Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar
have called for a mass prayer at the Western Wall on Sunday afternoon due to the
ongoing hostilities in the South.
“I call on the People of Israel from
across the religious spectrum to come to this prayer service in light of the
difficult events that have occurred in recent days,” Amar said.
“The
People of Israel live, and its success depends on unity and faith. I send my
blessings for a full recovery to all who have been injured and my condolences to
the families of those who have been killed. It is our obligation at this time to
strengthen both the residents of the South and our heroic soldiers with prayer,”
Amar concluded.
The prayer service will include traditional prayers of
penitence along with the regular afternoon and evening services.
In
addition, Yosef called on all communal rabbis and synagogue managers to recite
Psalm 83 over Shabbat as a special prayer for the success of IDF soldiers and to
hearten residents in the South.
The psalm talks of the efforts of “God’s
enemies” to “destroy the People of Israel,” and calls on Him to drive off the
foes of the Jewish people.
Yosef also instructed synagogues to recite the
psalm throughout the week following the morning service, as well as the Avinu
Malkeinu prayer, traditionally said on fast days and the Ten Days of Penitence
leading up to Yom Kippur.