Personal Request from Mindy

We all know what has happened today at Yeshivat Mercas HaRav. Eight yeshiva students, five high schoolers and three yeshiva gedola students, were killed in cold blood by an Arab with a kippa.

PLEASE, we cannot let this go on without this changing us in some way. We must do two things:

FIRST: in whatever way you can, fight against this injustice. Whenever you see any slanted media reporting, write a letter to the editor. Write or call the White House about Jonathan Pollard or Darfur. Check Israeli websites EVERY DAY and subscribe to their email list to keep up on the news. Comment on their sites. Comment on blogs. Call politicians. Hashem gave us free choice, and we have the power to change the world if we so will it.

SECOND: we have to look within ourselves and our society and find what it is that is faulty within us. Whether it is society at large- and there is no lack of that- or ourselves as a whole, WE MUST CHANGE, or there will be no end to the tragedy! The Ribono Shel Olam is looking down at us from shamayim and waiting to see our reaction when we are killed and trampled on. And this is why I am begging you to please do two thing:

ONE- to take on a kaballah, any kaballah, that you will do something to end the tragedy within us- whether it is an email to the White House to free Jonathan Pollard every day, whether it is davening every day, whether it is spreading ahavas chinam in klal Yisrael- TAKE ON SOMETHING to show Hashem that we really care, and do not live our lives in our bubble. Look within yourself to see what it is that Hashem wants you to be and begin working on that goal.

TWO- START SAYING ACHEINU every day. Stand up and say it in shul, school, on the train, wherever there are Jews who belong to our nation. This cannot go on forever. We must stop this and bring forth the Mashiach already.

***Enough is enough.***

Please daven for the injured:

Naftali ben Gila
Yonatan ben Avital
Shimon ben Tirza
Nadav ben Hadas
Reuven ben Naomi
Elchanan by Zehava

and say Tehillem for them and those who tragically were killed. Also tragic is the attack on Israeli soldiers this morning, and Rabbi Segal's death.

Tens of rockets fall on Sderot each day. We cannot let this go on!

Mercas HaRav's address is mercaz@mercaz.org

Hamakom Yinacheim Osom Misoch Avlei Tzion V'Yerushalayim.

Personally, Mindy Friedlander

Please pass this on.