R’ MOSHE DOV HEBER: Acheinu – Close Brothers From Afar

(R’ MOSHE DOV HEBER) — One of the beautiful aspects of our Chinuch system is the many programs that link our schools. Programs where diverse schools participate to energize Shabbos, Hasmada, or middos. The boys feel part of the larger K’lal Yisroel doing what so many others are doing.

A few weeks ago, one of these programs, in their weekly bulletin, asked the boys to daven for another boy in the program. This boy had been diagnosed with an illness and they wanted to harness the power of the tefillah of children. I read the bulletin asking the boys to daven, but honestly didn’t make so much of it.

The next week and two weeks later, the newsletter had come once again. I read it to the boys giving them the pertinent information. Nosson, a boy in the class raised his hand “Rebbe what’s with that boy”. I said “What boy”?

Nosson answered “the boy that they asked us to daven for. There was no update and I really was wondering how he was doing”.

I asked Nosson, “Have you been thinking of him”?

He answered “Since the time they asked us to daven for the boy in the program, I have been davening each tefillah since. His name is Avrohom Yaakov ben Yael”. I was stunned by the sensitivity of this 11 year old boy who cared enough to listen and daven. In conversation with Nosson it became clear that he davened because he felt connected to the boy through the shared program that they are part of.

As the months go by in this horrific war, many boys were finding it hard to say tehillim each day with fervor as they had in the past. In Yeshiva K’tana of Waterbury Middle School, the Rebbeim had an idea to help keep the momentum in these precious tefillos. Each week a Rebbe would choose a new kapittel, give a shiur explaining the whole kapittel and then throughout the week the boys would say that kapittel, pasuk by pasuk led by that Rebbe, each day after davening.

It has worked amazingly over the last seven weeks. After seven weeks we had a review week going through each of those kappitelech and reminding the boys the meaning of the words and the power of their tefillah. One day, Rabbi Menachem Chaifetz, a Rebbe in the yeshiva, spoke and told the boys how regular tefillah goes through the regular channels but Tehillim “opens the windows” and we create a time of mercy. He told the boys to pause and think about those people who have been held hostage for months. They haven’t spoken to their parents, they haven’t spoken to their children, and have gone through unimaginable pain.

Rabbi Chaifetz then continued “Do you know the first word after tehillim that we recite Acheinu–those people are our brothers. Who are those brothers kol bais yisroel- we are lucky to be part of a large family of K’lal Yisroel, but all of them are our brothers. He then went on to explain the meaning of each of those precious words. The words of Acheinu are said at the time of this eis ratzon created by the tehillim.

Needless to say, the Acheinu that day was stronger than any other day since the start of the war. The room was reverberating with the awesome sounds of tefillah.

From Nosson and from the boys I learnt that when you feel the unity and connection, you daven as if those in pain and suffering are your brothers.

Please continue to be mispallel for those who are putting their lives on the line to protect our nation, as well as acheinu kol beis Yisrael,hanisunim b’tzara u’vashivyah.

Rabbi Moshe Dov Heber is presently a Middle School Rebbi in Yeshiva K’tana of Waterbury, the Director of the Mishmar Evening Program in Waterbury and Division Head in Camp Romimu. He is a frequent contributor to various publications on areas related to education as well as speaks publicly on various topics. Rabbi Heber could be reached via email at [email protected]