Prayer for soldiers changed to include Yeshiva students

According to Ladaat, the Chief Rabbi of Acco, Rav Yosef Yashar, has come up with an idea to strengthen the concept of the Torah learning being the true protection of the Jewish nation, in light of the decision to use criminal sanctions on those who will avoid the draft in favor of learning Torah. Rav Yashar's idea is to amend the prayer for the soldiers of the IDF and include in it the yeshiva students and all those who learn Torah. He has called on those shuls around town in Acco that say the prayer for the soldiers to now say the amended prayer.

Falik Greenspan is now a Sargent in the IDF Tank Corps, protecting us all on the Gaza border ! Chanuka Samayach & all good wishes, from the Ramat Bet Shemesh Greenspans, Harry & Judith: rabbispan@yahoo.com ; judith1779@yahoo.com.  Home # 2-995 1485 ;Rabbi's celphone # 52-5650069

Sending The Soldier From Shul

This shabbat morning I wandered into shul for my 6:45AM minyanas usual. Well, maybe not completely as usual given last nights air-raid siren during davening (prayers).  I was slated to be the acting gabbai (person in charge of deciding who leads the services) today.

Just prior to the Torah reading, a man from the neighborhood, who is not a regular in our minyan, approached me. He said, "could you please call my son up the torah this morning? He was called by the army in the middle of the night and he is going straight from shul to Gaza." "Of course," I said.

We called the young man, dressed in his shabbat finest with a white shirt and white kippa, to the Torah for shlishi (the third reader of the torah which is the most honored position). Following his aliya (torah reading), I read the customary Mi Shebeirach (blessing) for the person called up to the Torah. The Mi Shebeirach reads (in translation) "HE who has blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, shall also bless The Person called up to the Torah, because he has honored the Torah, the Shul and the Shabbat." At this point, I inserted free-form, "and because he is going out to defend The People of Israel and the State of Israel." The Mi Shebeirach continues, "in this merit, may God keep him and save him from all harm and danger." We all looked at each other understanding the poignant moment but the young man sheepishly shrugged his shoulders as if to say, "what is the big deal? I am doing what everyone does."

At the end of shul services, everyone walked up to the earnest young man and wished him the age-old Jewish Blessing of "Go in Peace and Come Back in Peace." And with that, we sent our young neighbor straight from Shul to change from his white shabbat clothes to his green battle fatigues and hustle off to the front lines outside of Gaza. May God keep him and save him and all of the young soldiers defending our Nation and the Western World.

"We are very proud to wish Mazal Tov to our beloved Menachem Falik,upon his one-year anniversary of service in the IDF Tank Corps,protecting Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael.To all of our friends in Los Angeles,we send greetings,and blessings for a "nechomat Tzion & binyan Yerushalayim bimhayra". Please pray for Menachem Falik ben Yehudit,who is currently entering a six-month tour-of-duty on the Gaza border. We can be reached at *rabbispan@yahoo.com;judith1779@yahoo.com & pyro92@yahoo.com*. We can use skype almost free to call. Send an email with your  phone#and the best time to call.  Sincerely,Judith & Harry Greenspan"

Elef LeMateh.......

Harav Simcha Hakohen Kook (Chief Rabbi of Rehovot in Israel), together with the Bostoner Rebbe have launched an innovative program to help protect our soldiers and all residents of Israel who may be in danger.

They quote Numbers 31:4 - Parshat Matot - The context is that the children of Israel were in the desert, about to do battle with Midian. Under G-d's instruction, Moses tells the people that they are to go to war, and that "a thousand from each tribe a thousand from each tribe of Israel is to be sent to the army."

So what is this duplication of "a thousand from each tribe" (in Hebrew "elef lemateh")? Was it one thousand or two thousand? The English texts solve the question by simply skipping the duplication. The traditional explanation, however, is that each soldier was "twinned" with someone of his own tribe who stayed back from the battle and prayed for the soldier that was doing battle on his behalf. One thousand fought and one thousand prayed. And, at the end of a particularly difficult battle, verse 49 witnesses the result of this unity amongst the Children of Israel - "And they said to Moses: your servants have counted the warriors among us, and not single one is missing."

King David, when he went to war, also had each soldier "twinned" with someone who stayed behind and prayed and learned Torah specifically for him.

The idea launched by these great Rabbis is to ask Jews - especially those overseas, who are not part of the daily battle for Eretz Yisrael, to adopt a soldier, or a person who lives in one of the danger zones, or has been forced out of their home as a result of shelling, or just lives in Israel. Take their name and pray for their safety. A very personal one-on-one concern for your fellow Jew and for your fellow man.