Tefillah’ed Out 

AS Klal Yisrael commemorates the second yahrtzeit of Maran Rav Chaim Kanievsky ztz”l and reflects upon our colossal loss, we long for the missed opportunity to hear, even just one more time, the Sar HaTorah’s words of chizuk and advice on how to navigate through this tragic period we are currently undergoing in Eretz Yisrael.

While unfortunately the Hashgachah Elyonah didn’t allow for that to happen, we will have to suffice with an oft-repeated recommendation — or rather, a plea — from Rav Chaim  that we heard from him many times over the years. When he was asked, “What can a person do with regard to the terrible matzav in Eretz Yisrael at this time?” he would always respond, “Tefillah!” When asked further, “Is that all?” Rav Chaim would respond, “Tefillah is not a small thing.”

While some of us have been involved in nonstop chesed since October 7, and others have even traveled on chizuk missions from the north to the south, for most of us, all we can participate in is communal or personal tefillah.

As the Yom Tov of Purim rapidly approaches, a period starting with Taanis Esther that reinforces for us the incredible importance and significance of tefillah as the source of our salvation, maybe it’s the time to ask ourselves the question: Are we as individuals and as a community “tefillah’ed out”?