Just hours after the outbreak of war with Iran, Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein, renowned posek, rov of Ramat Elchonon, and member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Degel HaTorah, delivered an emotional and powerful message of chizuk following neitz davening at the Central Beis Medrash in Ramat Elchonon.
In light of the grave situation, Rav Zilberstein instructed the kehillah to recite Tehillim and to say Avinu Malkeinu. Following davening, he ascended the bimah and addressed the tzibbur with passionate words.
“We are in a situation that requires immense rachamei Shamayim, like in the days of Haman harasha. Today’s Amalek has declared that he wants to wipe out the Jewish people. He says so openly,” Rav Zilberstein warned. “What must we do? The Torah tells us clearly in this week’s parsha, Behaaloscha: ‘When you go to war in your land against an enemy that oppresses you, you shall blow the trumpets and you will be remembered before Hashem your G-d and be saved from your enemies.’”
Rav Zilberstein then declared: “This is our weapon. And I want to say—the greatest weapon we have is Shabbos. Hashem said, ‘It is a sign between Me and you forever.’ But there is another incredibly important point: when Haman saw Mordechai learning with the children, he said, ‘I am lost.’ He knew that if the children are learning, he has no chance.”
“The children,” he continued, “are our greatest strength. They are pure, without sin. And when we sit and learn with them—especially on Shabbos—we wield a mighty weapon. Just as in the days of Haman, when he saw the children learning and declared, ‘I am lost,’ so too in our day, the enemy will see this and say the same.”
He urged the public to relay this message to their children: “Tell them, ‘When Haman saw children learning Torah, he said, I am lost. So too today.’”
Rav Zilberstein referenced this week’s haftorah (Zechariah 2:14–16), where the novi proclaims: “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold I come and will dwell in your midst… And many nations will join themselves to Hashem on that day and shall be My people… and Hashem shall inherit Yehuda as His portion in the Holy Land and shall again choose Yerushalayim.” He explained that this is a promise of redemption and a divine warning to the nations that harm Israel. Hashem will repay them.
“The children are our tremendous strength! Thank G-d, in our communities, there is no hatred or jealousy. But when the war was announced at 3 a.m., we understood: now is the time to take up our greatest weapon—Shabbos. It is a sacred covenant between Hashem and Bnei Yisroel. We must safeguard it carefully and avoid idle talk.”
He emphasized: “The children are our strongest weapon. Thank G-d, our batei midrash are full of tinokos shel beis rabban, and we must strengthen our observance of Shabbos even more. It is a sign between Hashem and His people. No idle talk—just Torah learning, especially with the children.”
Rav Zilberstein concluded with hope: “With Hashem’s help, we will witness His salvation in the blink of an eye. ‘They have bowed and fallen, but we have risen and stand upright. Hashem, deliver us. May the King answer us on the day we call.’ Let us now recite several kapitlach Tehillim together. We are in a time of tzarah…”
{Matzav.com}