During a moving address at a welcome reception held in his honor in the United States, Slabodka Rosh Yeshiva Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, who is currently visiting America to lead a fundraising campaign for the Keren Olam HaTorah fund, delivered heartfelt words about the ongoing crisis in Eretz Yisroel.
Rav Hirsch implored American Jews to deeply feel the pain and anxiety of their brethren in Israel. “Moshe Rabbeinu went down to Mitzrayim, saw the suffering of his brothers, and cried with them,” he said. “He wished he could help. Chazal say that Moshe acted with true brotherhood—achvah—and that’s why he merited the sneh (burning bush).”
Drawing from that message, the Rosh Yeshiva said, “We’re speaking about our own flesh and blood. Anyone with relatives there knows the fear they are living with. And every Yid should feel that fear with them.
“Those who are there can’t sleep at night because of the fear and anxiety—each missile launch brings terror that it may land near them. Some people don’t even have what to eat. They live in constant uncertainty, and we need to daven, to think about their reality, and to be emotionally present with them,” he said.
Rav Hirsch went on to emphasize a second key point: “Everything happening now is from Hakadosh Baruch Hu. It’s not the Iranians. They are merely the tool through which Hashem’s will is carried out. We don’t know why, but we know clearly that it is all from Hashem. That is why we must turn to Him, to beg Him to remove His anger and bring an end to this war.”
The Rosh Yeshiva added a third fundamental: “We must truly believe that our tefillos have power. If we really believed they worked, we would daven more. There’s an obligation to feel that our prayers can make a difference—they can change everything.”
He concluded by stressing these three foundations: “We must feel the pain of our fellow Jews. We must know that everything is from Hashem. And we must believe that our tefillos help. If we internalize these truths, Hashem will hear our prayers, bring yeshuah, and all will be good, be’ezras Hashem.”
{Matzav.com}