When the Har Nof neighborhood was in its early stages, Rabbi Sternbuch's synagogue was in a temporary structure whose construction had not yet been completed, exposed to the elements of nature. But apart from the physical comfort, it was a wonderful place of prayer. In 1991, at the height of the Gulf War, even the residents of Jerusalem were afraid, even though Rabbi Shlomo Zalman predicted that the Scud missiles would not endanger the residents of Jerusalem, and even though the war was felt mainly in the Sharon region of Israel... After all, Iraq boasted that it would use chemical weapons, and the thought of mass death through chemical warfare, God forbid, sent waves of anxiety through all hearts. A sense of grave danger filled the air.
Operation Desert Storm, led by the United States, lasted from January 17 to February 28 (which falls on Purim). One Friday night, while we were praying in Rabbi Sternbuch's synagogue, the silence was suddenly broken by the wailing of the siren. We were nearing the end of the Talmud of Arabic. The worshippers were frightened, and did not know whether to stop in the middle of the prayer and run to seek shelter in a sealed room. All eyes in the synagogue hung on the great posek within them. One by one, the people finished the incantation prayer. Rabbi Sternbuch did not hesitate for a moment. He knocked on the pulpit and ordered the cantor to continue praying. In doing so, he illustrated to all those present the highest levels of faith and confidence. Twenty-three years later, in the summer of 2014, during Operation Protective Edge, for the first time in the history of the Land of Israel, missiles landed on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Amazingly, once again an alarm sounded exactly in the middle of the Friday night prayers. This time, too, the eyes of all those present turned to Rabbi Sternbuch to see how he would behave in the sudden state of emergency. The rabbi ignored the siren and continued his prayers calmly and confidently. Everyone present understood that Rabbi Sternbuch felt completely protected in the synagogue. Immediately, everyone calmed down, and the prayer continued without tension or anxiety.
After the prayer, I went to the rabbi and asked: "Does the rabbi think that since we are in the synagogue, we have no reason to be afraid? And if so, what happens when an alarm is sounded while a person is at home? Is there any reason to worry then?" Rabbi Sternbuch explained that he personally believes that the danger does not reach the level of pikuach nefesh, and that one should not enter the sealed rooms. "But if a person is afraid, he must enter the sealed room," the rabbi declared. I kept asking, "But is there any reason to be concerned or not?" "There is no need to be afraid," he replied. "A person must feel faith and confidence in the Master of the Universe. God is the leader of everything, and there is no reason to worry. But those who are afraid and afraid of the sirens and the missiles must take the necessary protective measures." Rabbi Sternbuch's own faith was so tangible that every one of the synagogue worshippers on that Shabbat felt completely protected and safe. Everyone stayed and continued praying, and the sense of danger evaporated and disappeared.
