Pearls of Tefillah in the Parashah
Shabbos Parashas Vayeishev, 20 Kislev 5785, marks 44 years since the passing of Rav Yitzchak Hutner, author of Pachad Yitzchak. This story describes a tumultuous events when he was in the crosshairs of a terrorist incident that put the lives of him and his family in tremendous danger. It was an incident that united Am Yisrael in tefillah and miraculously concluded with no injuries.
It was around the year 1970. The Jordanian empire had become the home of Palestinian terror organization, which operated overtly from its territory and often launched attacks from its borders to Israeli citizens.
The Hashemite dynasty, to which King Hussein of Jordan belonged, represents only about twenty percent of the population of the country, while many of the citizens are actually Palestinians. That is why the Palestinian organizations at the time were a real threat to the stability of the Jordanian regime.
Armed terrorists wandered around openly in Palestinian enclaves in Jordan. They put up roadblocks, collected taxes, and mercilessly assaulted anyone who did not submit to their authority. From time to time, they even attacked Jordanian military and police units.
On 5 Elul 5730, the clash became a real war. On that day, Palestinian terrorists hijacked two passenger planes and landed them in Jordan. Some four days later, another plane was hijacked and also forced to land in Jordan. The passengers were held hostage. In exchange for their release, the terrorists demanded the release of all terrorist imprisoned in Israel and in other countries.
One of the planes that was hijacked belonged to an America company that operated at the time called Trans World Airlines (TWA). On the day of the hijack, the plane flew from Israel to the international airport in Frankfurt, Germany, from where it was supposed to continue to New York. On the flight were dozens of Jews, including the Rosh Yeshivah Rav Yitzchak Hutner and his Rebbetzin, their only daughter and her husband, Rav Yonasan David.
A short time after takeoff from Frankfurt to New York, the terrorists overtook the cockpit and announced a hijack. The planes were landed in a remote Jordanian airport, near the city of Zarka, also known as Dawson’s Field. Within a few days, most of the hostages were released, with the exception of 56 of them, including passengers identified as Jews.
For three weeks, Rav Hutner and his family along with the other hostages were held captive by the terrorists. The first week, they remained on the plane in Zarka the entire time. Then the Rav was taken by terrorists to an isolated home, where he was alone under the watch of two terrorists. For the third week, he was with other hostages, as heavy gun battle raged around them as a result of the war that the king of Jordan had declared on the terrorists. Throughout his captivity, he hardly ate, and he lost twenty kilograms. His daughter and son-in-law and two of his talmidim on that flight, suffered from hunger and thirst.
The Jewish world was aghast upon hearing that the revered Rosh Yeshivah was in the captivity of evil terrorists, and galvanized to save him. Gedolei Yisrael called on everyone to increase their davening, and many tefillah rallies were held for his welfare and salvation. The Rosh Yeshivah of Mir, Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz, traveled for a chizuk trip to arouse the tzibbur to storm the gates of Heaven with their tefillos.
During that time, the renowned Mashgiach Rav Eliyahu Lopian passed away. A short time before his passing, Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz was hospitalized in serious condition, and from his sickbed, he asked his son-in-law to call Rav Elya and ask him to daven for his recovery.
As soon as Rav Elya heard about Rav Chaim’s serious condition, he went to the heichal of the yeshivah in Kfar Chassidm, where he served as Masghiach, opened the aron kodesh, and began to daven fervently. Miraculously, a short time later, Rav Chaim stood up from his bed, to the shock of his doctors. He was subsequently released to go home in good health.
Now, during Rav Elya’s levayah, Rav Chaim stood up and delivered an emotional hesped. In the middle, he suddenly stopped, turned to the niftar and said: “Rav Elya, you helped me during my illness, I ask you, please, arouse Heavenly mercy at the Kisei Hakavod for Yitzchak ben Chana who is currently in captivity, that he should be released quickly. He is an adam gadol...I testify that of him...” A ripple of emotion passed through the crowd, which tearfully joined the fervent plea.
Indeed, about a week after Rav Elya’s passing, after the Jordanian army fought determinedly against the Palestinian terrorists and killed thousands of them, the terrorists holding the hostages capitulated unconditionally and released the passengers of the plane, including Rav Yitzchak and his family, who went free. The Jewish people rejoiced, and thanked Hashem for this wondrous miracle of salvation they had witnessed.
On 27 Elul, the day they were released, the shivah for Rav Elya Lopian was completed. In a hesped in Yeshivas Meah Shearim in Yerushalayim, Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz stood up to speak, and he thanked Rav Elya for advocating for the release of Rav Yitzchak at the Kisei Hakavod.
In time, Harav Avraham Mordechai Isbee, one of the roshei yeshivah of Bais Yisrael in Ashdod, wrote about this story in his sefer Chelkas Mordechai (Shavuos p. 303):
“I will relate a wondrous story where we saw yeshuas Hashem with shleimus, without the intervention of human hands. In 5730, Palestinian Arabs ym”s hijacked a number of planes, and suddenly, Hashem turned the heart of the king of Jordan, and put fear in his heart from the Palestinian terrorists, that if they would succeed they might eventually topple him from the throne. He declared war against them. Our brethren all over the world were afraid of this turn of events, sure that now, in the midst of war, with fire on both sides, and the captives in the middle, the situation was hopeless, chalilah. But ultimately, this was their salvation, because Hashem put in the hearts of the terrorists that they would not fall captive to the king of Jordan no matter what, so that he would not have the satisfaction of capturing them. And it was form Hashem that instead of killing the captives, they surrendered them to the United Nations, and all of them returned home safely.”
Sefer Hazikaron LaGra”ch Shmuelevitz, p. 106; Siach Yosef Vol. II p. 121
