Hundreds of people packed a yeshiva in Beit Shemesh on Motzei Shabbos for the first selichos of the season, led by HaGaon HaRav Moshe Sternbuch shlita, one of the leading poskim in the chareidi world.
By midnight the beis medrash was filled far beyond capacity, with Rabbanim, Dayanim and members of the community joining hundreds of bochurim. All had come to hear the Rav, who serves as a senior halachic authority and posek, lead the tefillos ahead of Rosh Hashana.
Before going down to the amud, HaRav Sternbuch delivered a powerful drasha that left the crowd visibly shaken. He broke down in tears several times as he spoke.
"Here we stand again in the days of selichos," he said, quoting the words of the navi Amos: "Im yitaka shofar b'ir v'am lo yecheradu?! --- Shall a shofar be blown in a city and the people not tremble?!"
"We too must cry out and say: so many tzaros have befallen us in the past year, wars, gezeiros, and tragedies that struck the tzibur and individuals alike, and the people will not tremble?!" he continued. "How can we not be filled with fear, real fear and trembling?! Who knows if next year we will still be in this world…"
The Rav went on to expound on the words of Chazal and the sifrei mussar regarding the chiyuv of teshuvah during these days, warning that "we have no one to rely upon except our Father in Heaven."
He urged those assembled to use the yemei rachamim and selichos to improve their maasim, strengthen their limud haTorah and middos, and be especially careful in bein adam l'chaveiro.
In sharp words, HaRav Sternbuch stressed that at a time like this, when the din is hanging over us and dangers surround us from every side, vague kabbalos are not enough. Every person must undertake a penetrating cheshbon hanefesh, weep over his aveiros, and beg for mechilah from the depths of his heart. His words left a deep impression on all those present in the beis medrash.
Following the drasha, the Rav led the selichos with great emotion and hisorerus. When the tefillos concluded, crowds waited in line at length to receive a brachah for the new year.
HaRav Sternbuch remained at the Beit Shemesh campus through Sunday, enabling the talmidim to daven shacharis in his presence. After davening and the seder, he delivered an in-depth shiur on a complex sugya in Bava Kama, daf 3, dealing with the inyan of "lo machlia karna."
At the conclusion of the shiur, he blessed the talmidim that they should be zocheh to go from strength to strength and grow in Torah and yiras shomayim. He then returned to his home in the Har Nof neighborhood of Yerushalayim to continue his avodah in preparation for the Yomim Noraim.
