After the publication of the story that a Jerusalem Beis Yaakov did not permit students to daven for a refuah shleima for HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Yosef because the rav’s family did not make a request from the school, the principal of the Givat Shaul Beis Yaakov, Esther Elyashiv spoke with Galei Yisrael Radio to explain.
Following is a transcript of the conversation interview:
Principal Elyashiv: Totally not true.
Radio: So the story that a girl wished to add the name of Rav Yaakov Chai ben Margalit to tefilos and was refused is not true? We learned that since the family of the rav did not officially make a request to be mispallel for him that the request was turned down by the teacher.
Principal Elyashiv: Absolutely not true.
Radio: But you are quoted on the Kikar Shabbat website saying ‘we have clear rules and act in accordance with these rules’, explaining if a family does not request for students to be mispallel, a name is not added.
Principal Elyashiv: When we are requested we are quick to respond. We are a family that wants to daven for people but without a family requesting this, we do not daven for anyone. When Rav Mordechai Eliyahu ZT”L was ill, a daughter called daily and every day there were tefilos here on his behalf.
Radio: You are absolutely correct regarding not receiving names and a request. In this case did the girl indicate that we are dealing with Rav Yaakov Yosef?
Principal Elyashiv: When there is a request from anyone, big, small or in the middle. We will daven for anyone but only after requested to do so. I make an announcement over the school’s public address system.
Radio: So there was no actual refusal by a teacher? After all this caused a storm, many responses.
Principal Elyashiv: Where? What storm? I haven’t heard anything. There was no refusal. Absolutely not and if one is looking to cause a stir there are many ways to accomplish this. They asked me last week as well and responded the same way. We don’t accept names from the students. If a parent sends a note, a request, we accommodate and this was the case with the daughter of Rav Mordechai. A teacher makes no such determination. No one turned to me. Simple as that.
Radio: Will you begin davening for Rav Yaakov Yosef tomorrow?
Principal Elyashiv: If there is a request. If they ask, for certain this will be the case.
Radio: Thank you.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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11 Responses
more confused.
Why are we so quick to believe every Loshon Horah that is put out against us by our secular enemies?
sophistry
So I’m sure R’ Elyashiv’s children make sure to call the seminary every day in order to get on the tehillim list…
The interview-shortened:
Radio:We learned that since the family of the rav did not officially make a request to be mispallel for him that the request was turned down by the teacher.
Principal Elyashiv: Absolutely not true.
Later On…
Principal Elyashiv:We are a family that wants to daven for people but without a family requesting this, we do not daven for anyone.
Umm..So in the beginning she denies what they say as absolutely untrue, and then clearly agrees to the accusation, while somehow thinking that she’s not repeating exactly what they accused her of. Now we know why there’s educational crisis taking place in the school system; we have principals such as these.
this entire school policy is so wierd, they were already saying tefilos for rav elyashiv, why cant they just add another name? why is there a need for a formal request? just unbelievable! I’m sure rav yaakov yosef does not need her worthless tefilos with such an attitude.
Uneeq – instead of trying to be a rabble-rouser, why don’t you read what it says. She said it was untrue that the family of the Rav had to make the request, but if any parent makes the request, they will daven. The only rule is that they don’t accept requests directly from students.
Did they receive a request from the family of of Rav Elyashiv to pray for him? After all, no-one can be above the rules of that school.
If the transcript of the radio interview is correct, it only makes the school principal, Esther Elyashiv, appear in even worse light than the original story. Why would you need the mishpacha of a gadol to personally call some yeshiva/beis yaakov to beg for the talmidim to daven on his behalf. At a time of national emergency, would this woman insist that the President of the Medinah personallyu call her to ask for the talmidim to say tehillim or avinu shebashamyim on behalf of Medinas Yisroyel?
My grandparents (who were not frum and members of a Reform synagogue) were removed from the list of people to pray for by their local synagogue because they were no longer able to pay their membership dues. This policy reminds me of this – there should not need to be a formal request to daven for one who needs our tefillos! The formal request comes from HaSh-m, who listens to and answers our tefillos; there is no need for a request from a family member.
there’s a trend lately (last few months or so), that the shuls in EY are requesting that the mispalelim write down the names of the cholim before Shabbos on a list, or give the gabbai a written note (instead of waiting in a long line to actually say the name), in order to shorten the מי שבירך time (which unfortunately is very very long – ה’ ישלח רפואה שלימה לכל חולי עמו) – so maybe this is the same thing
#4: Your last sentence is pure motzei sheim ra on someone you don’t even know. I happen to know Mrs. Elyashiv personally; I worked in the special-ed program in her school for a number of years. She is NOT one to engage in sophistry. Besides which, when gedolei hador from all sectors call on everyone to daven – as in Rav Elyashiv’s case – it would be obvious that one doesn’t have to wait for a request from a parent. That is not the case with regard to Rav Yosef. (Anyway, even if a family member would need to call, the point would be moot because Mrs. Elyashiv is Rav Elyashiv’s daughter-in-law.)
#5, the school policy is NOT weird. Girls have a tendency to add everyone and their uncles to cholim lists – sometimes because they like to feel important, sometimes because in their minds strep throat is also a reason to put someone on a cholim list, and sometimes because they want davening to stretch as long as possible because it makes the lesson afterwards shorter (these are just some reasons, from my experiences as a student and as a teacher).