קול קורא

To Acheinu Bnei Yisrael

Rouse yourselves and cry out to Hashem!

The Coronavirus panic is strongly felt in the streets and in the entire world. People are anxious and no one knows what the morrow will bring. This is the time to let the fear and anxiety straighten out the crookedness in our hearts and to understand that we are being called upon miShamayim to do teshuvah. Each one should examine what he needs to rectify and should return to Hashem, Who is compassionate and forgiving.

The Rambam ruled in Hilchos Taanis that it is a mitzvas aseh d’Oraisa “to cry out and blow the trumpets when any tzarah comes upon the tzibbur. This is the manner of teshuvah, that when a tzarah comes, people should cry out about it and sound the trumpets, and that everyone should know that it has come because of their evil deeds… But if they do not cry out and do not blow the trumpets, but rather say that ‘the normal way of the world has befallen us…’ — this is cruelty.”

At this time, we call upon our fellow Jews, the people of Hashem, wherever they are: Strengthen your emunah and bitachon in Hashem, from Whom no evil comes, and look forward to His yeshuah!

Our only power lies in taking up the craft of our forefathers in every generation. Dear brothers! Our duty now is to come together and unite as one man with one heart for a worldwide day of tefillah for men, women, and children, in every country, each one in his own home, to plead that Hashem should remove all plague and illness from our midst and “may only goodness and kindness pursue me.”

On Wednesday 29 Adar, Erev Rosh Chodesh Nissan at precisely 5:30 p.m Eretz Yisrael time we will say pirkei Tehillim 13, 20, 91, 112, 120, 121, 127, 130, Avinu Malkeinu, and Acheinu Beis Yisrael.

Worldwide Kabbalas ol malchus Shamayim at precisely 6:00 p.m. Eretz Yisrael time.

But teshuvah does not come out from our words, but from our deeds. Let us repent strongly and improve our ways, both bein adam laMakom and bein adam l’chaveiro. Let us stay away from lashon hara, machlokes, and rechilus and from the technological devices that corrupt the soul. Let us increase our ahavas habriyos and see the virtues of our friends, not their flaws. Let us strengthen our Torah learning, yiras Shamayim, and observance of mitzvos, serve Hashem with joy, and intensify our tefillah and tachanunim. And Hashem will hear our cries and will not abandon His people and He will have compassion on the remnant of His portion.

May everyone be blessed with physical health and spiritual light for many years to come, and may we merit celebrating the coming Pesach with joy and eating “min hazevachim umin hapesachim,” Amen, ken yehi ratzon.

Wishing all a Pesach kasher v’sameyach

Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah

Degel HaTorah       Agudas Yisrael       Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah     Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah of America