Israel-Iran War Related Questions

Davening at the Kotel and in Shul During the War

Question

My husband davens every day at the Kotel, and it is very hard for him to daven anywhere else. Should he continue to daven there during the days that Iran is bombing Israel? In addition to the danger, it makes me extremely nervous that he is traveling to the Kotel during these dangerous times. If not, can he continue to go to shul?

Rav Zafrani 

We are in auspicious times. We are witnessing great miracles in front of our eyes, yet even when witnessing miracles, a person is obligated to take the necessary steps to guard his life. If a person does not do this, he may be relying on a miracle, and in addition to endangering his life—which is in itself a grave transgression—he may lose a significant amount of reward in the next world as a result of relying on a miracle to protect his life.

Davening at the Kotel is a very great act, and we are taught “zeh sha’ar hashamayim”—this is the gateway to Heaven, the place where all prayers must pass through to get to the heavens. Yet that being said, halacha obligates us to protect ourselves from danger as much as we are able to and not to rely on miracles. Here in Har Nof over Shabbos, a large fragment of a missile fell a short distance from the yeshiva of Rav Nisim Kaplan near some of the bachurim, and completely smashed a car. This is one reason not to go to the Kotel during these times.

In addition, a husband is obligated to be sensitive to his wife’s feelings. It is very understandable that him going to the Kotel every morning causes you to be nervous. Therefore, you can tell him in my name that until this period of danger passes, the proper hanhaga is to refrain from davening at the Kotel, and Hashem will joyfully accept his tefillos even though he is not at the Kotel.

As far as davening in shul, we personally conducted our normal minyan, but we did it with no frills—i.e., we did the bare minimum and sent everyone back home as quickly as possible. This way, we were doing our maximum hishtadlus to protect ourselves while still davening with a minyan.

Every Jew’s Personal Obligation to Thank Hashem for His Miraculous Salvation

Question

There were great miracles that took place during the past 48 hours of this war. What is our response meant to be?

Rav Zafrani 

We are obligated to thank Hashem for the past and beseech Him to continue to protect us in the future. Every single person has to recognize that this is not just an obligation on the tzibur as a whole—it is the responsibility of every individual to do so in a personal way that he sees fit.

When Rav Elyashiv was suffering serious heart problems, a surgeon was flown in from America to perform the surgery. After the operation was successfully completed, Rav Elyashiv asked one of his meshamshim how to say “thank you” in English. When asked why it wasn’t sufficient for someone else to thank the surgeon in English, Rav Elyashiv responded that the Abudraham explains that the reason Modim is the only beracha in Shemoneh Esrei where we do not rely on the shaliach tzibbur—rather, each individual has a personal nusach of Modim D’Rabbanan—is because expressing appreciation is more than a social grace. It is an obligation and a critical foundation of the Jewish religion to thank Hashem for protecting him. Each person experiences Hashem’s kindness in a different way, and this sort of thanks cannot be offered by anyone else.

Therefore, it is incumbent on every single Jew, especially those of us who live here in Eretz Yisrael and were direct beneficiaries of Hashem’s miraculous salvation, to find his own way to thank Hashem. The Borei Olam should continue to protect us and bring us the final redemption speedily, with as little Jewish bloodshed as possible.