In the wake of the fall of a Sefer Torah on Shabbos morning in Yeshivas Ponevezh, the Roshei Yeshivah established a day of teshuvah and hissorerus on Thursday as outlined in a letter published in the yeshivah on Tuesday morning. B’Chadrei Chareidim reported that prior to the publication of the letter, Rosh Yeshivas Ponevezh HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein sent the Nasi of the yeshivah, HaGaon HaRav Eliezer Kahaneman, to the Posek HaGaon HaRav Moshe Shaul Klein, asking about the opinion of the late Posek HaDor, HaGaon Harav Shmuel Wosner, z’tl. The letter, signed by HaGaon HaRav Edelstein, HaGaon HaRav Baruch Dov Povarsky and HaGaon HaRav Kahaneman, stated that it can’t be said that the bochurim should fast in the wake of the incident due to the bittul Torah it would cause and therefore they scheduled Thursday, the 12th of Teves, as a day of teshuvah and hisorrerus. “On this day, after tefillas Mincha, the chazzan and all the Bnei Yeshivah will say Perek Kuf Yud Tes in Tehillim. All those who were in the Beis Medrash when the Sefer Torah fell are like those who saw a Sefer Torah falling and therefore on this day they will eat only bread and water without spreading anything on the bread or [eating] other foods – all this until Tzeis Hakochavim – thereby not causing a weakening of limmud.” “The bochurim will accept upon themselves to be mechazeik in the kavod of the sefarim and therefore each bochur will accept upon himself to return the sefarim he learned from to their place, and at the end of the seder, will try to take another two sefarim that he didn’t learn from and return them to the bookshelf.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

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