By C. S. Teitelbaum
Hundreds of local cheder boys joined an awe-inspiring gathering this Tuesday in the majestic Bobov Shul on Egerton Road.
Over twenty years ago gedolim in America initiated this special annual Yom Tefillah whereby yiddishe kinderlach assemble during the aseres yemei teshuva using the power of their innocence and purity as a means of praying on klal yisroel's behalf. Established seven years ago locally, the cheder boys came to the event en masse davening minchah and reciting chapters of tehillim and selichos. They were joined by many Rabbonim, fathers and rebbeim who were keen to join this rare opportunity of davening with the huge crowd of tinnokos shel beis rabon.
Rabbi Yeshaya Schlesinger, Rosh Kollel Chaim Ozer, opened the program with an emotionally charged address about tefillah, noting its significance especially during these days when even the individual tefillah is as valuable as with a tzibbur. He kept his young audience riveted with examples from the Gemara, how Reb Chiya and his sons managed to transform the weather dramatically with the intensity of their kavannah at the words mashiv horuach umorid hageshem and how the earth trembled before they reached the words mechayeh meisim for fear of the outcome. Rabbi Schlesinger further emphasized that the boys should daven for extra siyatta d'ishmaya in contending with today's great struggle against the infiltrating spiritual dangers.
Rabbi Ahron Fischel, menahel of Skver cheder, recited six kappitlech tehillim that have been singled out by the gedolim at the original founding decades ago. Emotions ran high as the boys' honeyed voices rang out, movingly chanting passuk by passuk, intermingled with the many adults who were lining the shul's circumference. Mincha was followed by a responsive recitation of Avinu Malkeinu led by Rabbi Betzalel Kamionka, before which Rabbi Osher Schapiro reminded the boys to beseech passionately at the words shelach refuah sheleima. Indeed, at the intensity of those words participants noted that they were assured the childrens' cries pierced right through the domed roof to the skies, where the shechina awaits them now more than ever.
Rabbi Eliezer Dovid Friedman was honoured with pesicha for selichos, which was then recited by Rabbi Avrohom Moshe Krausz, renowned baal Tefillah from America.
The event was organized by Rabbi Schapiro, Reb Menashe Scharf and Reb Aryeh Deutsch. The experience left the boys both humbled and emotionally uplifted, the inspiration of the moment making an everlasting impression.
This article first appeared in the Jewish Tribune, 06 October 2011
Hundreds of local cheder boys joined an awe-inspiring gathering this Tuesday in the majestic Bobov Shul on Egerton Road.
Over twenty years ago gedolim in America initiated this special annual Yom Tefillah whereby yiddishe kinderlach assemble during the aseres yemei teshuva using the power of their innocence and purity as a means of praying on klal yisroel's behalf. Established seven years ago locally, the cheder boys came to the event en masse davening minchah and reciting chapters of tehillim and selichos. They were joined by many Rabbonim, fathers and rebbeim who were keen to join this rare opportunity of davening with the huge crowd of tinnokos shel beis rabon.
Rabbi Yeshaya Schlesinger, Rosh Kollel Chaim Ozer, opened the program with an emotionally charged address about tefillah, noting its significance especially during these days when even the individual tefillah is as valuable as with a tzibbur. He kept his young audience riveted with examples from the Gemara, how Reb Chiya and his sons managed to transform the weather dramatically with the intensity of their kavannah at the words mashiv horuach umorid hageshem and how the earth trembled before they reached the words mechayeh meisim for fear of the outcome. Rabbi Schlesinger further emphasized that the boys should daven for extra siyatta d'ishmaya in contending with today's great struggle against the infiltrating spiritual dangers.
Rabbi Ahron Fischel, menahel of Skver cheder, recited six kappitlech tehillim that have been singled out by the gedolim at the original founding decades ago. Emotions ran high as the boys' honeyed voices rang out, movingly chanting passuk by passuk, intermingled with the many adults who were lining the shul's circumference. Mincha was followed by a responsive recitation of Avinu Malkeinu led by Rabbi Betzalel Kamionka, before which Rabbi Osher Schapiro reminded the boys to beseech passionately at the words shelach refuah sheleima. Indeed, at the intensity of those words participants noted that they were assured the childrens' cries pierced right through the domed roof to the skies, where the shechina awaits them now more than ever.
Rabbi Eliezer Dovid Friedman was honoured with pesicha for selichos, which was then recited by Rabbi Avrohom Moshe Krausz, renowned baal Tefillah from America.
The event was organized by Rabbi Schapiro, Reb Menashe Scharf and Reb Aryeh Deutsch. The experience left the boys both humbled and emotionally uplifted, the inspiration of the moment making an everlasting impression.
This article first appeared in the Jewish Tribune, 06 October 2011
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