Yossi Fuchs: Mi Shebeirach prayers before IDF operations

Fuchs speaking today (Photo: Tzomet and Makor Rishon Conference)

Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs revealed today (Sunday) the faith dimension he has brought to the Prime Minister's Office, describing Mi Shebeirach prayers recited before approving dramatic military operations, the distribution of Tehillim, and the addition of the phrase 'b'siyata d'Shmaya' to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speeches.

Fuchs spoke at the second annual conference of the Tzomet Institute and Makor Rishon, held at Binyanei Ha'uma in Yerushalayim, on the topic of "observant Jews in senior positions, dilemmas and challenges." During his remarks, he addressed the unique challenges facing a shomer mitzvos individual in an environment engaged in work for Am Yisrael around the clock.

"It's not a simple challenge to be a shomer mitzvos person in an environment that on one hand is engaged in work for Am Yisrael 24/7, but not every action is pikuach nefesh and you need to be constantly aware," Fuchs said. "The transitions between what is important but not pikuach nefesh, and what is pikuach nefesh, happen very quickly, and I experience this every Shabbos."

The Cabinet Secretary gave an example from the first Shabbosos of the war, when he was at the Kirya together with Shas chairman Aryeh Deri. "I spent those Shabbosos there and Aryeh Deri was with me. I'll give an example that illustrates the difficulty: we were there for pikuach nefesh purposes, without question. But the Kirya wasn't set up so that every door you need to open is at the level of grama," he recounted.

"So you find yourself in a dilemma," Fuchs continued. "If I go out to daven Mincha with a minyan, I'll need to open the door with a shinui so it won't be d'Oraisa, so is it better to daven Mincha alone and not with a minyan?"

Fuchs disclosed that during his tenure he made sure to expand the circle of religious people in the Prime Minister's environment. "Eventually we made sure that everyone in the Prime Minister's environment would be religious people. Today it's almost everyone, the chief of staff, the head of the National Security Council, the deputy head of the NSC and others," he said.

Later in his remarks, Fuchs revealed the steps he took to add the faith dimension: "I saw importance in my role in adding the faith dimension to everything during my tenure, especially during the war. Meaning Mi Shebeirach prayers for IDF soldiers before approving dramatic operations in the history of the state. Tehillim that I distributed for people to say. Adding 'siyata d'Shmaya' in all the Prime Minister's speeches, I saw importance in this."

According to him, Prime Minister Netanyahu adopted these practices. "I must say that I see that the Prime Minister, who is not a religious person, but it's rare to see how he lives the history of the Jewish people and sees himself as continuing the path of the gedolei ha'umah, he lives this day by day," Fuchs said.

"And I also see regarding him the things that today I no longer tell him and he adds the 'siyata d'Shmaya' independently, and I think that's a good thing for someone who is a leader of the state," the Cabinet Secretary concluded.