Hagaon Harav Mordechai Gross, Av Beis Din of Chanichei Hayeshivos, traveled with a group of ten students on Tuesday night to the kever of Rav Shimon Bar Yochai in Meron to recite a rare tefillah for ending epidemics.
During the tefillah, the mispallelim held lulavim used on Sukkos and carried out seven hakafos around the kever while saying tehillim and mizmorim, including Mizmor L’Dovid, Ana B’Koach and Yosheiv B’Seisar. Harav Gross and his talmidim spent a full hour carrying out the hakafos and reciting the tefillos. At the tefilla’s conclusion, they blew the shofar.
According to a source quoted by B’Chadrei Chareidim, the source for the special tefillah is a Gemara in Masechtas Sukkah that says that the Arba Minim eradicates evil spirits.
According to Kikar H’Shabbos, the source is the Maggid Mesharim, a kabbalistic sefer authored by Rav Yosef Karo, the Beis Yosef, which writes about a segula for ending a mageifah in which hakafos are carried out around the kevarim of Rav Elazar and Rav Shimon Bar Yochai with the lulav from Sukkos.
The Mekubal Hav Gamliel Rabinowitz also carried out the segulah on erev Rosh Chodesh.
Rav Gamliel said: “The Beis Yosef said that the Maggid said [the Maggid is referring to a malach, a representation of the Mishna, that appeared to Rav Yosef Karo over a period of 50 years as recorded in his sefer Maggid Meisharim] that if we’re in any tzara we should do hakafos around the tziyonim [in Meron] and the tzaros will be nullified.”
“We’re now doing hakafos that Hashem will remove the coronavirus from all of Yisrael and from all the nations of the entire world. Hakadosh Baruch has many ways to get rid of the reshaim through other means. The coronavirus should be removed completely. We’re going to say Vayehi Noam, Yosheiv B’Seisar Elyon and Ana B’Koach.”
May Hashem answer their tefillos and send a yeshua to Am Yisrael and the entire world b’karov.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
I don’t want to criticize anybody, as strange times warrant extreme measures. Hashem Yaazor that this will help. But can somebody explain to me why tgis is not Bal Tosif? May we all be saved from rhis machaleh and may we all be inspired to doTeshuva, so we will merit BiasGoayl BeSimcha!
Jews not social distancing, a halakha berurah and engaging in practices not mentioned in sifrei halakha. no question this leads to more deaths. haShem Yerachem. ask poskim if this is kishuf??
levi & DrYidd, the author of Magid Meisharim was a posek of some small renown. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. If he recommended this, how can you think you’re going to find some obvious issur in it?!
As for your specific questions, how could it possibly be bal tosif? To which mitzvah does it add anything? And using the holy powers of Torah is the exact opposite of kishuf.