In Our Hearts and Tefillos

The shocking news spread quickly on Friday, and Jews throughout the world entered Shabbos with hearts filled with fear about the fate of three yeshivah bachurim who were kidnapped by Arab terrorists in Eretz Yisrael.

As Jewish women lit shabbos candles, and men made their way to shul to daven, they shed tears and uttered heartfelt tefillos for Yaakov Naftali ben Rachel Devorah; Gilad Michael ben Bat Galim; and Eyal ben Iris Teshura. Hours earlier, they were total strangers, now their names were on the minds and lips of all of Klal Yisrael. The tefillos continued throughout Shabbos, and then on Motzoei Shabbos, in communities across the Torah spectrum, the same query was repeated countless times, “Is there any news of the boys?”

As these words are being written, this questions is still being asked, but we know of no answer.

At this crucial hours, as three innocent souls find themselves in great danger, all we can do fervently daven and beseech to the Ribbono shel Olam, the Mattir Assurim on their behalf

We must also daven on behalf the security personal who are now searching, at risk to their own lives, for these bachurim, that they should be protected from all harm.

We must do all we can to evoke Heavenly mercy through increasing and improving our study of Torah, performance of mitzvos, and acts of chessed; and be me’orer Midas Harachmim by being dan l’kav zechus and by refraining from lashon hara.

In the zechus of the outpouring of achdus, and the exhibition of ahavas Yisrael represented by the tefillos and tears of so many individual members of Klal Yisrael, may Yaakov Naftali; Gilad Michael; and Eyal; return safely home to their parents.

This article appeared in print on page 14 of the June 16th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.