In an awe-inspiring maamad tefillah utzeakah held in the beis medrash of Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein in the Ramat Elchanan neighborhood of Bnei Brak, hundreds of tinokos shel beis rabban gathered at the height of Taanis Esther to recite Tehillim and cry out for the yeshuah of Klal Yisroel during these difficult days of war.

The gathering was led by Rav Zilberstein, a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and the mara d’asra of the neighborhood, who addressed the assembled children with words of chizuk that electrified the packed hall.

Turning to the children with visible emotion, Rav Zilberstein drew a powerful parallel to the events of Purim.

“To the dear and beloved children of Israel, we are now in a time of great distress. There is a Haman — that is Iran — who wants to destroy us. I want to tell the dear children, when Mordechai HaTzaddik heard of the terrible decree, he gathered all the children to learn Torah. Do you know what Haman said then? Haman said like this — I am now lost…,” Rav Zilberstein declared.

“If I see the children of Israel who have no sin, under bar mitzvah age, who have now gathered to learn Torah, I am lost… About nothing else did he say that. He was at the height of his power and greatness, the king had advanced him, but the moment he saw the children of Israel gathering to learn Torah, he said ‘I am lost,’ because the children of Israel have no sin, and they are being brought to be killed, to be destroyed, and they sit and learn the laws of kemitzah — he understood he was lost, and so it indeed was.”

The Rav emphasized that the koach of tinokos shel beis rabban is beyond measure. Their Torah and tefillos, said with purity and temimus, have the ability to overturn gezeiros.

“The children of Israel have power. You are children without sin, and you learn Torah, and you all perform mitzvos, and you have homes of Torah scholars. They want to kill us, and the only ones who can stop this — it is you!”

Rav Zilberstein then outlined three specific areas of hischazkus for the children.

“In what should you strengthen yourselves? First of all, in honoring your father and mother, about which it is said ‘so that your days will be lengthened,’ a promise from the Holy One, blessed be He, that one who honors his father and mother will have long days, he and his family.

“The second thing is Shabbos, to keep Shabbos, and not to do melachah, and not to speak any forbidden things, nothing at all.

“And above all, to pray with seriousness. Know this — the Jewish people now need you! And with Hashem’s help, if you strengthen yourselves, not to speak lashon hara, and to pray with clear intention that you can save, we will have salvation, and to Hashem is the salvation, upon Your people is Your blessing forever,” Rav Zilberstein concluded.

{Matzav.com}