By Daniel Keren
Rabbi David Ozeri
On October 22nd, a large Asifa on behalf of our Acheinu Benei Yisroel (our Jewish brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisroel) was held in Flatbush outside Rav Landau’s Shul that brought close to two thousand Jews to hear inspiration of prominent rabbis and the recitation of Tehillim. One of the two rabbis who delivered Divrei Hisororis was Rabbi David Ozeri, a well-known Syrian askan who is one of the dynamic spiritual leaders of the Ocean Parkway synagogue Yad Yosef.
In his words of chizuk to a Flatbush community that like other kehillahs around the world are still in shock over the most barbaric massacre of Jewish civilians since the Holocaust, Rabbi Ozeri said that we Jews have one potent weapon if only we will take the time to utilize.
The Power of Tefilla or Prayer
That weapon of course is that of Tefilla or Prayer. Rabbi Ozeri argued at the Flatbush Asifa on behalf of our embattled Jewish brethren in Israel [and in truth on behalf of all in every part of the world that is endangered by the massive outbreak of anti-Semitic protests in major cities around the world including Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn.
The major problem that Rabbi Ozeri warned those attending the Asifa was our own failure to not appreciate the gift that G-d has given every Jew – the ability to connect with our Father in Heaven by sincere tefilla. Every Jew has the ability to speak sincerely and heartful love to Hashem three times a day, but all too often waste this precious opportunity because of our “sin” of just praying by rote. His suggestion was to just add one minute to the most important prayer – the Amidah or Shemonah Esrai.
Rabbi Ozeri pointed out that there are 19 blessings in the Amidah plus as the end the Elokai Nitzor. All we have to do, he said was take three seconds before each blessing and glance at the words to know what we are saying. That adds to exactly one minute and if we all do that we can connect to G-d and demonstrate that we truly believe that everything is in his power to obliterate the evil of Hamas and save His beloved people from their threats of annihilation of the Jews in Israel and around the world.
What was Chizkiyahu’s Terrible Sin?
As an example of the efficacy of tefilla, Rabbi Ozeri spoke at the Flatbush Asifa of Chizkiyahu Hamelech, a descendant of King David who was very sick on his death bed. The Prophet Yishayahu (Isaiah) comes to tell the king of Yehuda “to set your house in order for you will die and not live.” Stunned by the proclamation that he will not only die in this world but will not live in the World to Come, Chizkiyahu asks the prophets what sin he had committed to deserve such a terrible fate.
Yishayahu declares that Chizkiyahu is being punished by G-d for his failure to bring children into the world. The king tells the prophet that he did so because he had ruach hakodesh that one of his children would be a terrible sinner. Yishayahu says that Chizkiyahu’s job is to fulfill the Torah commandments (including bringing children into the world) and let Hashem worry about the consequences. Chizkiyahu then tells Yishayahu that he will marry the prophet’s daughter and in that merit, perhaps the children he has won’t be so evil.
The prophet tells the king that it is too late and the decree in shomayim that Chizkiyahu must die cannot be averted. In anger the king orders the prophet to leave immediately. Declaring that he has a kabbalah (teaching) from his grandfather (Dovid Hamelech) that even if the sword is on one’s neck, one should pray to Hashem and never give up hope for a redemption from death.
Indeed, Chizkiyahu does so and he is healed and goes on to live for another 15 years. And this is a lesson for all of us to emulate as the threat of not just Hamas, but also of Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border and Iran’s nuclear threats against Israel can be nullified if we just also pray to G-d sincerely.
Reprinted from this week’s edition of The Jewish Connection.
