Florida Hurricane Preempted by Tefillos

Last week, while news of the devastation in Houston still fresh, and terrifying weather conditions forecasted for the state of Florida and especially Miami with its large Jewish community, Yidden around the world galvanized in tefillah. It was increasingly clear that Hashem was sending us some sort of message.

Tefillah initiatives were launched in many around the country. In Baltimore, Khal Ahavas Yisrael Tzemach Tzedek launched a Tehillim/learning rotation, in which shul members signed up to say Tehillim or learn for a half an hour, beginning at 5:00 a.m. on Shabbos morning, until 1:00 a.m. on Monday morning. In Chicago, an atzeres tefillah was held on Motzoei Shabbos. Yeshivos and shuls said extra Tehillim. The O-U sent out a request for women to say Tehillim when they bentch licht, and there were most likely many other private and public initiatives as well.

With much siyatta diShmaya, Miami was spared the brunt of the hurricane, and the storm took a turn to the west. As Rabbi Moshe Matz, director of Agudath Israel of Florida, had been quoted in Hamodia before Shabbos, “Tefillah is more powerful than any hurricane!”