Jerusalem Sephardic Chief Rabbi HaRav Shlomo Moshe Amar responded to the growing number of tragedies impacting the chareidi tzibur during this bein hazmanim R”L.

The rav warns that the tragedies are occurring as a result of the bitul Torah that accompanies bein hazmanim.

“As a rule, during these days, ‘bein hazmanim’, unfortunately, there are many tragedies because there is a great deal of bitul Torah. This is not a simple matter. There is so much bitul Torah. This is most serious and as if the bitul Torah was not enough, it leads to many aveiros” Rav Amar stated.

The rav calls on bnei Torah, “So much care should be taken when one heads out, even if the intentions are good – in order for a person to rest and relax, and one must take great care all the time, all the more so during bein hazmanim”.

This morning, the shocking data revealed that five people were killed and 23 injured in a series of disasters, ranging from children to road accidents or the dangers of hiking.

Some of the incidents as reported by YWN:
• 22 Av: A 7-year-old boy is in moderate condition after a bicycle accident on Chana Senesh Street in Ashdod.
• 22 Av: A 40-year-old chareidi woman was rescued from Wadi Kelt with a knee injury, taken to Hadassah Mt. Scopus Hospital in light condition.
• 21 Av: A 9-year-old drowned in a pool in Bnei Brak, taken out of the water in serious condition. The hospital reports his condition has stabilized.
• 20 Av: Resident of Hadar Ganim in Petach Tikva Ariel Dresnover z”l, a talmid in Yeshiva Gevoha Maale Eliyahu in Tel Aviv, was niftar three weeks before his chasenah. He was injured in a vehicular accident at the entrance to Bruchin in Shomron, on Rt. 446. A second person sustained moderate injuries.
• 20 Av: 14-year-old Achiya Archi sustained a head injury at the Jordan River, losing consciousness. He was taken by helicopter to a trauma center as CPR and advanced life support measures were being implemented. He was pronounced dead a few hours later.
• 20 Av: Yael Basis A”H, the mother of four from Elad, was killed in a head-on collision while vacationing in France.
• 20 Av: A 1-year-old boy drowned in a pail of water in his home in the Zichron Yaakov neighborhood of the capital. He died a few days later in Shaare Zedek Hospital.
• 19 Av: Parents and their five children were injured in a vehicular accident involving a United Nations jeep. The 13-year-old sustained a serious head injury. His 5-year-old brother was seriously injured as well. A 10-year-old sister was listed in moderate condition and required surgery. Two additional sisters were listed in moderate condition with fractures and the parents were listed in light and moderate condition.
• 19 Av: A 2-year-old girl from a chareidi family drowned under a bridge in the Reading area of Tel Aviv during a family outing. His condition stabilized, and he is listed in moderate condition.
• 18 Av: A 16-year-old boy fell from his bicycle in Bnei Brak and taken to the hospital with head and internal injuries.
• 17 Av: A 3.5-year-old boy from a chareidi family in Bnei Brak died as a result of drowning in the tzimmer (vacation cabin) pool in Moshav Yavniel. EMS personnel tried to save him, and he was pronounced dead in Poriah Hospital in Tiveria.
• 17 Av: A chareidi couple from Beit Shemesh lost their way and had to be rescued from a wadi in the Tekoa area of eastern Gush Etzion. B’chasdei Hashem they were uninjured.
• 17 Av: A 17-year-old chareidi male was moderately injured while riding his bicycle on Rabbi Akiva Street in Bnei Brak. He was struck by a vehicle.
• 15 Av: During a Chabad camp event in a Gilo (southern Yerushalayim) auditorium, one of the campers fell from a height and was transported in serious condition, later listed in the hospital as stable/moderate B”H.
• 14 Av: A 13-year-old boy sustained a moderate head injury while riding his bicycle on Shlomo Yosef Gnichovsky Street in Bnei Brak.
• 11 Av: A 4-year-old girl from a chareidi family fell into a pool in a tzimmer in Moshav Rivcha in the Shvelah. Her sister detected what occurred and the child was transported to a hospital in moderate condition.
• 11 Av: A group of girls jumped from a diving area into the Kinneret. An 18-year-old sustained moderate injuries and a second girl was lightly injured.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)