A suggestion regarding Taanit Esther‏ and links…

The following email was sent to me by the Rabbi Zev Shandalov, President of the Chicago Rabbinical Council:

On March 20, 2008, the 13th of Adar II, Jews around the world will fast for Taanit Esther. On that day, we recall the time when the evil Haman, a descendant of Amalek, planned to annihilate the Jewish people.

Today, we have other people and nations who wish to destroy us, as well. Some of them, Hamas and Fatah in particular, take steps towards that end every single day. Every single day of every week, we read of rockets and qassams falling on Sderot. The goal of the enemy is to drive us out of Sderot and then out of all of Israel (chas v’shalom!).

I would like to make a simple suggestion…this year, as we fast on Taanit Esther, have in mind our fellow Jews in Sderot (and now it seems in Ashkelon as well!) as they face a daily barrage of salvos from the enemy, a modern day Amalek! Yes, think about the occurrences in the time of Esther and Mordechai….but think about TODAY’S victims and how they need our tefillot!

May Hashem see our tefillot and, more importantly, our actions (see Book of Yonah 3:10) and have mercy on our fellow brethren in Sderot, Ashkelon and beyond, and may He bring an end to the daily terror that they witness!

Zev M Shandalov
Rabbi
Congregation KJBS
Chicago, IL USA

PLEASE HELP BY FORWARDING THIS MESSAGE!

In addition I would suggest reading these postings:

Adventures in Eretz Yisrael: Sderot: Dodging the Kassam
Unfinished Post: R’ Yehuda Bar Ila’i (part 1)

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