Rosh Hashana: The Pivotal Point

Yesterday (Thursday), my beloved rabbi and spiritual guide Rosh Yeshivat "Chut Shel Chessed" Rav Shalom Arush shlit'a interrupted studies at our yeshiva and took the entire student body out to the field for a 6-hour personal prayer session. The Rav, may Hashem bless him and give him good health and length of days, instructed our young men to pray for a mitigation of all stern judgments and at least a delay of stern-judgment implementation until after Rosh Hashana. Rav Shalom said that if the war starts before Rosh Hashana, we might not be able to fly to Uman for Rosh Hashana. But, if the war is delayed, and if we do succeed in spending Rosh Hashana by the holy gravesite of Rabbenu Nachman, then there will be an amazing "sweetening" of harsh judgments.

In the meanwhile, Rav Shalom instructed us to pray that our enemies direct their fury at one another and not at us, so that their war effort will fizzle. Every Jew who does teshuva and starts talking to Hashem for an hour a day can help such a scenario come true, where Hamas and the Fatah return to their old feud, or else the age-old hate between Shiites and Sunnis is rekindled, leaving them no time to fool around with us. 

Let's apply the prayer pressure now and hopefully laugh later. If you're a Jew outside the borders of Israel, don't think that you're exempt from prayer and teshuva. The harsh decrees apply to the Jewish people worldwide. There's no more time for spiritual slumber. May we all hear good tidings soon, amen. Shabbat Shalom!