Wednesday, September 12, 2012

OU TORAH How to Tell When You Are Not in Danger(Berachos Daf 32) By Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb

(PLEASE LEARN THIS FOR THE REFUA SHELAMA OF HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Zilberstein Shlita-Yitzchok ben Rochel RAV CHAIM KANIEVSKY-Rav Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim ben Pesha Miriam,Rav Shteinman - Aaron Yehuda Leib ben Gitel Feiga, Rav Weiss - Yitzchak Tuvia ben Rikal, Rav Yosef - Yaakov Chai ben Margalit Harav Shlomo Leib Ben Miriam - HaRav Shlomo Brevda Harav Yeshaya Yaakov Ben Raizel - HaRav Yeshaya Yaakov Portugal Harav Meshulem Fish Ben Tziril - The Toshe Rebbe Rav Yerachmiel Shlomo Hakohen ben Raizel. -Rav Yerachmiel Shlomo Rothenberg, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva of Mountaindale Rav Shaul ben Pasha-Gavaad Zurich, Switzerland and rav of Beis Medrash Agudas Achim for a refuah shleima b’soch kol cholei am Yisrael.)(AND L"N RAV YOSEF SHALOM BEN RAV AVRAHAM(RAV ELYASHIV ZT"L)The Gemara on daf 32b relates a story which many find difficult. The story is in relationship to the discussion about where it is and where it is not permissible to interrupt one's prayers. This is the outline of the story: There was once a pious man who was praying while traveling along a path when an officer (hegmon) came along and greeted him (literally, gave him shalom). The man did not respond to the greeting, but continued to pray without interruption. As he concluded his prayers, the officer said to him: "You endangered yourself. I could have killed you." The pious man asked him to wait until he was completely finished with his prayers, and then he explained to the officer that in his prayers, he was standing before the King of kings, and certainly the officer himself would not interrupt his dialogue with a king if someone interrupted the dialogue with a greeting. The question which troubles many meforshim is this: How could the man have taken such a risk and endangered his life? Surely this was a situation of pikuach nefesh, which justified interrupting his prayers.

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