Chanukah 5771

Maran M aran Hagaon Hagaon Harav Hara av Chaim Chaim Kanievsky, Kanievsky, S hlit"a, Shlit"a, p ra y i n g o n praying on b ehalf o behalf off contributors to Kupat Ha'ir during Hadlakas Neiros Chanukah

Who Performed Miracles – We’re all eagerly awaiting Chanukah. After two full months of routine, we’re eager for a refreshing change. And what kind of a change could be more enjoyable than Chanukah, a time of miracle, light, fried delicacies and exuberant children? Chanukah’s a wonderful time. The silver menorah has already been polished to a gleam and olive oil has been purchased in anticipation of the holiday.

Soon we’ll all recite the blessing “she’asah nissim la’avoseinu” and sing “al hanissim ve’al hanifla’os … bayamim hahem bazeman hazeh.” We’ll repeat it over and over again, at every shemone esrei and every birkas hamazon, and every time we say it, we’ll strengthen and fortify that special emunah within us that just as Hashem performed miracles for us then, so too does He continue to perform miracles for us nowadays.

We cannot allow the aroma of latkes and the hearty Chanukah parties to distract us from an additional job we have on Chanukah. Since we recognize that Hashem performed miracles for us then and that He does so still – we owe our very existence to His constant salvation - how do we thank Him for this? How can we repay our merciful Father for the miracles He performs for us? How can we show our gratitude?

Just as Hashem is merciful, so should you be merciful.

Just as He performs chessed, so should you perform chessed. And just as He performs yeshuos – so should you!

Ye eshu uos by Mere Morttals…

By Us! We can perform miracles, too. We, too, received the tools and abilities to act as “savior angels” on behalf of our brothers. We can do it too - and if we can, then we should!

When we contribute to Kupat Ha’ir, our money goes to households teetering on the brink of collapse. It breaches walls of despair and distress and brings with it light and joy. If you could only see!

Our brethren in Eretz Yisrael are suffering. So many beautiful, respectable families are struggling with abject poverty and are desperate for a yeshuah – and we can perform that yeshuah for them!

There is no merit greater than helping a brother.

Nothing will provide you with greater or more everlasting joy. There is nothing else we can take with us every day like the knowledge that we rescued our brother so that he wouldn’t lose his mind to grief and pain!

And these zechuyos really do await us, more than we would ever imagine. With each donation, you help another family, another household, another wonderful person, another heroic woman, more children and babies who never had a happy day in their lives. Poverty wrecks people’s lives, literally. If there’s no money to buy baby formula, the entire family undergoes a crisis. Having one’s child go

ed – When? hungry causes unfathomable distress, unbearable anguish.

Having your baby cry from an earache but lacking the few shekels necessary to buy a painkiller is an experience from which you don’t easily recover. Every cry is a stab to the heart, every moan torturous. What about untreated dental problems, or a mother unable to travel to the hospital to be with her child? What about an unstable kid going through a traumatic time who doesn’t take medication because there’s no money, or a whole family going to sleep hungry for a week because the grocery owner refuses to sell on credit any longer? All these situations really exist, they’re all waiting for us to be their yeshuah!

Maran Hagaon Harav Aharon Leib Steinman, Shlit"a, contributing to Kupat Ha’ir after lighting Chanukah candles.

You u’lll Nev ver Forg get This Chan nukah!!

When your telephone call comes in to Kupat Ha’ir, your contribution is entered into the computer and another envelope gets sent out. During Chanukah, that envelope is sent to the home of someone waiting for it like oxygen.

During Chanukah, it sparks a bright light and creates a yeshuah, proving your emulation of Hashem’s ways!

When you recite al hanissim, you’ll be able to look heavenward and feel your heart expand with joy: you merited doing Hashem’s will. You merited serving as a malach moshia; you banished the thick darkness of sadness and pain and flooded a home with light. No Chanukah will ever compare to this one. No latkes, no dreidels, no jelly doughnuts. This Chanukah will accompany you until the end of your life and when you think of it – you will feel filled with light.

Maran Hagaon Harav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz, Shlit"a, contributing to Kupat Ha’ir after lighting Chanukah candles.

The Gedolei Hador daven on behalf of contributo and are mashpia goodness

Maran Hagaon Harav A. L. Steinman Shlit"a, praying on behalf of contributors to Kupat Ha'ir during the Eis Ratzon of Hadlakas Ner Chanukah.

Maran Hagaon Harav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz Shlit"a, praying on behalf of contributors to Kupat Ha'ir during the Eis Ratzon of Hadlakas Ner Chanukah.

All names submitted by 9:30 a.m. on any day of Chanukah will be forwarded on that same day to: Maran Hagaon Harav Aharon Leib Steinman, Shlit"a Maran Hagaon Harav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz, Shlit"a Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, Shlit"a

To be prayed for after Hadlakas Neiros Chanukah Kup patt Ha a'ir's tele eph hone hotline willl be re ein to se erv ve the ma asssess of Yid dden wh ho ha ave the

(‫)ספהה״ק‬

tors to Kupat Ha'ir at the time of Hadlakas Neiros ss on behalf of Klal Yisrael.

The Nadvorner Rebbe, Shlit"a, praying on behalf of contributors to Kupat Ha'ir during the Eis Ratzon of Hadlakas Ner Chanukah.

Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky Shlit"a, praying on behalf of contributors to Kupat Ha'ir during the Eis Ratzon of Hadlakas Ner Chanukah.

All names submitted by 11:30 a.m. on any day of Chanukah will be forwarded on that same day to: The Nadvorner Rebbe, Shlit"a The Chernobyler Rebbe, Shlit"a The Rachmastrivker Rebbe, Shlit"a

To be prayed for after Hadlakas Neiros Chanukah einforrce ed at the e tim me of Had dlakas haNeiiros the cu usttom m of givin ng tzedak kah at this time.

From the room of Maran Hagaon Harav Lefkowitz, Shlit"a: Erev Yom Kippur 5770. An avreich came rushing to the home of Maran Hagaon Harav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz, Shlit"a.

Erev Yom Kippur is a busy day, but the avreich at the door felt he had to speak to Rav Lefkowitz. He needed a clear halachic ruling about whether or not he was obligated to pay a substantial amount of money and it was urgent to take care of the matter before Yom Kippur.

He stood before Rav Michel Yehudah, Shlit"a, and tried his best to present his question in a clear, concise manner.

“Am I obligated to pay a very large sum of money my wife promised to tzedakah?"

Maran Harav Lefkowitz, Shlit"a, regarded him intently, his wise, kind eyes questioning.

“My wife promised a thousand dollars to Kupat Ha’ir! No more and no less! I don’t want to pay it!"

“Why did she promise a thousand dollars?"

Maran, Shlit"a, asked, trying to grasp the story behind the man’s question.

“She didn’t contribute it all at once. We were contending with a great tzarah."

Here the avreich sighed painfully as he described the difficult situation he was dealing with at home.

“We were at a loss and then my wife promised to contribute a certain sum."

“And?" Maran prompted.

The avreich nodded. “Yes, there was some measure of improvement. But that only encouraged my wife to promise an additional sum."

“And?" Maran prompted once more.

“There was an additional improvement," the avreich admitted. My wife kept on promising more and more tzedakah, and each time, she saw a small yeshuah. Now she just told me she decided to promise a very large sum so that we should finally merit a complete yeshuah. I sat down to see how much we had promised in all and I thought I would faint! We owe kupat Ha’ir a thousand dollars? From where will I take that kind of money?"

“I wonder at you!" Maran Harav Lifkwitz said, shaking his head. “Look, it’s possible that there might be a way to absolve you if your wife gave more tzedakah than you can afford to pay. “But you clearly say that you saw yeshuah after yeshuah in the merit of the contributions. You just told me you’re hoping for a complete yeshuah. Isn’t it worth $1000 to save your family?"

“But she promised more than…"

“Consider carefully how much a yeshuah is worth for you," Maran, Shlit"a, insisted. “If this is the gateway to your

yeshuah, aren’t you willing to pay that sum?"

Because not always is the question a matter of what one is obligated to do, Sometimes it’s a matter of “what is worthwhile" to do.

Hear this story firsthand at 050-4114770 An amazing phenomenon is taking place in Am Yisrael. It encompasses thousands of homes and families, tens of thousands of people.

The phenomenon is an open revelation of Yad Hashem. Some people see it in business; other witness it on the road. Some report having merited awesome he’aras panim in the hospital, in a store, with their children.

Over and over again, Hakadosh Baruch Hu whispers to us what He’s already promised us in His Torah: My dear son – you give to my children and I will give to you.

We would love to allow each and every one of you to flip through our binders. We often dream of hiring porters to lug the files from house to house to show them to all of you.

While Kupat Ha’ir does send messengers to various places all over Eretz Yisrael to daven, we don’t have our own personal porters yet.

Instead, we present you with a small sampling of the beautiful stories you sent us.

The Choking Baby Erev Shabbos. Mrs. R. was in her kitchen, busily chopping and sautéing vegetables and not at all aware of the terrible drama taking place in a nearby room. She hummed to herself as she sampled her cooking and corrected the seasonings.

In one of the bedrooms, Mrs. R.’s baby quietly turned over in his sleep, unwittingly pulling the sheet over his face as he did so. Along with the sheet came the plastic wrapper protecting the crib pad.

In the kitchen, Mrs. R. put on some music. In the bedroom, the baby waved his arms and became even more tangled in the plastic. His little body was desperate for oxygen but none was forthcoming. He lost consciousness.

More time – no one will ever know exactly how much – ticked by and then, in a moment of amazing hashgachah, Hakadosh Baruch Hu descended and whispered compassionately into Mrs. R.’s ear: Go check up on the baby.

Drying her hands on a towel, Mrs. R. peeked into the baby’s room, just to make sure everything was okay and the baby was sleeping soundly.

To her horror, she saw her son covered in plastic.

With a cry of hysteria, she picked him up, shook him, called his name. His lips were blue.

“Let him live!" she screamed. From somewhere deep inside her, a cry burst forth: “Hashem, a hundred shekels to Kupat Ha’ir; just make him be okay!"

Suddenly, the child began breathing – shallow breaths but clearly audible. Still, he remained completely unresponsive.

Shaking uncontrollably, she dialed for an ambulance, all the while continuing to contribute. “Hashem, please, fifty shekels that he should be alright. Please, Hashem, make him come out of this unscathed… his brain…" She was still weeping when the paramedics came, grabbed the baby and fled with him to the hospital.

“Hashem, please, answer me," she wept at the hospital.

“Don’t make me sit shiva, please. Another fifty shekels to Kupat Ha’ir. Tzedakah Tatzil Mimaves."

The doctors apprised her of the baby’s situation: he was breathing. He had a pulse. Unfortunately though, there was swelling in the lungs. They were giving him various shots in an effort to reduce the edema.

Mrs. R. continued busily amassing merits of tzedakah.

“Another eighty shekels to Kupat Ha’ir. Hashem, You made the rule that tzedakah is an antidote to death.

I promise I’ll make every effort to help my son study Torah and be a yarei Shamayim, to raise him in a way that will give You nachas, if only You save his life!

On Shabbos there was a slight improvement. Mrs. R. continued “chain-contributing" dozens of shekels at a time to Kupat Ha’ir. She kept promising more and more money to tzedakah, because after all, can one ife? What are a thousand or put a price on a child’s life? ousa sand n she h kels when a child’s life is at stake? two thousand shekels On Su undaayy th un the do d ctors declar Sunday doctors declared, “Mrs. R., you merited am ira racle." miracle."

O nM ondayy, M r . R. rs R ffound ound hers On Monday, Mrs. herself facing the hospital so ociial al w orrke kerr. Y ou can an be the best, most devoted social worker.

You m oth ther er iin n th tthe he wo worl rld an nd su mother world and suddenly find yourself tthe subject of terribly hurtful accusations. How d do you convince su such a person of yyo ou innocence? your Thiss time, tim ime, Mrs. R. knew k th he secre et. “Fifty shekel the secret. shekels to

Kupat Hair," she whispered. “Hashem, please convince her of my innocence so that we can put this whole thing quickly behind us."

On Monday, the child was home, gurgling happily in his infant seat in the kitchen.

If that isn’t a miracle, what is?

Mrs. R. tried to go about her daily tasks, but every few minutes, she was drawn to the infant seat where she couldn’t help but bend down to kiss her baby’s angelic features.

Then she went to pay her rather large accumulation of fifty-shekel debts, the secret IV infusion that had kept her child alive.

A Creative Mitzvah There was a bounce to Shmuel’s step as he walked to kollel. His sister was to meet with an excellent bachur later that day. It was top secret, of course, but chances were there would be a mazel tov in the family soon.

Much to his disappointment, however, the shidduch didn’t work out. The candidate wasn’t interested.

A month passed. A promising new suggestion came up. Shmuel, the devoted married brother, davened for a happy ending but this time, too, the hoped-for simchah was not forthcoming.

A number of times, the freezer was filled with fancy cakes in anticipation of an imminent celebration, but in the end, they were always eaten by the disappointed family. Over and over again, the family’s hearts filled with excitement, only to have their hopes dashed.

Many suggestions moved forward to the final stages but there was always something that prevented the completion of a shidduch.

Shmuel is a deeply caring person. He longed to see his parents relax, to rejoice in his sister’s happiness.

He felt he couldn’t just sit by and do nothing to ease their pain; he had to make some hishtadlus to help. He decided to try contributing to Kupat Ha’ir.

Instead of merely promising a contribution on his own, he called various family members and close friends. “How much are you willing to contribute to Kupat Ha’ir if Racheli’s engaged by Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan?" he asked each person he called.

Everyone smiled in approval and promised whatever he felt he could afford. Fifty shekels, one hundred

and twenty shekels, one hundred and eighty shekels.

The contributions would be made only if Racheli did indeed celebrate her engagement before the specified date.

What do you think, dear reader? When something like this knocks at the gates of Shamayim, can they stay locked? Two days before Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, Racheli celebrated her engagement. She was on cloud nine, Shmuel was ecstatic, and another few hungry families would soon be overjoyed as well.

At the tena’im, Shmuel was the subject of a good deal of teasing: “So, Mr. Gabbai Tzedakah, are you happy now?"

“Can I give you a kvittel? Do you mind if I spread the word that you’re a ba’al mofes?"

“When did you start working for Kupat Ha’ir?"

Shmulik the gabbai tzedakah made sure everyone phoned up Kupat Ha’ir and contributed his pledge via credit card.

Then he sat down to write his story.

How Do You Brush Your Teeth with Boiling Water?

Imagine having only hot running water. You wash your hands in hot water. You wash dishes with boiling water. You want to drink a cup of water? Be prepared to have it scald your throat. Tell your kids to brush their teeth – and have them grimace in discomfort.

cheaper – diagnosis.

Plumber Number Two came down and had a look. “You need to change all the pipes, lady." Would you, dear reader, relish the prospect of having all your plumbing changed this week? Mrs. L. nearly fainted at the thought. She tried her luck and summoned a third plumber.

After he, too, said the same thing, Mrs. L realized there was no escaping the truth. Three months of living with hot water had made the L. family realize there was no choice. They wanted cold water at any price, even if meant lifting floor tiles, sand, chaos - and NIS 5,000.

The night before the workers came, Mrs. L. raised her eyes heavenward. He who orders oil to burn can order vinegar to burn. He who orders water to be warm can cool it. She promised to contribute NIS 180 to Kupat Ha’ir if she would be spared the huge and annoying expense of changing the plumbing.

When she finished davening, she went purposefully to the faucet and tried it hopefully. The water was still hot.

That’s how the L. family lived for three months.

The next day the workers descended upon the L. family’s apartment with huge coils and pipes, hammers and wrenches, buckets and spades. They were about to begin.

Plumber Number One showed up, positioned himself down under the sink, checked the pipes, rose, dusted himself off and declared: “Lady, you have no choice. You’ve got to change all the plumbing. It’s a complicated problem."

One worker went outside and loosened the faucet outside the house. There, to his utter amazement, he found a rather large blockage stopping the flow of cold water to the house. In less than half a minute, the blockage was cleared.

Mrs. L. blanched. Seeing her sudden pallor, the plumber said kindly, “I’ll give you a good price. Just five thousand shekels for the whole job."

Three boiling months came to an end in one tiny minute - and with one hundred and eighty shekels to Kupat Ha’ir.

For some reason, Mrs. L. was not all that eager to take advantage of the plumber’s generosity. She sent him away with a promise to “think about it."

In the meantime, the L. family continued living this way, but it became harder and harder with each passing day. Finally, Mrs. L. called in a different plumber in the hope that he’d offer her a rosier – and

“How much do I owe you?" Mrs. L. asked in delight.

“A hundred shekels," came the reply. “After all, we shlepped all our supplies down here. We were planning

on spending three days here." The workers collected their stuff and left Mrs. L. with her yeshuah and with the marvelous revelation of the power of tzedakah.

Oh, and with an extra four thousand seven hundred twenty shekels in her pocket.

A Winning Solution to the Housing Crisis What will our situation be like in another twenty years? Will we be old and bent? How will our children look in twenty years? Twenty years is a long time!

Why should an avreich who is careful with his money make a commitment to contribute a steady sum to Kupat Ha’ir for the duration of twenty years? What brings a person to sign a standing order for Kupat Ha’ir for two hundred and fifty months?

“It’s cheaper than a mortgage," S. says with a smile as he launches into his story.

“One of the most serious issues affecting the chareidi community today is the housing crisis.

“My family and I experienced the difficulty firsthand.

We had five small children and we were living in a tiny apartment. There were beds in our dining room. The baby’s crib was in the hallway. Bedtime was a nightmare. There was no place to put the older children when the little ones had to go to sleep.

Everything was crowded and cramped. There was no quiet corner for a parent or a child to escape to.

“It was clear we had to look for a larger apartment.

I had a certain sum of money put aside for this purpose but when I began looking at apartments for sale, I saw clearly that in the best case scenario, I was short thirty thousand dollars.

“I felt I couldn’t commit to repaying such a large sum, not even with a mortgage. From whom could I borrow thirty thousand dollars? How would I pay hundreds of shekels each month? How would I be able to learn in peace with such a burden of responsibility hanging over my shoulders? I didn’t think it was permissible to take on such debt when there was no reasonable way I could expect to cover it.

“Then, as I was davening one day, I suddenly sensed that now was a

she’as ratzon.

“I knew I was asking for something totally unreasonable, but Hashem could just as easily fulfill a big request as a small one, couldn’t He? So I spoke to Him and made the following commitment: “If I manage to somehow buy a large apartment without incurring any debt at all and without needing a mortgage, I will, bli neder, contribute one percent of the price of my apartment to Kupat Ha’ir.

“As I write this letter, I’m sitting in my new, spacious apartment and writing my emotional letter to Kupat Ha’ir. Tonight we will be celebrating the chanukas habayis. I still can’t believe the miracle I merited. I cannot stop marveling at the inconceivable power of tzedakah.

“I moved into a wonderful apartment and I don’t owe a single penny to anyone. I’m debt free!

“It is for this reason that I hereby joyfully sign a standing order for the sum of NIS 60 per month for the next twenty years.

“How wonderful to give my money to chessed instead of needing a gemach!"

Note: The writer did not share with us, in his letter, how exactly things worked out. Did the owner of the apartment sell at a loss? Did he come into an inheritance? All we did was print his letter as he sent it to us – nothing added, nothing detracted.

In Her Grandfather’s Footsteps Sometimes, minor annoyances can cause as much aggravation as more significant tzaros.

3:00 a.m. Mrs. R.’s eyes were burning from exhaustion but she was too tense to sleep. It was during times like these that she felt her job as coordinator of extracurricular activities in a girls’ school was a headache too difficult to bear.

Every year, a central theme was selected and introduced to the girls. All extra-curricular activities throughout the year were based on and related to that theme. Both Mrs. R. and the principal of the school where she worked felt very strongly that in addition to regular school learning, it was important for the girls to participate in creative, enjoyable activities designed to impart important lessons

about various good middos.

The date scheduled for the rally at which the annual theme would be presented was looming dangerously close.

A good theme had already been decided upon.

A big hall had already been ordered.

A sound system had been arranged.

Her grandfather, Rav Wosner, Shlit"a, is personally familiar with Kupat Ha’ir’s trustworthiness and integrity and the incomprehensibly huge amounts of tzedakah that pass through it.

Now, for the first time, his granddaughter became personally familiar with the efficacy of the yeshuos department…

Transportation and refreshments – check.

But the main part of the event was missing! Mrs. R. needed a program, an activity, something really enjoyable yet meaningful to do with the girls at the rally. Something that would set the right tone for the entire year. All her ideas had come to nothing. Every game she considered seemed silly and shallow, their connection to the theme weak. Mrs. R. has the merit of being the granddaughter of the renowned gaon, Harav Shmuel Halevi Wosner, Shlit"a.

She had heard much about her grandfather's special fondness for Kupat Ha’ir. Over and over again she heard him say that “Kupat Ha’ir is trustworthy," that “there they give real tzedakah," that “there the money goes only for holy purposes."

In the wee hours of the morning, with despair threatening to overwhelm her those sentences came to mind.

Maybe she should also try to contribute?

Maybe she, too, would be able to join the hundreds of people who “contributed and merited salvation"?

When dozens of students applauded enthusiastically as the wonderful program came to an end, Mrs. R. stepped out to a side room and called Kupat Ha’ir.

‘With deep emotion, she related how the coordinator of a different school “just happened" to call her a short while after she’d made a contribution to Kupat Ha’ir.

That coordinator had given her the germ of an idea and she’d managed to develope it into a wonderful program.

Quick: can you name three millionaires who contribute to the Torah world?

The truth is that the sums Kupat Ha’ir distributes on a regular basis are higher than the sums these millionaires contribute.

Who are Kupat Ha’ir’s millionaires?

You’re one.

The small contributions you give grant you the merit of turning the wheels of the largest tzedakah organization in the world.

Unlike the well-known philanthropists, whose money is not dispersed among many recipients but rather given to institutions close to their hearts, Kupat Ha’ir distributes these astronomical sums to every family in need. No families are deemed “worthier" than others.

No contributor ever stipulates that he wants his contribution to benefit only members of his own background.

No one ever implies that only people like himself should be eligible.

No one checks if a particular family stems from Russia or Poland or Tunisia. The mitzvah of azov ta’azov imo applies to all needy members of Klal Yisrael. .

Contributors to Kupat Ha’ir form a large, united family.

It’s a wealthy family of which you are a member. Most needy families today are supported by this family.

It’s no wonder Hakadosh Baruch Hu loves this united family, this warm and caring family comprised of all His children.

You’re a partner in supporting all the needy in Eretz Yisrael.

Every family has its secrets and this is ours: We members of the family say, “I contributed…"

And Hakadosh Baruch Hu helps us complete the end of the sentence: “and I merited salvation."

Midah keneged midah on behalf of his beloved millionaires.

Wh W hen Kup pat Ha’iir Held its Breath “Show it to Kupat Ha’ir,” Maran Hagaon Harav Aharon Leib Steinman, Shlit"a, said to his close disciples. “Show it to Kupat Ha’ir and tell them that…”

And so it was that one bright day a messenger arrived from the home of Maran Shlit"a, at the Kupat Ha’ir office bearing a photocopied sheet of paper.

What could Maran Shlit"a, possibly send Kupat Ha’ir in the form of an open letter? It wasn’t a request for assistance on behalf of a needy family, nor was it a letter from a wealthy philanthropist offering a sizeable contribution.

Might it be a message of rebuke? Such a thing had never happened before, and if that were the case now, Maran certainly wouldn’t send it in such a manner. A letter of praise and encouragement? Such notes, too, were usually sent in a closed envelope.

What was it, then?

It was a photocopy of the words of the medrash on the haftarah, with a comment on the side.

Everyone at Kupat Ha’ir read the

paper and d was deeply d l touched. t h d Then Th everyone read d it again and was even more deeply touched. Then the paper made the rounds a third time, and a fourth, and a fifth…

Where were they, all those people who like to declare that Kupat Ha’ir “holds a gun” to the temple of the Gedolei Hador, “forcing” them to sign their endorsement of the segulos and the tefillos?

Where were they, those people who claim that Kupat Hair “warns” the Gedolei Hador that unless they endorse the prayer campaigns, there would be no money for the poor?

Wherever they are, let them come!

The letter that arrived from the home of Maran, Shlit"a, was a photocopy of the medrash that says that the wife of Ovadiah Hanavi wept and prayed 271 times and only then was she answered.

The comment added that Radak in Sefer Melachim explains that eishes Ovadiah prayed 265 times and was not answered. The medrash relates that after 271 times, her prayer was heeded and she was helped in a miraculous manner.

“T Telll Kup pat Ha’irr,” Maran Hagaon n Harav v Ah haro on Leib b Ste einm man, Sh hlitt"a, sa aid. “T Telll th hem th hatt som me tefi fillo os are heeded only aftter 271 tim mes.

Tell them m to con nduct 2771 pra ayerss on n beha alff of contrrib butorrs so that the co ontriibu utors will meritt th he sa alva atio on th hey need.”

Did you hear that?

This is not “another feverish scheme” dreamed up by Kupat Ha’ir. It’s not “another brilliant invention” or “another splashy advertisement.”

We’ve long known that the scoffers fall into one of two categories: There are the recipients themselves, who, in their eagerness to avoid detection by their friends and neighbors, do their best to publicly renounce any and all connections to Kupat Ha’ir, and then there are the wealthy individuals who never lacked for anything in their lives and wouldn’t notice if their next-door neighbors were literally scrounging for bread.

Someone who truly cares about the welfare of his fellow Jew doesn’t scoff at tzedakah organizations.

Anyone who has personally experienced suffering and distress would never speak ill of any organization that might bring relief to suffering families.

At Kupat Ha’ir, we read the words of the midrash and the comment on the side again and again and felt our eyes grow moist.

Maran, Shlit"a, was eager to benefit contributors to Kupat Ha’ir. When an idea occurred to him of how they might be helped, he did not rest until he had sent a loyal messenger with a photocopy of the midrash to “confirm” for us the existence of the segulah. He insisted that we initiate a campaign featuring 271

tefillos so that contributors would merit a yeshuah!

Why, why, why?

Anoth her idea!

Doesn’t Maran, Shlit"a, devote the holiest moments of the year to contributors of Kupat Ha’ir? Before Yom Kippur and before Ne’ilah, on erev Rosh Hashanah and on Hoshana Rabba, on Zos Chanukah and on Purim, on Shavuos and during the bein hametzarim period – on all these occasions, he sets aside time to daven for contributors. He accepts urgent phone calls from contributors who need emergency yeshuos and he answers halachic questions via Kupat Ha’ir at regular hours every day. He’s willing to be photographed and spend time and deviate from his customs – so long as enough contributions enter Kupat Ha’ir to support all the desperately needy families.

And now he came up with another idea!

Thousands of families are cowering in fear lest Kupat Ha’ir not be able to meet the huge demand and be forced to start trimming the stipends they dispense or even skip dispensing it for a month or two. A missed stipend would mean being thrown out onto the street with nothing at all. No clothes, no food, no roof over one’s head, no cheder. Thousands of families depend on this support like oxygen!

Maran’s Prayer Campaign n The sums brought in by Kupat Ha’ir’s regular fundraising appeals throughout the year are not enough to cover the sharply spiking need. There is an urgent need for intermediate fundraisers to continue providing support during intermediate months and tefillah sessions save the day.

They save the day for contributors, who merit wondrous yeshuos.

They also save the day for the recipients, because the money that comes in from these sessions supports them.

An nd Maran n Hagao on Harav Sttein nma an, Sh hliit""a, fou und a sourcee fo or ano oth herr typ pe of pra ayer sesssio on, a sesssio on of 271 tefi filllo os, beca ause some req queestss are ansswereed only aftter th his num mbe er off tefi filllos…

Kup pat Ha’iir did not know aboutt thiis. We didn n’tt ask k fo or it; didn n’t ask k forr an nytthin ng..

Marran, Sh hlitt"a a, wrack ked hiss bra ain forr a way to heelp Kupat Ha’iir – and d he foun nd on ne!

He fo oun nd a way to help the fam milie es. He found a way to o help p contrribu uto ors..

And d in this meriit , peop ple will con ntrrib bute ag gain and aga ain.

Maran Harav Steinman’s prayer

campaign…

Two hundred and seventy-one tefillos, the numerical equivalent of the word leimor (to say).

These are the tefillos that will cause our Father in heaven “to say.” To say what? Whatever we ask: a worthy mate, healthy children, an abundant livelihood, marital harmony, an end to tzaros, a complete recovery.

Leimor – we ask and we cause Hakadosh Baruch Hu “to say!”

…

At Kupat Ha’ir, after the initial surge of excitement, we began planning the practical aspects of implementing Maran’s suggestion. Two hundred and seventy-one prayers is no simple matter.

Chanukah is almost upon us. It is the ideal date because we can harness the awesome spiritual power of these days to enhance the tefillos. Zos Chanukah, as everyone knows, is a time of chisum hadin and marks the end of the Yamim Nora’im.

271 tefillos on Chanukah – how can that be done?

With Hashem’s help, prayers on behalf of contributors to Kupat Ha’ir will be held at the Kosel Hama’aravi 24 times a day on each day of Chanukah. Twenty-four times a day for eight days, including Shabbos, messengers of Kupat Ha’ir will pray at the holiest of sites, the Kosel Hama’aravi, and each time they will mention each individual name along with its personal request.

An additional ten times each day, messengers will daven at Kever Rochel. Together we reach this incredible number of 271.

In other words, ea ach contrrib buto or willl meriit twenty-ffou ur tefi filllos at the Kosel Hama’’arav vi every y single day, plu us an addittional ten tefi fillloss per fi day at Kever Roch hel. Ea ach time,, messsenge ers of Kup pat Ha’iir willl mentio on the name of ea ach co ontrib butor alo ong with his individ dual requeest.

T hroughout the eiight day ys of Chanukah, contribu utorrs will accumulate 271 tefi filllo os to their credit.

(If you did the math, you will have noticed that there is one additional tefillah as an added precaution. An additional tefillah does no detract, of course. Just in case there is the slightest chance that one prayer will not be up to par, the additional prayer serves as a safety net.)

Two hundred and seventy-one tefillos at the Kosel Hama’aravi and at Kever Rochel - because some tefillos are not answered until after two hundred and seventy-one cries.

And these 271 prayers will take place, with Hashem’s help!

They will ascend heavenward in the merit of Maran Hagaon Harav Aharon Leib Steinman, Shlit"a!

And who among us doesn’t have a certain yeshuah he really needs?

We all need yeshuos – and here is our opportunity!

Every day of the auspicious days of Chanukah, Messengers of Kupat Ha'ir will pray At the Kosel Hama'aravi and at Kever Rochel And mention each individual name of contributors to kupat Ha'ir Along with their personal requests, slowly and clearly

271 times (the number of times mentioned in the medrash that eishes Ovadia cried out before being answered)

And in this merit they willl be zocheh to a miraculous yeshuah in the manner of eishes Ovadiah.

Names may be submitted to our 24 Hour Hotline until 12 AM Tuesday 23 Kislev, November 30.

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With a contribution of $150 per name

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Pleasse submit Please submit my name nam me to to the Gedolei Hador, Shlit"a, so o that they willl pray fo or me durin ng Ch hanuka ah for yeshuah and brracha ah.

Name: ______________________________ Request:_____________________________ Name: ______________________________ Request:_____________________________

How do I donate to Kupat Hair?

1 By contributing to rabbanim accepting contributions on our behalf: Rabbi Malkiel Kotler Shlit"a

Rabbi Aron Schechter Shlit"a

Rabbi Moshe Wolfson Shlit"a

Rabbi Chaim Leib Epstein Shlit"a

521 5th Street Lakewood, New Jersey 08701

1248 East 12th Street Brooklyn, New York 11230

1574 43rd Street Brooklyn, New York 11219

1608 46th Street Brooklyn, New York 11204

Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser Shlit"a

Rabbi Don Blumberg Shlit"a

Rabbi Chaim Schabes Shlit"a

Rabbi Ephraim E. Shapiro Shlit"a

Rabbi Aryeh Z. Ginzberg Shlit"a

1336 East 21st Street Brooklyn, New York York 11210

4 Yale Drive Monsey, NewYork 10952

7 Barrie Drive Spring Valley NY 10977

971 NE 172nd Street North Miami Beach FL. 33162

Shmuel Berenbaum Ztl 1795 East 7th Street Brooklyn, New York 11223

Home of Rabbi

2 By mail: Kupat Hair 4415 14th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11219 3 Via Email: Send your credit card or bank info to: info@kupat.org 4 Via credit card or check by phone 24 hours a day at:

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For all information or to receive a pushka call 1-800-233-2188 Our office number in Israel: 3-671-6994

568 Kensington Place Cedarhurst, N.Y. 11516