only to find out their flight are cancelled. We live in fear for the safety of our dear kids and our brethren in Israel.
????? ?????. Those with their heads in the Torah are almost always less worried about anything
1. Spiritual dangers are infinitely worse than physical ones. An asifa about AI, which is a spiritual (and physical) danger is obviously not a kasha on calling for an asifa about the situation of the Jews in E”Y caught in the latest of the forever Zionist wars.
2. The Brisker Rav and others have noted that “every missile has an address”, so to speak. That implies that they really are not in any more danger in E”Y than anywhere else, regardless of the latest of the forever Zionist wars there. So, if that is true, then what is the need for extra prayers?
And if you answer that it’s still more pleasant to live without any inconveniences of needing to run to shelters and the like, and they could use our prayers for that, that’s a fair point. However – especially at that point – the AI threat, being an actual threat, is seemingly a far greater Klal-wide concern than that.
It’s the darn phones
They’ve changed the way we think and feel
I should cry for Klal Yisroel now? I am choosing whether to eat Seder in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama or the Iberian Peninsula. These are weighty and stressful items on my mind right now. I want to buy a new pair of shoes for Yom tov. Do I go with Zappos, DSW, or Nordstrom Rack. Who has time for Klal Yisroel when I have these heavy issues to resolve.
You can’t enforce a whole community where materialism is number one on peoples minds. There are numerous weddings everyday where some people run to five weddings in one night. There is an explosion of population in all orthodox religious communities worldwide. It’s hard to focus on a war that we are winning. Yes stores in manhattan that have designer sales are pact with chassidisha and heimisha ladies. Average weddings plus settling the new couple run into 120 thousand or more. Im not going to list the prices but you can do the math. Even with most takanah halls it’s a pretty penny between gifts and setting up apartments with cloths and rent. Let’s not be nieve. We are not even including seminaries among the yeshiva crowd. There is a reason our communities are expanding into areas that never saw a Jew before. Every community is expanding from Boro park to crown heights to Williamsburg to Staten Island to Monsey to Lakewood and beyond. Same in Israel as Chareidim expand everywhere. The houses in some areas are being built to six floors as everyone wants to live in the heart. Small homes are being bought for milllions of dollars to build talk multi family condos. Also along with population increase comes the need for yeshivas. Yeshivas are knocking down whole blocks to build wedding halls and yeshivas above. On Bay pkwy between 59 and 60 st is coming a new satmar yeshiva with one hundred classrooms. Drive around and you see how every Frum community is expanding very fast. We are getting closer to mossiach as the less religious Jews are disappearing. The only ones moving full force ahead are Chareidim. This has been shown in a recent study. In 25 years even the previous me minister of Israel will either wear a streimel or a black up hat. It’s coming my friends. Time is on our side. Things look very good. Keep it going.
You are absolutely correct that we must daven for Klal Yisroel, even if it becomes difficult as the challenges drag on. However, it is ourselves and our peers that we should focus on first. If you are close to any Gedolim or Rabbonim, you should speak to them respectfully about the situation.