Recent weeks have been full of tragedy R”L in Eretz Yisrael as so many young people and so much tragedy has befallen so many families in the chareidi community.

This compels us to seek advice from Gedolei Hador Shlita in an effort to respond properly during this most difficult time.

The list in too long, and it includes;

· Young Esther Taub from Betar Illit

· Avrich Rav Yosef Kaufman from Ashdod, who is survived by his rebitzen and 11 children

· Mrs. Batsheva Baumel who is survived by her husband and five children, the youngest being 9-months’old

· Rav Matisyahu Safrin, son of the Admor of Kumrana (קומרנא).

· Avreich Rav Gavriel Mizrachi from Elad, who is survived by his wife and six children

· Avreich Rav Yaakov Alison, the father of an infant

· HaGaon Rav Moshe Yehuda Beigel, Mora D’asra of the chareidi kehilla in Afula

· David Freichlich, 3

· Tova Brandsdorfer from Ramat Elchanan in Bnei Brak, 14

· Yisrael Weingarten from Beit Illit, who was run over by a vehicle

· Racheli Stein 4,

· Infant Moshe Abutbul, 4-months-old

· Tehila Ochayon, 6, from Rehovot (Drowned in a hotel pool in Yerushalayim)

· Eliyahu Refael Trab, 10, from Ramot

· Efrat Trab, 15-months

· A Gerre talmid yeshiva in Rishon L’Tzion who fell from a height

· Margalet Gefner from Modi’in Illit

· Shimon Moiel, 4

· Rav Yitzchak Avitan, 48, survived by his rebitzen and 5 children

· Esther Aryeh of Netivot (died from swine flu)

· Mrs. Sara Asfiss, from Ashdod, leaving 11 children

The above is a partial list R”L!

Maran HaGaon HaRav Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita in recent days spoke out, stating “People are looking for segulos to save themselves. One does not have to look. Chazal teach us that Torah protects us and saves us…

“אנשים מחפשים סגולות להינצל, לא צריך לחפש, חז”ל לימדו אותנו שתורה מגנא ומצלא, אפילו בעידניה דלא עסיק ביה, וכמובן לא כשזה בא מביטול תורה אלא שעסוק בדברים הנצרכים.

“אבל צריך לדעת שתורה מגנא ומצלא זה רק אם התורה היא יחד עם מידות טובות כי הלומד תורה ללא מידות טובות זה פגם בעצם לימוד התורה והכלי ללימוד התורה זה מידות טובות וצריך לבלום את הפה ולא להיכשל ח”ו בלשון הרע או בדיבור אסור”.

Maran the Rosh Yeshiva adds “But one must realize that the protection of the Torah is only when the Limud HaTorah is accompanied by good midos. For limud hatorah without the midos is an affront to the limud and the vessel to limud Torah is good midos. And to close one’s mouth and not to chas v’sholom engage in loshon hora and prohibited speech”.

In a schmooze given by Ponevezh Rosh Yeshiva HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein Shlita, he explains “עת צרה ליעקב” and we of late have experienced much tzoros, many attacks and murders along with other tragedies רחמנא ליצלן. There is no doubt this is all Hashgacha Pratis on each and every individual as the Rambam writes in Parshas Bo, “שאם יעשה המצוות יצליחנו שכרו ואם יעבור עליהם יכריתנו עונשו”

Rav Edelstein adds that if there is disaster, this is a sign there is sinning and the one and only remedy is teshuva and improving one’s midos. The Rosh Yeshiva adds that clearly this is not the aveira of an individual as the entire tzibur is being punished. However, he points out that we do see a case in which the tzibur is punished for the sins of an individual (Sanhedrin 44a) as it is explained Yair ben Menashe was killed. At times, the Klall is punished for the individual as we are responsible for one another and the tzibur must engage in tikun midos and teshuvah.

HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Zilberstein, a member of the Moetzas Gedolei Yisrael and Mora D’asra of the Ramat Elchanan neighborhood spoke at a kenos chizuk for women, during which he addressed the paramount importance of tznius and the need for women to be mechazeik in this area. He explained that tznius among a Bas Yisrael can shield us from calamity. Rav Zilberstein also said we must do our utmost to remain healthy and advises getting a flu vaccine as the illness has been particularly severe this year in Israel.

During this week’s meeting between the Belzer Rebbe Shlita and his visiting brother-in-law the Skverer Rebbe Shlita, they discussed the difficult situation and the Belzer Rebbe mentioned the pasuk ונתתי שלום בארץ ושכבתי ואין מחריד. The rebbe added we must daven a great deal for merit as we endure the pain of the tragedies that have befallen us of late.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)