Yom Kippur - Attaining Complete Teshuva

Transcription

1 Yom Kippur - Attaining Complete Teshuva "You know the mysteries of the universe and the hidden secrets of every living soul. You search the innermost chambers of the conscience and the heart. Nothing escapes You, nothing is hidden from Your sight. Therefore, may it be Your will, to forgive all our sins." [from the Yom Kippur liturgy] Why do we introduce the Yom Kippur viduy (confessional prayer) by acknowledging G-d's infinite knowledge? What does His grasp of the hidden mysteries of the universe have to do with our struggle for repentance and atonement? It is well-known that there are three parts to the process of teshuva (repentance). First, we should regret past failings. Second, we must cease this behavior, abandoning the improper conduct. And third, we accept upon ourselves not to repeat our error in the future. Yet, as we shall shortly demonstrate, complete performance of the three stages of teshuva entails great and profound knowledge. In fact, "teshuva shleima," perfect repentance, requires a level of knowledge beyond the capabilities of the human mind. For example, only when we are fully aware of the seriousness of our actions can we can truly feel remorse over our past failings. The esoteric teachings of the Torah tell us that our actions can have an impact on the highest spiritual realms. The more we are aware of the damage caused by our wrongdoings, the greater will be our sense of regret. Therefore, the request for repentance follows the request for knowledge in the daily Amida prayer. Certainly, the one most aware of the significance and impact of our negative deeds is the One Who created the universe and all of the spiritual worlds. The same is true with the second stage of teshuva. In order to fully cease the improper conduct, we need to completely remove this weakness or failing from 1

2 Paper9.qxd 30/09/05 16:56 Page 2 N E W S L E T T E R our thoughts and desires. Yet, we do not have such mastery over our inner spirits that we are able to discern all that resides in the depths of the heart. One may think that he has already purified himself from a particular vice, yet the disease is still lodged within; and he will be unable to withstand a future re-awakening of this desire. Therefore, the mystics decreed various forms of self-affliction that they perceived in their wisdom assist in purifying the depths of the soul. Of course, the only one to truly know the inner ways of the spirit is the Creator of the human soul. The final step, acceptance to eschew the wrongdoing in the future, means that we resolve not to repeat our error, no matter what the situation. We accept that even under circumstances of duress, or when our honor is at stake, and so on, we will nonetheless maintain our guard. Again, a full acceptance for the future implies knowledge and awareness of future events and their repercussions - knowledge that is beyond us. Only G-d knows the future. So how can we aspire towards true teshuva, when the essential stages of the teshuva process require knowledge that is beyond our limited abilities? G-d graciously accepts the little we are able to achieve as if it were much. We ask that those measures of regret, change, and acceptance for the future that we are capable of, even though they are severely limited by our intellectual capabilities, be combined with G-d's infinite knowledge. For if we were able to fully recognize these matters in their true dimensions, they would appear in our minds and be felt in our hearts with all of their intensity and depth, in our efforts to better ourselves. This, then, is the meaning of the Yom Kippur prayer. "You know the mysteries of the universe." You know the true measure of our misdeeds, and how much we should really regret them. "And the hidden secrets of every living soul" - that we are unable to fulfill our obligation with the remorse that we are capable of feeling. "You search the innermost chambers of the conscience and the heart." You know that, deep within us, there still resides some of the ailment of wrongdoing. You know to what degree we need to purify ourselves of the faulty trait. You know that we have not truly achieved our goal of conquering it. "Nothing escapes You, nothing is hidden from Your sight." You know all future events that may come to pass; situations that may tempt us, circumstances that we may not succeed in overcoming. Nonetheless, since we can perform the stages of teshuva only according to our meager capabilities, our prayer continues, "May it be Your will, to forgive all of our sins". Then we may reach the level of "complete repentance before You" - a teshuva that is complete with Your infinite knowledge. [Olat Riyya vol. II, p. 353] This article was prepared and translated by Chanan Morrison. Chanan Morrison is an alumnus of Mercaz Harav and runs an internet site and list dedicated to HaRav Kook's writings. ( 2

3 Paper9.qxd 30/09/05 16:56 Page 3 M E R C A Z H A R A V Editor's Note On the occasion of the 70th yahrzeit of Maran Hagaon Rav Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen Kook, zt"l, Rav Hayim Steiner has written an article that portrays the life and endeavors of this colossal personality from his youth until his death, through the perspective of history. As I write these lines, we are just a few days before the expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif and northern Samaria, and it seems that nothing less than a manifest miracle can prevent the tragedy. At the yeshiva everyone is working around the clock to try to stop the catastrophe. The Rosh Yeshiva, Hagaon Rav Avraham Shapira shlit''a heads a committee of rabbis, and despite his advanced age, travelled to Kfar Maimon in the Negev to encourage the activists in their efforts. Our Yeshiva and Kollel students have been busy for months in the hasbara endeavors going literally door-to-door to explain their position and to try to persuade people of the justice of our cause. Others take active part in the demonstrations, and even more importantly, some have moved to Gush Katif and study Torah there, and in doing so, contribute moral strength to the residents' struggle. The advocates of this cruel and foolish policy, for lack of any rational argument to justify it, fall back on the legality of the action which was voted for by a majority of the Knesset and claim that therefore it must be implemented by virtue of the rules of democracy. What they refuse to see is that there is another criterion by which actions must be measured, one that we learn from Moshe Rabbenu, and it is: "And you will be guiltless before G-d and before Israel." The policy makers must consider not only the formal legality of their decisions but also the repercussions on the social fabric, lest they cause schisms and rifts in the morale of the nation. Each generation has its own variety of "idol worship." The common denominator of them all being the preferring of one value over all others and believing that in the name of this favored value, a person may even trample and crush anyone who does not agree with him. Thus it was with Communism at its height and thus it is today with the subject of our generation's idol worship: "democracy." Not that democracy is not a positive value - on the contrary, out of all of the alternatives it is the best by far and we must safeguard it diligently. It is just that if it is pursued blindly and unthinkingly at the expense of abandoning the principle of being "guiltless before G-d and before continued on page 11 3

4 Paper9.qxd 30/09/05 16:56 Page 4 N E W S L E T T E R Harav Avraham Yitzhak Hacohen Kook zt"l ( ) By Rabbi Hayim Yisrael Steiner There are those who are called gadol hador, giants in Torah of their own generation, and those who are called gadol hadorot, giants in the scope of generations. Rav Avraham Yitzhak Hacohen Kook zt l was the gadol of the last few generations. His closest associate was his son, Rav Tzvi Yehuda Hacohen zt"l, who continued his father's spiritual legacy and undertook the publication of his writings. Rav Kook once described Rav Tzvi Yehuda as "My son, who is almost the only one who constantly understands my thoughts and listens to the discourse of my soul " (Igrot 102.) In his article "Nefesh Ha-reiyah" Rav Tzvi Yehuda defines the major quality of his father Rav Kook: "Emunah and Ahavah" - Faith and Love: Faith in G-d the source of all life, and an absolute love, closeness to our Father in heaven. Faith and love for the Torah and Israel which are the expressions of G-d in all of existence; faith and love for the sanctified Land of Israel, and a longing to see it settled and developed and to see the salvation materializing within it; love for the holy language and all of the acquisitions of the nation and its holy properties. 4

5 Paper9.qxd 30/09/05 16:56 Page 5 M E R C A Z H A R A V Torah - The seventy years of his life were one uninterrupted chain of learning and studying the Torah in its entirety, in scope and in depth. He studied halacha, aggada, and Jewish thought, unconcealed and esoteric knowledge with great brilliance. He applied his study in practice, to himself and to others. He sent hundreds of responsa on all portions of the Torah to places all over the globe. He wrote an impressive amount of books on halacha and aggada, on subjects of emunah and on the conduct of a Jewish state (most of these books were brought to publication by his son). Early in his youth, the Rav was already called ''the ilui [prodigy] from Greva." His diligence in study reached a point where he learned pages of Talmud a day. Several nights a week he did not sleep at all. All of the gedolei Torah of his time, even those who opposed certain aspects of his leadership, came to admire him as the gadol hador, the giant of his generation. Among them was the 'Or Sameach,' who called him 'my friend the gaon, the eye of the congregation (Kook = look in Yiddish - E.R.), tov ro'i. In "Igrot LaRiyah," we see that Rav Yitzhak Zev Soloveitchik called him: "The great renowned Harav Hagaon, the majesty of the generation" and he was addressed by the Hazon Ish as: "The majesty of his honor, our teacher.", and by Rav Menachem Zamba: "The Gaon. The great, majesty of Israel." His life may be divided into three periods: The first period - His childhood and youth up to the age of forty ( ) During this period he devoted himself entirely to his studies, learning under notable rabbis and then attending Yeshivat Volozhin, where he was considered the preeminent pupil even among the great scholars who were there at the time. When he was twenty-one, he married the daughter of the 'Aderet'. At the initiative of the Hafetz Hayim, he was appointed to the post of Rabbi of Zeimel, where his first child, his daughter Fraide Chana, was born. After the death of his wife in an epidemic, he studied for a while with the Gaon Rav Elyashiv ("Haleshem") whom he called "the greatest kabbalist of the generation" [Igrot 181]. Eventually the Rav would write "There is nothing in my thoughts and opinions that do not have their source in the writings of the 'Ari'." At the initiative of his father-in-law, the Aderet, he remarried, this time the Aderet's niece, who gave birth to a son, Tzvi Yehuda, in 5651 (1891) followed by two daughters: Batya Miriam - later the wife of Harav Hagaon Shalom Natan Ra'anan - and Esther Yael. From Zeimel he moved to Boisk where he served as rabbi for ten years. The second period - From the age of forty to fifty-four ( ) At the age of forty, after years of serving as rabbi in Boisk, he turned down tempting offers, among them the offer of the post of Ram in the Telse Yeshiva, and decided to immigrate to Eretz Yisrael. On the 28th of Iyar 5664 (1904), his deci- 5

6 Paper9.qxd 30/09/05 16:56 Page 6 N E W S L E T T E R sion became a fact. Upon arriving, he was immediately appointed as the Rabbi of Jaffa and its surrounding settlements. Harav Hagaon Rav Shmuel Salant zt l, the Rabbi of Jerusalem, called him "The righteous Rav, whom we and all of Israel rely on." His years as rabbi in Jaffa were studded with great successes but also with struggles: on the subject of Jewish law, the Hebrew Gymnasium, the heter mechira during a shmitta year, and others. Regarding the latter subject he published a book "Shabbat Ha-aretz" in 1910 edited by his son. In 1914 he traveled to Europe to take part in a conference of Agudat Yisrael. As World War I had just broken out, he was forced to remain abroad. During this period he was appointed as rabbi of the Mahzikei Dat congregation in London. At that time the Balfour declaration was slowly being formulated. The Rav had a decisive role in its introduction to the public. During the war years, the Rav wrote the book 'Rosh Milin.' What motivated him to do so was: "When evil increases and the world trembles, the situation must be stabilized by studying the inner wisdom of the Torah." The third period - From 5679 to his passing ( ) On the 3rd of Elul 5679 (1919), Rav Kook returned to the Land of Israel and settled in Jerusalem. Many rabbis, among them Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank zt l, asked him to be the chief rabbi of Jerusalem 6

7 Paper9.qxd 30/09/05 16:56 Page 7 M E R C A Z H A R A V but he refused. He did not see himself as worthy of this great office. It was only after much importuning that he agreed to undertake the position. A short time later, on the 16th of Adar I 5681 (1921) he established the institution of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and was appointed as Chief Rabbi of the Land of Israel in partnership with his colleague Rav Yitzhak Meir. At that time his book 'Orot' first appeared, the book his son Rav Tzvi Yehuda called "The book of Mashiach." The Rav declared that the exile had come to an end, that there would be no further destruction as there had been twice, and that the process that was unfolding before their eyes was the at'halta de-geula - the beginning of the final redemption. He was able to see beyond the great difficulties entailed in renewing Jewish life in the Land of Israel - to see a new future of ingathering of the exiles and renewal of the kingdom of Israel in its entirety. It was not easy for the people of Israel and its leaders to understand that all of the yearning of our forefathers and all of the prayers that had been said always in the future tense had become the present. That was also the reason that not all of the gedolim of his generation agreed with him. Not all of them had his faith and trust that even in a situation where the Jews had not all done teshuva and there were still serious problems to face both from within the nation and from without, nevertheless these were the sparks from the lights of redemption. The end of tractate Ketubot brings the oath from Shir Ha'shirim that Israel will not go up to the Land of Israel "as a wall," i.e., not defy the nations of the world with force. This oath was one of the main reasons that some of the rabbis had reservations about the Rav's declaration that this was the beginning of the redemption. The Rav declared, as did the 'Or Sameach,' that ever since the Balfour Declaration and its adoption by the League of Nations, there was "No longer anything to fear from the oath." In this faith the Rav established the spiritual groundwork for the state of Israel: the Chief Rabbinate and Yeshivat Mercaz Harav Kook, the Central Universal Yeshiva. He wrote a series of books and articles, thousands of halachic responsa, principles of learning Jewish faith in his books 'Orot,' 'Orot Hakodesh' and others, which were written in exquisite Hebrew and with a broad and profound vision. He built the institutions 'Halacha B'rura' which was to unite all of the Shas together with the Poskim. He called this project 'Torah for the generations'. Together with his extensive activity, he found time to deal personally with thousands of people, in faith and in love, and saw every Jew as an entire world unto himself. (See especially in Igrot Ha-re'iya.) His goal was to suffuse Zionism with the force of the Torah and from this provide a strong and true leadership that could stand up to the gentile nations and to internal weaknesses. In his book 'Mishpat Cohen', sec. 144, he laid down the Torah basis for the kingdom of Israel even before the establishment of the continued on page 10 7

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10 Paper9.qxd 30/09/05 16:56 Page 10 N E W S L E T T E R continued from page 7 Sanhedrin and the renewed appearance of prophecy. He prepared Rav Tzvi Yehuda to be his successor - studied the entire Shas with him twice, relied on him to edit and publish his writings, and planted within him the way of spiritual guidance for the entire nation, the trait of personal modesty together with daring and courageous leadership - in faith and in love. As long as one's progeny lives, so does the person live on. Rav Tzvi Yehuda merited seeing the establishment of the State of Israel and the miraculous victories of the Jewish people over the enemies surrounding them. He inspired and propelled the renewal of Jewish settlement in Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the Golan and lived to see the tremendous development of Yeshivat Mercaz Harav and its branches throughout the country. We have not yet been privileged to see the establishment of the kingdom in Israel in its entirety, but the process is growing stronger and as the Rav said: "The power that revives the spirit of Israel is the great yearning for the building of the Temple It is only this yearning that uplifts the spirit of all generations, knowing that there is a lofty purpose to their lives and their historical continuation." [Shmona k'vatzim 1, 5648] Rabbi Steiner, a member of the legendary first generation who studied at Mercaz Harav under the leadership of Harav Tzvi Yehuda z"l, is currently serving as a Ram (lecturer) at our Yeshiva. He wrote this article especially for the readers of the Newsletter. In Memory of Mrs. Vivienne Wohl z"l We deeply mourn the passing of a most noble and refined lady, Mrs. Vivienne Wohl of blessed memory, wife of Mr. Maurice Wohl, may he be granted a long and healthy life. Only a year ago, we had the great honor of having Mr. and Mrs. Wohl dedicate a Sefer Torah to our Yeshiva. Sadly, only a few months later, on the 15th of Nissan, the gracious and magnanimous Mrs. Wohl returned her soul to the Creator. We extend our sympathies to Mr. Wohl, may the Almighty strengthen him at this very difficult time to overcome his terrible loss. May the support toward strengthening Torah study in Israel merit her soul to rest in Gan-Eden amongst the holy and great, and be speedily awakened with the coming of Messiah, Amen. 10

11 Paper9.qxd 30/09/05 16:56 Page 11 M E R C A Z H A R A V continued from page 3 Editor's Note Israel" then there is an opportunity for greedy politicians who have gained power through deceit, buying offices with money, and after achieving political power, turning their backs on the promises made to the electorate. That is what Moshe said to the tribes of Gad and Reuven, that their civic activity must not be merely legal but it must also be guiltless, untarnished - and not just in the eyes of G-d but also in the eyes of Israel, so that their decisions do not cause damage to the national morale. If Hashem has indeed issued this terrible decree against us and there is an expulsion of thousands of Jews: men and women, the elderly and children, and this fruitful part of the land of Israel is turned back to desolate wasteland, we must accept with perfect faith that it is a descent for the purpose of a future ascent. That means even if we view the plan as a kind of hated disease, a leprosy in the national home, we must not destroy that home but rather tolerate it and preserve the continuity of the national framework and trust that the Eternity of Israel will not prove false and will lead us to see better days. In this spirit I wish all of our friends a good and healthy year, one in which we will be privileged to see the building of the Bet Mikdash and the coming of our Mashiach, speedily, this very year. Efraim Rosenfeld Latest Release "Morasha" An anthology of discussions and articles by our Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav Avraham Shapira shlit''a, "Morasha", was just published by the Yeshiva. The anthology contains halachic and idealistic clarifications on the Torah, topics related to Eretz Yisrael, education and community leadership, presented from a level-headed and comprehensive viewpoint. 11

12 Paper9.qxd 30/09/05 16:56 Page 12 N E W S L E T T E R Rav Kook And The Kotel Affair Prepared by Channan Morrison This article is dedicated to the brave residents of Gush Katif. Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda recalled the tremendous pressures that were placed upon his father that Elul evening in 1930 in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood of Jerusalem. "How intense, how grave, how terrible were the threats and intimidations at that time, with all of their bitter pressure, from two nations (the Arabs and the British), goading us with lies and murderous traps for the sake of an agreement to relinquish ownership over the Kotel, the remaining wall of our Holy Temple.." [Lenetivot Yisrael vol. I, p. 65] The infamous Hajj Amin al-husseini was appointed Mufti of Jerusalem - the spiritual and national leader of the Arabs - already in the days of the first British High Commissioner. One of the many devices that he and his cohorts employed in their struggle against the Jewish Settlement was the repudiation of all Jewish rights to the "Kotel HaMa'aravi" (the Western Wall). The Arabs gained a partial victory in 1922, when the Mandatory Government issued a ban against placing benches near the Wall. In 1928, British officers interrupted the Yom Kippur service and forcibly dismantled the mechitza that separated the men from the women. A few months later, the Mufti and his cohorts devised a new provocation. They began holding Muslim religious ceremonies opposite the Kotel, precisely when the Jews were praying. To make matters worse, the British authorities granted the Arabs permission to transform the building adjacent to the Kotel into a mosque complete with a tower for the muezzin (the crier who calls Moslems to prayer five times a day). The muezzin's vociferous trills were sure to disturb the Jewish prayers. Active Arab turbulence reached its peak during the bloody riots of On the 10th of Av, some two thousand Arabs swarmed the Kotel, chased away the Jews praying, and burned several Torah scrolls. The following week, rioting broke out in Jerusalem and spread throughout the country. Nearly a hundred Jews were slaughtered in the Arab riots, mainly in Hebron and Jerusalem. In the summer of 1930, the League of Nations dispatched a committee to Eretz Yisrael to clarify the ownership of the Western Wall. The Arabs claimed to be the rightful owners, not only of the Temple Mount but of the Western Wall as well, and they rejected outright permitting Jews to pray at the Wall. The Western Wall is a 'purely Muslim site', the Mufti claimed, and the Jews can pray there only by the good grace of the Arabs. When the Rav appeared before the Kotel Commission, he asked the chairman in an impassioned voice: "What do you mean 'the commission will decide to whom the Wall belongs'? Does this commission or the League of Nations own the Wall? Who gave you permission to decide to whom it belongs? The entire world belongs to the Creator, blessed be 12

13 Paper9.qxd 30/09/05 16:56 Page 13 M E R C A Z H A R A V The Wailing Wall,1946 He; and He transferred ownership of the entire land of Israel - including the Kotel - to the Jewish people. No power in the world, not the League of Nations nor this commission, can take this G-d-given right away from us." The chairman retorted that the Jews have not been in control of the land of Israel or the Western Wall for close to two thousand years. At this point, the Rav decided to teach the members of the commission a lesson in Jewish law. Calmly and respectfully, he explained: "In Jewish law, the concept of 'yei'ush ba'alim' ('owner's despair') applies even to land. (That is, the owner of a stolen piece of land forfeits his ownership over it if he gives up hope of ever retrieving it from the thief.) However, if a person steals someone else's land, and the rightful owner continuously protests the theft, he retains ownership over the land forever!" Rav Kook's proud appearance before the commission made a powerful impact 13

14 Paper9.qxd 30/09/05 16:56 Page 14 N E W S L E T T E R on the Jewish community. The Hator newspaper remarked, "We cannot refrain from mentioning once again the Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael, who sanctified G-d and Israel with his testimony. The witnesses who preceded him stood there meekly, with tottering knees. After the Chief Rabbi's appearance, we felt a bit relieved, as if a weight had been lifted from our hearts. He raised our stature, straightened our posture, and restored dignity to the Torah and our nation." The British Mandatory government suggested a compromise according to which the Jews would recognize Arab ownership of the Wall and the Arabs, in return, would permit Jews to approach the Wall. (The right to pray at the Wall was not explicitly mentioned.) Due to the tense political situation - particularly in light of the murderous Arab rioting the previous year - the Va'ad Leumi (the executive committee of the Jewish National Assembly in pre-state Israel) was prepared to recognize Arab ownership of the Wall. However, the Va'ad Leumi stipulated that the Arabs must explicitly recognize the right of Jews to pray there. Because this was a religious matter, the Mandatory government required that the Va'ad Leumi's proposal be approved by the religious authority of the Jews, namely, the rabbinate. In order to apply greater pressure on the rabbis, the Va'ad Leumi sent delegations simultaneously to the two Chief Rabbis, Rav Kook and Rabbi Yaakov Meir, and to Rabbi Zonnenfeld, representing Agudat Yisrael. A delegation from the Va'ad, headed by Yitzchak Ben-Tzvi, visited Rav Kook and tried to persuade him to approve the plan. It is a matter of life and death, they argued; only by renouncing Jewish ownership will we assuage the Arabs and bring peace to Israel. Despite intense pressure from the Va'ad Leumi, Rav Kook refused to authorize the proposal. "G-d forbid!" he proclaimed. "We have no authority to do such a thing! The Jewish people did not empower us to surrender the Western Wall on its behalf. Our ownership over the Kotel is divine in nature, and by virtue of the ownership we come to pray before the Kotel." "I cannot relinquish that which G-d gave to the Jewish people. If, G-d forbid, we give up on the Wall, the Holy One will not wish to return it to us!" As it turned out, the Arabs refused even to consider granting the right of Jewish prayer at the Wall, and the proposal died. Indeed, after the War of Independence, though the cease-fire agreement provided for the right of Jews to approach the Wall, the Arabs ignored it. Only nineteen years later, when G-d returned the Kotel to its original owners in the Six-Day War, did we merit once again to pray unhindered at the Western Wall. Rabbi Menachem Porush, the venerable chairman of Agudat Yisrael added the following detail of the incident: Rav Kook, upon receiving the proposal, stated that he would not agree to relinquish the Jewish claim to the Western Wall under any circumstances. He also dispatched a personal messenger to Rabbi Zonnenfeld to inform him of his refusal and to beg him not to indicate to the 14

15 Paper9.qxd 30/09/05 16:56 Page 15 M E R C A Z H A R A V The Wailing Wall,1910 British any weakness of purpose regarding the matter. Rabbi Zonnenfeld, when he received notice of the proposal, also refused to agree. Afraid that Rav Kook might somehow not be firm enough in refusing the proposal, Rabbi Zonnenfeld dispatched his own personal messenger to Rav Kook to inform him of his policy and to request that he not show any willingness to compromise on the matter. The two messengers, who were personal friends, met in the street and discussed their missions and messages. Both were relieved and heartened that they did not have to deliver their respective messages. Thus, the plan, which would have compromised Jewish rights at the Western Wall for generations, died aborting. [adapted from Celebration of the Soul, p. 244; An Angel Among Men, pp ; ,219; letter of Rabbi Porush, quoted by Rabbi Berel Wein] 15

16 Paper9.qxd 30/09/05 16:56 Page 16 N E W S L E T T E R To my dear friends and supporters of Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav Kook in Jerusalem, On the eve of the New Year 5766, I would like to take the opportunity to extend my blessings, the blessings of a "Cohen," to wish you and yours a happy and blessed year. May the New Year be a year of redemption and salvation, a year of honor and exaltation for Israel and Eretz Yisrael. We are all awaiting impatiently the materialization of the visions of our prophets, "and you shall dwell in peace without fear in your land." May the Almighty grant us a year of peace and tranquility, a year of health and success, and may the merit of your participation in the Torah education of the young generation at Mercaz HaRav, be a credit to you and your family. Amen Rabbi Avraham Shapiro Rosh Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav Former Chief Rabbi of Israel