Year of Unity. Five minutes which united us on 5772

The year of 5772 will be engraved in the history of the hareidi Jewry as a year in which we parted from remnants of a great generation – Gedolei Torah and Chassidus.
In Tishrei, Rebbetzin Bat Sheva Kanievsky a"h, who was the mother of the Jewish women, passed away. In Cheshvan, the Rosh Yeshiva of Mir Hagrn"z Finkle zt"l passed away. In Adar, Hagrc"p Sheinberg zt"l and the Viznitzer Rebbe zt"l passed away, even before that the Nadvorna Rebbe zt"l passed away, and in Elul the Admor of Shomrei Emunim zt"l passed away – and the list is still long.

But the peak event, which united the nation with a feeling of mourning – was the ptira of Hagry"s Eliashiv ztk"l.

Already at the end of last year, Hagry"s became weak and went out often for checkups in hospital, but made an effort – despite his extremely old age – to learn, to daven and to continue leading the public.

On the 12th of Shvat 5772, he was rushed to the Sha'arei Tzedek hospital from which he never returned home again.

Long months of tension, fear and Tefillos engulfed the Torah world – a unity which is uncommon in regular days. Not once or twice, it seemed that the worst is about to happen, but the prayers did their share, the medical statistics were overcome – and we had the privilege to live a little longer by his light.

On the 28th of Tamuz, at 16:48, the luminaries went out: Nitzchu Erelim Es Hamezukim veNishba Aron Hakodesh. 102 years of Torah in its purity – which contained hundreds of thousands of learning hours – went up in a storm to Heaven.

Within a few hours, hundreds of thousands gathered in Jerusalem, for a huge journey of the funeral – from the "Caravan" in Meah Shearim, and to the plot which became so sought after in Har Hamenuchos.

There were people from all circles and groups – Sephardim and Ashkenzim, Litvish and Chassidish, Hareidi, religious and secular. Each one saw something else in Harav Eliashiv: the Ben Torah saw in Harav Eliashiv a role model who did not budge for a moment from the pages of Gemora which were beloved on him more than anything else. The man of Halacha saw in him a Posek whose Torah will still be learned for generations. The public figure saw a leader in him. The one further away from religion, was impressed by the fact that despite his greatness, the smell of power, honor or money never clung to him. In 102 of his years, he gave up on all the pleasures of this world, for the sake of eternal life.

We had the privilege to be in his generation. Who will give us his stead?
In the winter of this past year, the media were outraged and turned words of incitement against the entire hareidi public, as a result of a radical incident which occurred (or not) in the city of Beit Shemesh.

It all started with a report which was screened on Friday night at the Ulpan Shishi of Channel 2, in which a religious girl named Naama was shown, and tearfully related why she fears to go alone to her school: every day, a hareidi man, who belongs to the community of the Kanoim-Yerushalmim in Beit Shemesh awaits her, and spits at her with the claim that she is not dressed modestly.

All the hareidi spokesmen and PR's and even the cleverest of them – did not manage to take out the stone which one fool threw into the well.

The issue of the Mehadrin bus lines soon became the headlines, and the hareidi public was accused of "Hadrat Nashim" (discrimination against women).

Months of incitement went by on the hareidi public, whose peak was a vain accusation which a woman soldier made up against an avrech, a Talmid Chochom from the Neve Yaakov suburb.

And again we learned: "the dogs bark – and the convoy goes past".

A few months later, and when the incitement passed to the places of enlistment to the IDF, who remembers what Hadrat Nashim is?

Very quietly, Rabbonim and Askonim toiled – and suddenly, one bright day, it was announced that Yoeli Goldstein, a resident of Meah Shearim and a prisoner in Japan was released from the Japanese jail and is returning to Eretz Yisroel.

The Askonim came to receive him at the airport, and in Meah Shearim circles of dancing formed and raised him up high. His Rebbe, the Rebbe of Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok, made a special "Geula Tish" for him. The freed prisoner continued for a tour of blessings and pictures at the homes of Gedolei Yisroel, and soon turned into a sought after celebrity.

The reception festivities received harsh criticism from educators because of the circumstances of the arrest – smuggling drugs from Holland to Japan. The prisoners claimed that they were told they had "antiques" in their suitcases. But they too united at real time and were glad to see him, because even if he and his friends made a mistake and acted improperly, we all showed solidarity and davened each day for their release from the Japanese jail.

A surprise act repeated itself towards the end of the year, when it became known that the third and last prisoner, Yaakov Yosef Greenwald, arrived from the Japanese jail, in order to continue serving his sentence in an Israeli jail.

A closing of a circle.

A few days after Purim, deep mourning befell the Jewish world: Harav Yonathan Sandler, his children Arye of 6 and Gavriel of 3 and a half, and Miriam Monsonego of 8 hy"d, the daughter of the school principal of Otzar Hatorah were killed in a shooting terrorist attack at the Jewish school in Toulouse in the south of France.
The cruel terrorist – who was driving a black scooter – shot towards a group of people who stood at a collection point outside the school gate, and escaped.

Harav Yonatan Sandler z"l who was killed with two of his children – a resident of Kiryat Yovel in Jerusalem, learned in a Kollel in Bayit Vegan, before he went to reinforce the Jewish community in Toulouse, where he worked as a Melamed.

His acquaintances told of a noble Jew, who saw in the Holy Land his goal, and left it only after the Jewish community in Toulouse asked him to come help disseminate Judaism in the city.

At the huge levaya which ended in Har Hamenuchos, thousands took part.

There were also two women and one small girl who managed to unite us for a few minutes, and cause d Kidush Hashem with their words, or even just with their intensity: Mrs. Eva Sandler, who lost her husband and two children at the attack in Toulouse; Mrs. Avivit Shaer, whose husband and five children were burned alive in a fire which broke out in their home in Rehovot, and Rachel-Efrat Atias, the noble little girl who was left an only remnant of her entire family, who were killed in a car accident at night, on the way to the tomb of the Shlah Hakadosh.

A single eye was not left dry. The tears unite us all.

On the 15th of Av this year, Am Yisroel finished the 12th cycle of the Daf Hayomi which was established by R' Meir Shapira form Lublin, zt"l.

We all streamed in our myriads to huge events which took place in Yad Eliyahu stadium, in Givat Hatachmoshet, the Teddy stadium, Binyanei Hauma and hundreds of other centers.

But it was the Americans who taught us a lesson or two about powerful unity, when they managed to gather 100,000 people for Siyum Hashas at a single stadium – MetLife in New Jersey.

Weeks beforehand, tens of thousands gathered in the City Field stadium in Queens, for a huge gathering and no less important whose purpose was to fortify the home against the harms of technology.

The organizers of the impressive events, both in Israel and overseas, used advanced technologies – as befits the era of 2012 – in the honor of Torah. The events were impressive and convincing.

It worked. Each one wanted to feel a partner, and many – from all circles and groups – joined the learning of Daf Hayomi in the 13th cycle.

Indeed, it's a pity that Eretz Yisroel did not unite in such a huge event, which includes the nation and its leaders from all circles. The formal excuse was: there is no hall in Israel which is able to contain so many people.

About that it is said: how lucky there are excuses…

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!