Opinion & Comment
We Beseech You for Mercy!

The mass prayers for the recovery of Rabbenu Maran HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, shlita, have so far continued for four days and three nights. Throughout Eretz Hakodesh and throughout the Diaspora thousands gather to cry and plead with the Borei Olom to take pity on His people, Am Yisroel, and send refuah shleimoh and robust health to Rabbenu, Sar HaTorah and godol hador, shlita.

On Sunday we merited chasdei Shomayim, seeing clearly the power of tefillas rabbim when the dedicated doctors announced that they had managed to stabilize his condition, and then an immediate improvement took place unexpectedly. Nevertheless the danger has not passed and he is still hospitalized in serious condition. Therefore we must bolster our tefillos and tachnunim until they rise to the Heavens and we merit seeing Maran recover his strength and live a long life and continue his reign--the reign of Torah.

The uninitiated will not understand this. He who has not merited the light of Torah is astonished by the atmosphere of worry and exertions in prayer evident throughout our camp. Indeed, he who does not offer forth every day the prayer Al hatzaddikim ve'al hachassidim ve'al ziknei amcho Beis Yisroel cannot understand how much the heart of every chareidi Jew is seized with dread over the well-being of the elders of the generation -- pleitas sofreihem.

This feeling is ingrained in the heart of every ben Torahand yirei Elokim, and everybody realizes a prayer for Maran's health is a prayer that affects all of Klal Yisroel, for the elders are the underpinnings of the people. As the Chazon Ish, zt'l, explained so eloquently in his letter to a non-Jewish minister in which he sought to outline the fundamentals of Judaism: "Through their fervor the greats of every generation, whose souls cleave to the wisdom of the talmud Torah, inspired the entire nation, young and old, to love the Torah and keep the mitzvos. The secret of the Talmud's holiness in the hearts of the Jewish people was founded only through the discernment acquired by every heart that seeks to gain the fabulous wisdom that lies waiting in the it. . . . Gedolei haTorah . . . feel more for [the Torah] than for their own bodies and possessions . . . (Kovetz Iggeros, Part II, 173, 19, 20).

Every ben Torah knows to what extent Maran shows us the path to follow and stands watch over the Torah and halocho to prevent any breaches in the walls set up by the early rabbis, and to ensure that we do not stray from the tradition handed down to us. And he accomplishes this through his almost inconceivable shkeidoh in Torah, unfound today and reminiscent of earlier generations. No wonder deep concern is felt everywhere when, at the height of his strength, he was suddenly rushed to the hospital. He continued in his shkeidoh and harbotzas haTorah through mesirus nefesh, and bore the weight of public affairs by heading the Torah community, finding solutions for the most difficult questions right up to the very moment he had to seek medical attention. Through our many sins, his health has been weakened and he is now in such a grave state of danger that the need has arisen to stir rachamei Shomayim.

The masses crying out day and night in prayer declare, through their concern, the great power of Torah as the foundation of Klal Yisroel's existence. Presumably many of the tinokos shel beis rabban who are offering their pleas have never had the merit to see Maran's face; the yeshiva bochur thousands of miles away in Lakewood, New Jersey, who spills tears while reciting chapters of Tehillim in the Torah hall of the holy yeshiva, may have never visited Eretz Hakodesh or stood in Maran's presence; and the same applies to the young lady studying at the Bais Yaakov school in Gateshead, England who, together with her friends, makes various resolutions for the sake of Maran's recovery.

Together the entire Torah world spills out their hearts as if someone very close to them were lying in the hospital bed. Despite the physical distance they feel an unbreakable spiritual tie and great admiration for Sar HaTorah, who carries the weight of the generation and whose merit protects all of us.

It is all up to us, our tefillos and the general merit of the community. We must continue with our efforts until Hashem will have mercy and send a refuah shleimoh to Rabbenu Yosef Sholom ben Chayah Musha, besoch she'or cholei Amo Yisroel.

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