Jan 2, 2014
Rav Aviner on davening for Ariel Sharon
Rav Aviner issued an interesting psak in regards to the sterioration of the already poor health of Ariel Sharon.
Rav Aviner said there is no need to daven for Ariel Sharon's health.
I'll admit that when I first heard the announcement I assumed it was because of Sharon's involvement in the Disengagement from Gaza. Rabbi Aviner was very involved in opposing the Disengagement. I could understand if Rav Aviner would think very badly of Sharon, as a result of that conflict, and would therefore say Sharon is a rasha whose life shiould not be davened for.
I admit that is what I first thought was going on.
But that was wrong. That was not the reasoning employed by Rav Aviner. It had absolutely nothing to do with it.
Rav Aviner said that one need not pray for Ariel Sharon's health because even if gets out of his current predicament, it would bring him to a life not worth living. Davening for him would not be doing him a favor.
Regarding the idea that maybe he should not be prayed for because of his involvement in the Disengagement, Rav Aviner said that he did problematic things, but he also did good things. He is a hero, in the Yom Kippur War he saved us - not just him, but he saved us. He has many merits, and he has debts. We must be grateful to him for his good aspects.
One could daven very generally. Just like we daven for rain but we dont specify how much rain we want on how many dunam of land, we can daven generally for Sharon and let Hashem decide what to do with the prayers.
(source: Srugim)
I would suggest that one can daven that Sharon be in less pain or suffer less. I have no idea what he feels and what he doesn't. While davening for his recovery might be pointless, one could still daven regarding his level of suffering.
However, that was a side point. I am surprised to hear such a statement, that even if he could recover from this it could only be to a life of tremendous pain, one of serious brain injury, and one not worth living. I always thought that we, as Orthodox Jews, believed that our prayers can overcome anything. And that any additional moment of life is worth living, no matter what state the person is in.
I have been torn many times, not knowing what is right. Someone who suffers tremendously, do you daven for his recovery or not. For example, just like we can daven generally for Ariel Sharon, as Rav Aviner explained, why can we not also daven that he recover from his brain injury? He says we can daven, but if the prayers help it would bring him to a bad situation - so why not daven for that situation to be repaired as well?
What are the limits of our tefilla? Are there limits? Are there no limits? All sorts of questions come to mind as a result of Rav Aviner's statement...
Rav Aviner said there is no need to daven for Ariel Sharon's health.
I'll admit that when I first heard the announcement I assumed it was because of Sharon's involvement in the Disengagement from Gaza. Rabbi Aviner was very involved in opposing the Disengagement. I could understand if Rav Aviner would think very badly of Sharon, as a result of that conflict, and would therefore say Sharon is a rasha whose life shiould not be davened for.
I admit that is what I first thought was going on.
But that was wrong. That was not the reasoning employed by Rav Aviner. It had absolutely nothing to do with it.
Rav Aviner said that one need not pray for Ariel Sharon's health because even if gets out of his current predicament, it would bring him to a life not worth living. Davening for him would not be doing him a favor.
Regarding the idea that maybe he should not be prayed for because of his involvement in the Disengagement, Rav Aviner said that he did problematic things, but he also did good things. He is a hero, in the Yom Kippur War he saved us - not just him, but he saved us. He has many merits, and he has debts. We must be grateful to him for his good aspects.
One could daven very generally. Just like we daven for rain but we dont specify how much rain we want on how many dunam of land, we can daven generally for Sharon and let Hashem decide what to do with the prayers.
(source: Srugim)
I would suggest that one can daven that Sharon be in less pain or suffer less. I have no idea what he feels and what he doesn't. While davening for his recovery might be pointless, one could still daven regarding his level of suffering.
However, that was a side point. I am surprised to hear such a statement, that even if he could recover from this it could only be to a life of tremendous pain, one of serious brain injury, and one not worth living. I always thought that we, as Orthodox Jews, believed that our prayers can overcome anything. And that any additional moment of life is worth living, no matter what state the person is in.
I have been torn many times, not knowing what is right. Someone who suffers tremendously, do you daven for his recovery or not. For example, just like we can daven generally for Ariel Sharon, as Rav Aviner explained, why can we not also daven that he recover from his brain injury? He says we can daven, but if the prayers help it would bring him to a bad situation - so why not daven for that situation to be repaired as well?
What are the limits of our tefilla? Are there limits? Are there no limits? All sorts of questions come to mind as a result of Rav Aviner's statement...
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We can't daven that he should recover completely because it is not allowed to daven for a nes.
ReplyDeletethis is any different than all the other times we daven for people who are critically ill?
DeleteIf it is possible for the person to get better, it is not a nes. In cases where it is medically impossible for a change (for example, davening for an amputated limb to grow back) it is davening for a nes and forbidden.
DeleteI remember feeling very uneasy about this issue during my grandmother's final weeks when she was 92. In my heart of hearts I hoped she would die, because she was suffering terribly, and her illness was causing great anguish to my mother who was dealing with her own health issues. I felt guilty for having these thoughts, but I couldn't help it - I did not want her or my mother to suffer any longer. When she died, I felt very relieved, and I remember noticing when we got home after the funeral that my mother was the most relaxed I'd seen her in a long time. But all these thoughts made me feel guilty.
ReplyDeleteBekitzur, this is a difficult issue that I wish rabbanim would address with greater clarity.
from where is that picture you have posted above ?
ReplyDeleteits a famous picture from when he first went into the coma. search on google images for ariel sharon and you will see the same photo no many sites. I dont know the original source.
DeleteL'Etzem haInyan, the gemara says that Rebbe's maidservant davened that he should die when she saw how much he was suffering in his final illness.
ReplyDeleteRafi, the picture is a wax figure of him that some 'artist' put together
ReplyDeleteInteresting
DeleteAviner was heavily involved in opposing the expulsion? What?! You've go to be kidding. Maybe he fooled you, but he sabotaged those of us acting against it at every turn. Please watch the video Meraglim. He was in the forefront. Everything he told us to do against the expulsion was worthless. While Rav Avraham Shapira ztz"l, Rosh Yeshiva of Merkaz HaRav was ripping up Aviner's pisqei din and speaking against his positions, Aviner's media machine stepped in. Now many actually believe that this is a lie, and that Aviner's call into Rav Elihayu's Beth HaDin was all political.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Rav Lior, Rav Ya'aqov Yosef ztz"l, and Rav Levanon it is forbidden to ask Aviner questions about anything, nor read his books nor articles about any topic.
Check out these photos of Aviner. See for youself.
I know. I was in Kfar Maimon at the time and was very disappointed in his leadership. Just because I disagreed with his decisions doesnt mean he was not involved in the opposition.
Deleteunless of course you believe the conspiracy theories that he was really working for Sharon to mute the opposition, which is why he promoted bad decisions - because they were good for the government. I am not much of a conspiracy theorist (except in some cases like Yitzchak Rabin's assassination).
http://halachayomit.co.il/EnglishDefault.asp?HalachaID=2906
ReplyDelete