Rabbi Ovadiah (left), Slonimer Rebbe
Rabbi Ovadiah (left), Slonimer RebbeIsrael news photo: Flash 90

The people of Israel is facing danger from without and within, and must increase prayer and acts of kindness. So say leading Sephardi rabbis, among them Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, who is known for his study of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism).

“Our brothers, the house of Israel, this is a time of trouble… We must not be silent, because our enemies have raised their heads against God and against his redeemer,” said a letter signed by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Rabbi Shlomo Amar, Rabbi Shmueli and Rabbi Tzion Buaron.

In addition, the nation is facing “the difficult decree of traffic accidents, and terrible illnesses that have killed many, let God tell Israel’s sorrows ‘enough,’” they said.

The Jewish people must take the usual approach, they said, “increasing Torah and Divine service, loving one another, and increasing charity and acts of kindness, which are particularly necessary at this time.”

In addition, they said, there are certain prayers that may be particularly beneficial. “We call for every man to read a page of the holy Zohar each day, according to his ability to understand, even the words alone are able to purify the soul,” they said. The Zohar is the book of Jewish mysticism that is the basis for Kabbala.

The rabbis also suggested reading the daily prayer describing the spices offered in the Temple “at every opportunity, at holy places and the tombs of the righteous, and let He who hears prayer hear our prayer and accept our plea… and hasten our redemption.”