Community Unites at Tehilim Gathering on Behalf of Israel

On Saturday Night, July 12th, many members of the community gathered at Yeshiva Ohel Simcha for a Tehilim gathering and words of inspiration from Rabbi Shmuel Marcus, the Rav of Congregation Ishei Yisrael. The gathering was co-sponsored by the organization CHAZAQ and Chickens for Shabbos. R' Yaniv Meirov, the operations manager of CHAZAQ, greeted the crowd. Next, Rabbi Marcus shared several incredible true stories that illustrated the power of prayer. One story involved four Israeli pilots chosen for a very dangerous mission in 1982. They consulted the Steipler Rav for a blessing before they went. The Rav gave them a blessing, and signs were posted in Bnei Brak for Yeshiva students to say tehilim at the exact time of the mission. The four pilots returned safely and, after witnessing the power of prayer on their behalf, they decided to become more religious. Another story was from Rabbi Yitzchok Zilberstein's sefer. It involved Yeshaya Bardakai who was a well-known figure during that time period. He came to Israel by ship in 1821, widowed and with two small children. Before reaching the shore, the boat capsized. He had to attempt to swim to shore with both children on his back. He swam until his strength gave out and he had to let one child go. As he let his daughter go she screamed, "Father, how can you let go of me? How can you let me die?" As The father heard this plea, he found some reserve of adrenaline. Somehow he was able to save her and swim to shore with both of them. Later, he told his young daughter, "Always remember that whenever you are in a time of trouble, turn to our Heavenly Father and pray, "Tatty, how can you let go of me? How can you let me die?" Rabbi Marcus explained that a prayer with this intensity and desperation cannot be ignored by G-d. He shared other anecdotes that illustrated this important idea. He pointed out the sad truth that we stand alone. No one in the world cares that the lives of Jews are under constant threat in every city in Israel. We must pray with that intensity and desperation to our Father. Next, a short speech by Mr. Robbie Neuman from Chickens for Shabbos was delivered. Mr. Neuman stressed the importance of the power of speech and guarding what we say. This was followed by Rabbi Peretz Steinberg, the Rav of the Young Israel of Queens Valley, leading the recitation of some chapters of Tehilim. At the end of the gathering, Mr. Elisha Hisiger read a sympathy letter written by Rabbi Daniel Glatstein and addressed to the three families of Naftali, Eyal, and Gilad. After he finished reading, everyone was asked to sign it. The moving letter ended with the closing, "From your friends in Queens." For more information about future CHAZAQ events please call 718-285-9132 or email [email protected]. Visit the official CHAZAQ site at https://www.chazaq.org/ and the Chazaq Radio site at http://www.chazaqradio.com/