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An intense meeting was held at the Bnei Brak home of HaRav HaGaon Rav Chaim Kanievsky recently on behalf of sick men, women, and children in Israel. Attending were Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein and Rav Shimon Baadani, who have also attached themselves to the cause, as well as various Kupat Ha’Ir representatives, gabbaim, and spectators. Discussed was the epidemic of cancer and other serious illnesses, and their resulting debts, as a rising threat to the survival of the Jewish People. As of now, cancer is the #1 cause of death in Israel, with many families suffering in dire poverty as they struggle to afford their expenses.

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It was a quiet night in the oncology unit in a hospital in central Israel, full of the regular sights & sounds: The beeping of heart monitors, the groans of patients, the tense steps of loved ones. Mrs Yakovzer however, a young mother of 2 from Netanya, was noticeably absent from her bed. Having suffered for a few years from cancer herself, she had taken on teaching the sefer Chovos HaLevavos to the other patients. Despite her own pain and nausea, she pushed through to help strengthen others in their emunah & bitachon. This is just one instance in a tapestry of who this young woman was as a person. Unfortunately, she just passed away, leaving behind a devastated widower and two children.

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“We stood before three fresh graves … I don’t want to be in the same situation again.”
Thus begins the devastating and emotional video posted this week by mother-of-14 Esther K, a woman who has experienced more suffering than most do in their lifetime. 9 of Esther’s children developed a severe genetic disorder, neurofibromatosis, which lays dormant until adolescence. Once they began getting sick, the family could only wait to see who would be healthy, and who would develop life-threatening tumors along their spinal cord.

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Are you or someone you know in need of a zchus for their bashert?
The Ohel Sarala Initiative was born just over 4 years ago, at the recommendation of Rav Ahron Leib Shteinman ZT”L. Over the last few years, Ohel Sarala has been part of over 177 babies and 611 shiduchim.
Join the initiative today and Rav Chaim Kanievsky will say a special tefillah at neilah that “this year should be the year”.
Read more…

As a result of the unprecedented growth of Lomdei Daf Yomi, Chavrei HaSiyum, Masmidei HaSiyum and Lomdei and Makirei Torah all around the world, seat reservations at The Siyum are moving at the fastest pace ever. Over 70% of the seats at MetLife Stadium are already sold out, and reservations keep coming in at record rates.
 
The Siyum will of course be an unrivaled experience of kavod hatorah and inspiration. An anticipated 300,000+ participants will participate across dozens of cities and countries around the world. It will once again be historic.
 

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Last year, I had an experience that I never thought that I, a regular guy from Baltimore, would be able to have: I prayed in shul next to Rav Chaim Kanievsky on Rosh Hashana. It totally transformed my davening, and set me on the right track for the year to come.But how did I, a normal father-of-3, pull this off? Let me explain:

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When it comes to giving tzedaka before chagim, it can be easy to be overwhelmed by the options. Many are bogged down by the various errands left to run before the holiday, and simply lack the presence of mind to think of those who are less fortunate. Each year, rabbanim around the world work hard to rally for the impoverished, to bring the concept of charity back into the minds of their congregants. Indeed, next Monday, we will stand in shul and utter those iconic words – “Teshuva, tefila, and tzedaka will annul the decree.”

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Today, September 27 (24 Elul) Is the Chofetz Chaim’s Yahrtzeit.
And  It’s a One-Day Chance to Double Your Support for the World’s Largest Initiative to Spread His Teachings
30 years later and I still get the SAME question as I walk down the street!
As the only organization devoted solely to spreading the Chofetz Chaim’s teachings on Ahavas Yisrael and children’s education in mitzvos bein adam l’chaveiro in schools around the world, I am amazed by how many people still stop me in the street and say ‘Aren’t you guys only a tisha bav video?’ ‘What else do you keep busy with throughout the whole year?!?!?’

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The room is silent, except for the unearthly beep of the heart monitor. The nurse shuffles in and out, organizing medications. Rabbi Klein, a man in his 60s with kind eyes and a warm smile, comes to his wife’s bedside to say ‘Good morning.’ Esther looks in his direction. It is all she can offer him in return. ALS has robbed her of her ability to move her body. This is their daily ritual.
What Esther does not know, is that her husband and their 8 children have run out of the means to continue to treatments which keep her alive. After her transition from ‘normal’ mother of a large family, to disabled, to paralyzed, it would be more than she could bear. Her body is a prison, but her mind and soul burn bright within.