Well, Kikar brings us a modern-day Kiddush Levana miracle performed by a modern-day rebbe!
We here in Israel all know that this past weekend, including Shabbos, was pretty rainy, baruch hashem. With kiddush levana meant to be said on Motzei Shabbos, for those who did not already say it, a rainy and cloudy sky could be worrying, especially near the end of the kiddush levana period.
Rabbi Akiva Rabinowitz, the Admor of Porisov, told his hassidim out after the melave malka to go out and say the kiddush levana. Of course they went out, but found no visible moon due to the clouds. The hassidim went back in and told the rebbe they cannot say it because of the wintry weather causing the moon to not be visible. The rebbe repeated his instructions and told them to go out anyway.
With the hassidim chuckling at his attempts, the gabbai took a towel and started to make a wiping motion towards the sky, as if wiping away the clouds. The rebbe encouraged him to continue. The clouds then began to move and moments later the moon was visible! The hassidim said kiddush levana, and all was right again.
I actually witnessed this from afar. In my minyan for Motzei Shabbos maariv, some people had not said kiddush levana the previous week so they wanted to say it then. I stayed to help with the minyan, but unfortunately the moon was covered by clouds. The clouds looked like they were moving quickly, and every few moments we'd get a peek at the moon, but not enough to say kiddush levana. Sure enough, moments later, the clouds continued to move and there was a big gap in the cloud cover exposing the moon for a nice period of time, long enough to say kiddush levana, and the guys were able to happily say it! We were not in Jerusalem at the time, but the Porisov miracle helped my friends as well!
------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------
My son is learning in Yashlatz in Yerushalayim and told me (before I read this story) that the exact same thing happened this past motzei shabbos there!!
ReplyDeleteMy son was walking to his dorm past the group of guys who wanted to say KL (he had said it last week at home) and they were all facing the direction of the moon. The clouds were blocking the moon so they were watching and waiting to see if/when they would be able to start. And then he noticed the rosh yeshiva, Rav Yair Gizbar, was standing behind everyone and started flailing his arms up in the sky and waiving what looked to my son like a winter hat. All of a sudden the clouds started moving like crazy and the moon became visible!