[COMMUNICATED]
Three Torah giants – Rav Chaim Kanievsky, Rav Shimon Galai, and Rav Yaakov Hillel – will meet on Wednesday for an extensive prayer gathering focused on the health & safety of the Jewish People. The rabbis will recite the Pitum HaKetores, an ancient tefilah for protection. Tens of thousands of Israelis are expected to listen in to the services via a designated phone number. This gathering comes at a pivotal time, as cases of the coronavirus rise in countries around the world.
Messengers will also be going to the Kotel twice a day to pray, by name, for individuals who help to support impoverished families during this crisis.
The Rabbanim are urging individuals to give tzedaka now, for themselves and their families. This applies to those who are already sick as a merit for their refua shalema, and to those who hope to be protected from the virus entirely.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL CAMPAIGN
More than a year ago, we suffered from a big machlokes in Klal Yisrael that spread lashon hara and sinas chinam as fast as the coronavirus is spreading. It was a result of the measles outbreak. Many hurtful comments were said and many people were hurt.
If we still have this dark cloud of sinas chinam and lashon hara hovering over us, can our tefillos be answered Above? The Ramak on the Zohar tells us that lashon hara blocks our tefillos from ascending on high.
Rav Kanievsky, shlita, said that we have to be avoid lashon hara, and we have to let things slide. Following our gadol’s advice, I would like to propose the following: All who were hurt by hurtful comments should forgive those who hurt them even if not directly asked for forgiveness AND those who made the hurtful comments should try to ask mechila from all the people they hurt.
Rabbi Berel Wein once related an incident that involved the Chofetz Chaim. Two people became involved in an argument, and it grew and grew and became ugly and messy. Then, mysteriously, the children of the two people started to die.
The Chofetz Chaim approached one of the people and asked, “Don’t you think it is time to stop? This is harming your children already!” The person answered back, “I will bury all of them, but I am going to win.” That is the power of machlokes
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This is not the time and the place to take sides on measles, but NOW is the time to do what we can to ask and grant forgiveness for past actions and comments. Hashem is in charge of the virus; the virus is not in charge of Hashem. And we desperately need Hashem to be on our side NOW!!
Please participate in this ANTI-VIRUS INITIATIVE!
Everything that Hashem does in the world is because of the Yidden. So if the Nations are suffering from this virus because of us why should we exclude them from our Tefillos??
Of course, we should daven for the entire world!
But that is not what the article says. It says that we should be Mispalel for the health and safety of the Jewish people? Isn’t kind of selfish?
Tuvia, all of us who want to keep in mind the whole world are free to do so. I am sure most people will think to do this as well.