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Jul 9, 2014

Interesting Psak: bomb shelters in Bnei Braq

Rav Chaim Kanievsky is famous for, among other things of course, saying in the past that rockets would not fall in Bnei Braq.

Rav Kanievsky said this during the Gulf War in 1991 when Saddam Hussein was shooting Scud missiles at Israel from Iraq, and they were landing in Ramat Gan, just down the block from Bnei Braq. He said that based on a promise from the Chazon Ish. And people in Bnei Braq acted accordingly, whether that entailed not running to bomb shelters and sealed rooms, not using gas masks when the nation was instructed to, not shaving or trimmin beards when it was necessary for the gas masks, etc.

Last night, Color Red alert sirens were heard in many more parts of the country than previously, and it was also heard in Bnei Braq.

I don't know why Hamas would bother targeting Bnei Braq, besides for just the sheer purpose of terrorizing civilians. Be that as it may, they may target Bnei Braq anyway, just like any other city of Israel, or an errant rocket aimed at Ramat Gan or other places might stray towards Bnei Braq.

Bechadrei reports that last night, when the siren was blaring in Bnei Braq, was asked by his grandson what they should do. Rav Kanievsky said that in Bnei Braq there is no reason to be concerned, though on the outskirts of the city they should be concerned. However, despite there being no danger in Bnei Braq, people should go to the bomb shelters anyway so as to be a part of the community and to share in its pain, rather than to separate from the community, and most importantly to say more tehillim. Rav Kanievsky said people should not leave the borders of Bnei braq until the danger has passed, and the Kiryat Herzog neighborhood is considered part of Bnei Braq.

Talking about such promises is well beyond the scope of my expertise and way above my pay-grade, I do like and appreciate the reasoning Rav Kanievsky employs when telling people to go to bomb shelters despite there being no actual danger. So as not to separate from the community, to share in the community's pain.

This is very different than so many other initiatives and attitudes in which the community says just the opposite - we are different than the rest of Israel and we have to isolate ourselves and separate from everyone else. Rav Kanievsky says we are all part of one community, and even if there is no real danger in his town, they must do something to stay connected to the general community.









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