Tens of thousands of participants including dozens of
gedolei Torah, admorim, dayonim, rabbonim and public
figures came to Yad Eliyahu in Tel Aviv Monday night erev
Rosh Chodesh Shvat to take part in a rally to protest
increasing Shabbos desecration throughout Eretz Yisroel. The
common goal was to make use of the power of the masses to
buttress the walls of Shabbos and to stop breaches by
boycotting stores, factories and shopping malls that tread on
the sign given to us by Borei Olom.
The gathering, dubbed Zaakas HaShabbos (The Cry of Shabbos),
was backed by gedolei Yisroel including Maran HaRav
Eliashiv.
The event opened with a mass tefillas Arvis followed
by a recitation of Tehillim led by HaRav Reuven
Elbaz.
The opening speech was delivered by HaRav Shmuel Halevi
Wosner, the gavad of Zichron Meir and the rosh yeshiva
of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin, who noted the importance of
having the leaders of the Jewish people gather together to
elevate and strengthen the covenant HaKodosh Boruch Hu
made with Knesses Yisroel. "Since the day the Torah was given
to Yisroel, Shabbos Kodesh has been the covenant between
HaKodosh Boruch Hu and Yisroel and it is the sign
between Hashem and His people.
"The Novi Yechezkel says (20:20), `Es Shabbsosai kadshu
vehoyu le'os Beini uveineichem ki Ani Hashem Elokim.'
This verse is said to every Jew in the world. The Mechilta
states that the merit of keeping Shabbos gives us Eretz
Yisroel.
Thus the holiness of Eretz Yisroel and the holiness of
Shabbos are one and the same, and this is hinted at in the
verse (Vayikra 25:2), `Ki sovo'u el ho'oretz asher
Ani nosein lochem veshovsoh ho'oretz Shabbos leHashem.'
This verse includes both Shemittah and Shabbos observance.
"Whose heart does not tremble over the Shabbos desecration in
Eretz Yisroel, the palace of the King, the King of Kings? Who
remains unshaken, unperturbed? Oy lonu miyom hadin, oy
lonu miyom hatochechoh. Shabbos desecration is increasing
in Eretz Hakodesh and Shabbos desecraters are causing
increased bloodshed in our holy land.
"Our chachomim determined that Shabbos desecraters
removed themselves from Klal Yisroel and we, as believers and
the children of believers, hold observing Shabbos protects
Yisroel. Therefore from here a call goes forth to all of the
stores and malls and factories to close their businesses on
Shabbos. Shabbos is the source of blessing from which all of
the brochos [flow] and in the merit of shemiras
Shabbos may we merit `Vehavi'osom el Har Kodshi
vesimachtim beveis tefillosi' speedily in our days,"
concluded HaRav Wosner.
Following the speech the audience accepted the Yoke of Heaven
and recited Hashem Hu HaElokim. A letter from Maran
HaRav Eliashiv (see sidebar) was then read aloud by his
assistant, HaRav Yosef Efrati, who noted Maran said, "The
gathering aims to achieve two goals. The first is to
demonstrate against our distant brethren who desecrate
Shabbos.
"The other goal is to impress upon ourselves the obligation
to act to preserve the sanctity of Shabbos, and this
obligation falls on each and every one of us. . . . Each of
us must be a shomrei Shabbos society and must act for
its sanctity."
Rabbi Refoel Halperin, who initiated the gathering, said it
represents a turning point in preserving the sanctity of
Shabbos in Eretz Hakodesh. "This evening we will plant
and harvest fruits, be'ezras Hashem. We will battle
for the kedushoh of Shabbos and we will not allow
Shabbos to be uprooted or disparaged. Three hundred and
twenty-four thousand people have committed not to step into
or buy at any store or mall the desecrates Shabbos. And in
the current coalition we will revive the Shabbos law, which
will punish the violators of Kedushas Shabbos.
"We are an economic force of half a million people, and with
this strength we will be united and strengthen all of the
places that keep Shabbos. We will not enter any gas station
or mall that does not write that it keeps Shabbos and this
will lead many to join in preserving the sanctity of
Shabbos.
"Even people far from Judaism want to keep Shabbos. They want
Kedushas Shabbos. But we, as servants of Hashem, know
our task in This World is to sanctify the Name of Heaven. . .
. Be'ezras Hashem we will leave here united to act for
our holy Shabbos. I pledge NIS 5 million for the sake of
preserving our holy Shabbos and be'ezras Hashem we
will act for the sake of Kedushas Shabbos and
be'ezras Hashem we will succeed."
HaRav Tzvi Weisfish opened by saying that as one of the
members of Vaadas Harabbonim LeInyonei HaShabbos he had the
merit of meeting on several occasions with Maran HaRav
Eliashiv, who emphasized three points. "It is known there are
many people who want to keep Shabbos and factories that want
to keep Shabbos, but there is a snowball effect when everyone
begins to think if his competitor opens on Shabbos and he
doesn't, he will lose business. Therefore employees and
everyone else are forced to desecrate Shabbos against their
will. And from here the call goes forth to all employees: do
not give in.
"Maran repeatedly emphasized the need to bring Shabbos in as
early as possible, and not to take a taxi shortly before the
beginning of Shabbos, for this causes the driver to desecrate
Shabbos on his way back.
"Maran shlita explained several times that the matter
of avoiding purchases and entering sites that desecrate
Shabbos is not simply a halachic question but a war against
those who breach the Shabbos, whose numbers grow from day to
day until hardly any sign of Shabbos remains outside in the
street.
"We saw how concerned Maran shlita was over the
success of the gathering for the preservation of Kedushas
Shabbos. He showed an interest in the details of the large
gathering for the honor of Shabbos, whose observance is the
foundation of the existence of Am Yisroel."
Other speakers included the Admor of Tzanz, for Chief Rabbi
Yisroel Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger, HaRav Avrohom
Tzvi Margolis, rov of Carmiel, and Rabbi Menachem Porush.
Among the public figures on hand were Jerusalem Mayor Rabbi
Uri Lupoliansky and Beitar Illit Mayor Rabbi Yitzchok
Pindrus.
Dozens of Hatzoloh Yisroel and Hatzoloh Gush Dan volunteers
were stationed at the gathered and administered first aid
following several minor incidents.
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Yosef Sholom Eliashiv
Jerusalem
BS"D, Teves 5765
To the participants in the gathering to voice the cry of
Shabbos, may Hashem keep and guard them, including Rabbi
Refoel Halperin, may Hashem keep and guard him, who worked
extensively [to help organize] the gathering.
My blessings are extended to those who have gathered, headed
by the geonim and tzaddikim of the generation
shlita to protest chilul Shabbos and to
strengthen its observance.
It is proper that each and every one of us should do business
with individuals and bodies that do not trample over the
Shabbos Queen, chas vesholom. And in the merit of
strengthening and keeping Shabbos may all of the participants
be blessed from the source of brochos and may Klal
Yisroel be saved through the eternal salvation.
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<1 Shevat, p. 9>
Analysis: Os Hi Le'olom
The massive crowd that gathered Monday night at the World
Gathering for the Sake of Shabbos served as an expression of
the great awakening in all parts of the religious and
chareidi public regarding the struggle against breaches in
the walls of the sanctity of the Seventh Day.
The worrisome trend witnessed in the opening of several
wholesale chains, stores, shopping malls and places of
entertainment that offer deals designed to induce Jews to
desecrate the sanctity of Shabbos led to a series of actions
centered around the large gathering, which had the backing of
gedolei Yisroel shlita including Maran HaRav Eliashiv,
shlita, as a large-scale demonstration to cry out and
pray for the sanctity of Shabbos, which Jews have kept with
mesirus nefesh throughout the generations. This
striking mass demonstration was an act of sanctifying
Sheim Shomayim in public for the sake of Kedushas
Shabbos.
Jews have always held Shabbos in great awe and were pained
when it was desecrated in public view. Chazal said that
keeping Shabbos is akin to keeping the entire Torah and
desecrating Shabbos is akin to denying the entire Torah. And
as the Rambam rules at the end of Chapter 30 of Hilchos
Shabbos, "Shabbos and idol worship respectively are
equated to all the other mitzvas of the Torah and Shabbos is
a sign in the world between HaKodosh Boruch Hu and us,
therefore whoever transgresses the other mitzvas is included
under the rubric of `wicked Jews,' but he who desecrates
Shabbos publicly is like an idol worshiper and both of them
are considered idol worshipers in every respect . . . "
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