Before departing for the United States on a three-day fundraising trip for the World Torah Fund, Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch issued an unusual call to tens of thousands of kollel scholars in Israel: from now until the end of the High Holy Days, they should start each study session with a half-hour of complete silence. The letter was distributed to heads of kollelim nationwide on Sunday, after his departure from Ben Gurion Airport the previous night.
Hirsch said the practice is difficult precisely because it requires sacrifice, and that this difficulty would bring divine help. “It is proper that every avrech from now until the end of the Days of Awe should be careful to come at the beginning of the seder with a half-hour of silence,” he wrote. “It is very hard, and because it is hard and is a form of self-sacrifice, it will bring great sanctification of God’s name.” He added that this sacrifice would draw God close to the community, and that “without the special divine assistance, it will not be possible to win against those who are fighting against us.”
The letter was published against the backdrop of what the article describes as a severe crisis in the Torah world, caused by military draft decrees and cuts to yeshiva funding. Hirsch said the act would help produce “special help from God,” lead to victory in “this war,” and elevate scholars to “very high levels” not previously reached. He also asked kollels’ leaders to discuss the matter with their students and make sure it is put into practice.
His trip to the United States is part of the broader World Torah Fund campaign, which has been running for two weeks with leading rabbis taking part. Hirsch’s visit comes at the end of the campaign, after repeated requests from Jewish communities in the US. The fund was created to help the Torah world cope with the financial crisis, and the article says the American leg of the campaign has drawn exceptional participation, including 19 dinners and support events in four states in a single day.
