“Thank you for being the source of hope and inspiration for my Mother…”
“The doctors said she had a few months to live. Now they say there's a treatment that may save her life!”
“Nothing can express my gratefulness to you for the medical miracle I experienced.”
These are just a few of the touching testimonials sent this month alone to Vaad HaRabbanim by donors to their fund to help poor families in Israel. Why, though, should those who gave of their money be the ones saying "Thank you?" The answer lies in a historic meeting held recently to discuss the crisis ravaging our communities.
Rav Chaim Kanievsky, the Belzer Rebbe, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, Rav Mordechai Ezrachi, Rav Naftali Nussbaum, and more than 20 of the biggest rabbis in the world gathered to discuss the urgency of the situation filled with stories of extreme poverty and dire illness brought to their attention since the outbreak of the pandemic.
They met to form a court of Jewish Law to issue a powerful decree on behalf of the Jewish People:
“28 of the biggest rabbinic authorities of the Jewish people sign this declaration- a promise of Life for those who donate to the special fund, as it is said, 'And I will remove the sickness from within you.' We opened this fund in Vaad Harabanim in the Land of Israel to save the sick and their families, to heal them and strengthen them for all the days of their lives" they stated.
"[Donors] should bez"H see great salvations in all their endeavors. They and their family members should be saved from all disease, measure for measure. They should merit to mark many happy occasions surrounded by family and friends, rejoice with their offspring, alongside an abundance of health and financial success."
This generous blessing is extended to those who carry the weight of the community during these treacherous times, helping those who truly need every bit of their assistance. Donors will be performing a tremendous kindness, but if they are like those who penned the testimonials above, they will be the ones with the biggest feeling of gratitude.