Oy, how it truly hurts so very much. Mamash pierces the heart. They are our dear brothers and sisters, beloved Jewish brethren in the midst of Shabbos morning prayer-- and their lives were taken suddenly and ruthlessly by a rabid antisemite who unleashed his despicable hatred upon these precious, innocent victims. It is a time to cry, to shed heartfelt tears for a synagogue in Pittsburgh and, indeed, all of Am Yisroel. We must never forget this atrocity, claimed by many to be the worst massacre against Jews in this country-- and we surely never will...
It must also serve as a crucial wake-up call for us all. We will shed those bitter tears, we will continue saying Tehillim- b'lev vi'nefesh- for the families of the victims and the injured, and we will each commit to take something upon ourselves: a little kabbalah that will help us become better people, better Jews, and help guarantee that we never, ever forget the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh and the calamity that befell our brethren the Shabbos of parshas Vayeira.
Nistarim Darchei Hashem. There simply are no words, no explanation, nothing that can console us at this painful time. The intensity of the tza'ar is still too raw, too fresh, too shocking... Only HaKB"H can bring us a true, meaningful, and ever-lasting nechama, and אי"ה He will in the near future. We must put all our hope and faith in the Ribbono Shel Olam Who is clearly leading us ever closer to the final geulah בב"א.
Regarding the upcoming days:
- I humbly request that an extra kappitel Tehillim be recited after each minyan this week - Tehillim #121 (in addition to #130)-- to daven for a refuah shi'leima for the injured and for Rachamei Shamayim to bring a nechama to the families of the victims.
- My shiur Sunday night between Mincha and Maariv will focus on the tragedy and how we react and try to move forward in light of such a horror. After Maariv, we will recite together several chapters of Tehillim.
- We have already begun discussing crucial steps that must, and will אי"ה, be taken to enhance the security measures already in place in the Shul. We are moving forward expeditiously to get a thorough assessment of what steps must be taken henceforth to elevate our security to the appropriate levels. We are most certainly prepared to do whatever is necessary to protect our dear members and mispallelim to the very best of our ability. All with tremendous Siyata Dishmaya...
I'mahem a'nachnu b'tzara. We will continue to do our utmost to feel their pain and anguish, to cry and daven along with the beautiful people of Pittsburgh and all of Klal Yisroel, and HaKB"H will see our sincere tears and immense pain and IY"H bring an end to all suffering once and for all bi'karov mamash. Mashiach is closer than ever...
Crying out with you in pain, mei'omek li'bi, and wishing Jews the world over only Kol Tuv always,
ה' ינקום דמם
R' Eytan Feiner
{Matzav.com}
Talking about the 10 Commandments on the wall in the back of him would’ve made more sense here.
Rabbi Feiner shlita is a Goan in Torah and middos. Klal yisroel is fortunate to have such an adom godol who articulates Dass Torah so eloquently. May he be zocah ach tov vchesed.
Rabbi Feiner is impressive as usual.
I do take exception though to his calling the P’burgh Temple a בית הכנסת, as if it was a legitimate Shul.
It is a Temple where a false and distorted so called “Judaism” was practiced.
The so called “Judaism” of the Reconstructionist, Conservative, Reform, etc., is not authentic Judaism. It is a scam and a sham. And such distortion of Yiddishkeit makes people vulnerable, ה’ ירחם.
This is not the time to bring up our internal differences in Frumkeit. Hitler Yemach Semho dint differentiate between Frum or not. The dumb liberal Jews vote for Hillary and Obama but they dont deserve to be killed. As usual Sinnas Chinum will be our downfall.
We need to be Ohev Yisroel in these times and present a united front.
Even for Open Orthodoxy?
There is a difference here.
If they were just ר”ל, ה’ ירחם attacked in the street, that would be one thing.
But in this case they were attacked in their treife Temple, while gathered for improperly distorted rituals.
Pashtus there is a shmirah from הקב”ה when Yidden conduct themselves properly, are davening in a proper Shul, etc., as the posuk says וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה’ נקרא עליך ויראו ממך. But when people are not acting properly, when there is no mechitzah, when there is toeivah R”L, when/where toeivah is even celebrated, ר”ל, what comes to mind is the warning of the holy Torah, ולא יראה בך ערות דבר, ושב מאחריך. Hashem is, so to speak, chased away from their “Temple” when they do such craziness there, even if they may perhaps be בגדר תינוקות שנשבו, Hashem runs away!
When they politicize a temple to make a “refugee Shabbat”, as was reported, it could be בגדר התגרות באומות, ר”ל, a very dangerous thing.
We are in golus and that should never be forgotten, עד ביאת גואל צדק במהרה בימינו אמן.
Pashtus the tzadikim who were hacked to pieces with axes in Har Nof – in shul – should have been protected by your logic. רחמנא ניצלן מדעתא דידך.
Pashtan – sometimes there is a gezeira from הקב”ה, perhaps an עידנא דריתחא, Hashem yerachem, and even tzadikkim are victims.
But nevertheless, that is considered an exception to the rule.
We do not, due to such exceptions, e.g. kedoshim killed while wearing tefillin in Har Nof, discard the general principle of what the posuk says, וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה’ נקרא עליך ויראו ממך.
Or do you think that posuk, on which Chazal say אלו תפילין שבראש, should be discarded post Har Nof?
I couldn’t agree with you more!
You’ll find your answer in רש”י on קהלת ט:י.
sorry – קהלת ט:ב
.יִתַּמּוּ חַטָּאִים מִן הָאָרֶץ ברכות י
יש לקלל את המעשה והענין, ולא את האנשים מבצעי החטאים
I am a big fan of Rabbi Feiner, but this I just don’t get.
How does one refer to a building which Reb Moshe held it was prohibited to walk in as a “Beis Hakneses”, and at the same time imply there is some sort of kedusha there?!?
How can one say they came to “daven on a Shabbos morning”?!? They didn’t keep Shabbos, and they weren’t davening.
A bris?!? It was a name calling ceremony, and the babies were likely not Jewish either.
I understand why there might be a tzad to feel for them, but this went too far.
Quite painful and surprising to see such hasty unresearched negative comments on other yidden it would seem that the commentator of יינם יין נסך knows all these Jews and their level of knowledge and has stroked all of them with a broad brush as מזידין rachmana letzlon!! It’s interesting that the great gedolei Yisroel for many years starting with the שות בנין ציון in his teshuvas סימן כג׳ didn’t even know to consider the mechalelei shabbos in his generation as רשעים as he concludes quite possibly even in his generation they were begeder תינוק שנשבה similar to the רמבם in hilchos ממרים פרק ג הלכה ג regarding בני הטועים see also chazon ish יורד סימן א also תשובות והנהגות ח חלק ה סימן קנא see also in the אמת ליעקב from הגואן ר יעקב קמינצקי in orach Chaim siman תקיב הערה 474 he writes regarding cooking on Yom Tov for מחללי שבת בזמן הזה מותר לבשל בשבילם שנחשבים לתינוק שנשבה see also שות בית יצחק חלק ב סימן כג see also שות מהרשם חלק א סימן קכא see also שות לב אברהם סימן יח also שדי חמד מערכת מ כלל פו also שות מלמד להועיל סימן כט also שות אבני חפץ חלק ג סימן לה
In our generation the ignorance of 2nd 3d generation secular Jews is surly closer to actual תינוק שנשבה
As far as writing that other yiddin are cayav missa Rachmana letzlon!!!!
The “fruma” commentator should have looked up the heileger חזון איש זצ״ל and this is his words in yoreh deah סימן ב סק טז
אין דין מורידין אלא בזמן שהשגחתו גלויה ואז היה כיעור הרשעים גדרו של עולם בזמן ההעלם שנכרתה האמונה מן דלת העם אין במעשה ההורדה גדר הפרצה אלא תוספות הפרצה וכו וכיון שכל עצמינו לתקן אין הדין נוהג בשעה שאין בו תיקון ועלינו להחזירם בעבותות אהבה ולהעמידם בקרן אורה
עד כאן לשונו הזהב
I find it hard to comprehend how fruma yiddin That learnt in Yeshiva and SHOULD KNOW BETTER are judging negetivly the yiddin that takeh don’t know better why aren’t we afraid of Hashem’s taina to ישעי הנביא for saying ובתוך עם טמא שפתיים אנוכי יושב see the gamara in יבמות דף מט
I think instead of hasty negative comments on other yiddin
Hasty teshuva would do us all a lot better!! (A little learning wouldn’t hurt either) May Hashem give us all the ratzon to do teshuva Sheleima
The same חזון איש that you quoted said that those involved in the ancient תועבות of סדום are NOT considered תינוקים שנשבו.