A Moving Show of Support

July 20, 2006

On Wednesday, July 19 at 9pm EDT (6pm PDT), thousands of people spanning scores of synagogues across North America and the OU's live webcast, gathered together in support of Israel. Reciting tehillim and learning Torah, you raised your voices in unison to pray for the safety and security of Israel. Below is a letter written by Terry D. Novetsky, a Board member and former Vice President of the OU and President of Rinat Yisrael in Teaneck, NJ, after returning home from the gathering in his synagogue. Yasher Koach to all who participated. Please continue to show your support in this crucial time! Learn more about What You Can Do and the Nine-Days Learning Program

Watch video of Wednesday night Live webcast from the OU.
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Dear Rabbi Weinreb and Steven [Savitsky]:

Congregation Rinat Yisrael in Teaneck, New Jersey joined last night in the Orthodox Union's initiative as we raised our voice in unison with synagogues Across North America in a Night of Prayer and Torah Study.

Scheduled on just 24 hours email and phone notice, our program began at 8:15 last night as nearly 300 people came to Rinat to hear Mrs. Shani Taragin, Rosh Beit Midrash at Midreshet Lindenbaum. Utilizing numerous examples in Tanach, including Yaakov, Bnei Yisrael at Charama, Yona, Yiftach and Chana, Mrs. Taragin spoke of nedarim in Tanach as an expression of commitment for the future when one has nothing to offer the Ribbono Shel Olam at a time of crisis. Purity of commitment at the time of crisis and the integrity of the fulfillment thereafter served as an essential tool in analyzing the text. Often reflecting on her personal emotions as she remains in contact with her close friends at home in Israel, wives and mothers of those in the gravest danger, Mrs. Taragin encouraged us to renew with passion and sincerity our personal commitments with the Ribbono Shel Olam at this 'Et Tzarah'.

At 9:00 Rinat was overflowing to capacity with more than 400 people and, together with hundreds of synagogues throughout North America, we recited pirkei tehillim, offered special tefillot for our captive soldiers and those engaged in the defense of Eretz Yisrael, and then davened ma'ariv.

Although the time was quite late and during the middle of the work week, more than 150 people remained for the second shiur given by Rav Reuven Taragin, Ram at Yeshivat Hakotel. Rav Taragin started by noting the particular challenge that he and his wife were experiencing being away from home during this crisis. It is at once distant, but also too close, as he emotionally recounted the challenge a close friend had faced earlier that day, desperately awaiting news about the welfare of his son, a member of a unit that news reports indicated had sustained casualties in Lebanon.

In his shiur, Rav Taragin elucidated the metaphor, Bein Hametzarim, as a sense of being overwhelmed - fenced in - desperately confronting few viable options. Utilizing the mishna and comparing the list of five tragedies occurring on Shiva Asar B'Tamuz and Tisha B'Av, he noted that the events of Tisha B'Av are distinguished by their finality, with no further hope. Thus, Tisha B'Av is a day of mourning, for the loss of something that is irretrievable. In contrast, the events of Shiva Asar B'Tamuz, while tragic and terrible, are moments of crisis where hope, while dim, still glitters in the distance. Comparing the Rambam's presentations in the first and fifth chapters of Hilchot Ta'anit, Rav Taragin noted that we fast as an act of teshuvah both with respect to crises of the moment as well as for the flaws that were the source of historical tragedy and that lamentably continue to require repair. In a resounding conclusion of nechamah, Rav Taragin emphasized the speed we are promised by the navi, that cannot be explained in nature, as the Ribbono Shel Olam hastens to repair the breach once we return to Him.

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We at Rinat are incredibly grateful to the Orthodox Union for conceiving this event, for inspiring us at Rinat and thousands of others throughout North America to raise our voices in unison - L'Ma'an Achai V'Reiai. We also wish to express our appreciation to Camp Moshava and its director, Alan Silverman, for facilitating the Taragin's visit to Teaneck. And, of course, we thank Mrs. Shani and Rav Reuven Taragin for driving two hours each way to present wonderful and inspirational shiurim on a single day's notice. Finally, it is an incredible zechut to be a part of Kehillah that - in its intrinsic nature - responds to crisis facing Klal Yisrael immediately and instinctively by the hundreds, filling our Mikdash Me'at to capacity in Talmud Torah and Tefilla.

As the Gemora in Berachot records: Ein Tefillah shel adam nishma'at elah B'Veit Hak'neset, sh'ne'emar: L'Shmoah El HaRina V'El HaTefillah. May our Tefillot at Congregation Rinat Yisrael join with the thousands of tefillot in the Batei Kineset of North America and throughout the world to bring Shalom Al Yisrael.