Har Nof Terror - 4 Rabbis Murdered, 4 Widows, 26 Orphans

Source: Kikar

What is there to say?  All we can say is: נחפשה דרכינו ונחקרה ונשובה עד ה'

4 widows and 26 orphans of Talmidei Hachamim.  רחמנא ליצלן.

Guns, meat-cleavers, and axes.  לא עלינו.

This was reminiscent of the Merkaz Harav Massacre and the Mumbai Massacre.

Psalm 79, which is said during Tikkun Hatzot to pray for the death of the righteous, comes to mind:

א  מִזְמוֹר, לְאָסָף: אֱלֹהִים, בָּאוּ גוֹיִם בְּנַחֲלָתֶךָ--    טִמְּאוּ, אֶת הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ; שָׂמוּ אֶת-יְרוּשָׁלִַם    לְעִיִּים.	1 A Psalm of Asaph. {N} O God, the heathen are come into Thine inheritance; they have defiled Thy holy temple; {N} they have made Jerusalem into heaps.
ב  נָתְנוּ, אֶת-נִבְלַת עֲבָדֶיךָ--    מַאֲכָל, לְעוֹף הַשָּׁמָיִם; בְּשַׂר חֲסִידֶיךָ,    לְחַיְתוֹ-אָרֶץ.	2 They have given the dead bodies of Thy servants to be food unto the fowls of the heaven, {N} the flesh of Thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.
ג  שָׁפְכוּ דָמָם, כַּמַּיִם--סְבִיבוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָם;    וְאֵין קוֹבֵר.	3 They have shed their blood like water round about Jerusalem, with none to bury them.
ד  הָיִינוּ חֶרְפָּה, לִשְׁכֵנֵינוּ;    לַעַג וָקֶלֶס, לִסְבִיבוֹתֵינוּ.	4 We are become a taunt to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.
ה  עַד-מָה יְהוָה, תֶּאֱנַף לָנֶצַח;    תִּבְעַר כְּמוֹ-אֵשׁ, קִנְאָתֶךָ.	5 How long, O LORD, wilt Thou be angry for ever? How long will Thy jealousy burn like fire?
ו  שְׁפֹךְ חֲמָתְךָ--    אֶל הַגּוֹיִם, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יְדָעוּךָ: וְעַל מַמְלָכוֹת--    אֲשֶׁר בְּשִׁמְךָ, לֹא קָרָאוּ.	6 Pour out Thy wrath upon the nations that know Thee not, {N} and upon the kingdoms that call not upon Thy name.
ז  כִּי, אָכַל אֶת-יַעֲקֹב;    וְאֶת-נָוֵהוּ הֵשַׁמּוּ.	7 For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his habitation.
ח  אַל-תִּזְכָּר-לָנוּ,    עֲו‍ֹנֹת רִאשֹׁנִים: מַהֵר, יְקַדְּמוּנוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ--    כִּי דַלּוֹנוּ מְאֹד.	8 Remember not against us the iniquities of our forefathers; {N} let Thy compassions speedily come to meet us; for we are brought very low.
ט  עָזְרֵנוּ, אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׁעֵנוּ--    עַל-דְּבַר כְּבוֹד-שְׁמֶךָ; וְהַצִּילֵנוּ וְכַפֵּר עַל-חַטֹּאתֵינוּ,    לְמַעַן שְׁמֶךָ.	9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the sake of the glory of Thy name; {N} and deliver us, and forgive our sins, for Thy name's sake.
י  לָמָּה, יֹאמְרוּ הַגּוֹיִם--    אַיֵּה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם: יִוָּדַע בַּגֹּיִים לְעֵינֵינוּ;    נִקְמַת, דַּם-עֲבָדֶיךָ הַשָּׁפוּךְ.	10 Wherefore should the nations say: 'Where is their God?' {N} Let the avenging of Thy servants' blood that is shed be made known among the nations in our sight.
יא  תָּבוֹא לְפָנֶיךָ, אֶנְקַת אָסִיר:    כְּגֹדֶל זְרוֹעֲךָ--הוֹתֵר, בְּנֵי תְמוּתָה.	11 Let the groaning of the prisoner come before Thee; according to the greatness of Thy power set free those that are appointed to death;
יב  וְהָשֵׁב לִשְׁכֵנֵינוּ שִׁבְעָתַיִם,    אֶל-חֵיקָם; חֶרְפָּתָם אֲשֶׁר חֵרְפוּךָ    אֲדֹנָי.	12 And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach,{N} wherewith they have reproached Thee, O Lord.
יג  וַאֲנַחְנוּ עַמְּךָ, וְצֹאן מַרְעִיתֶךָ--    נוֹדֶה לְּךָ, לְעוֹלָם: לְדוֹר וָדֹר--    נְסַפֵּר, תְּהִלָּתֶךָ.	13 So we that are Thy people and the flock of Thy pasture will give Thee thanks for ever; {N} we will tell of Thy praise to all generations. {P}

The victims:

Rav Avraham Goldberg
Rav Kalman Ze'ev Levine
Rav Aryeh Kupinsky
Rav Moshe Twersky (son of Tolner Rebbe of Boston ZT"L and grandson of Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik ZT"L)

Hashem Yikom Damam.

Please pray for the injured:

חיים יחיאל בן מלכה

איתן בן שרה

שמואל ירוחם בן ביילה

אברהם שמואל בן שיינה

אריה בן ברכה

Notes:

• When Rav Chaim Kanievsky Shlit"a heard the news, he trembled profusely and said that we are speaking of Ikveta Dimshiha.
• A secular year ago to the day, I linked to an article in Kikar that depicted a terrible incident in which vandals vandalized the Sefarim of Rav Rubin, who is the Rav of the synagogue in which the terrorist attack took place today.  These vandals did not like Rav Rubin's stance on the dispute between Gedolei Yisrael and defaced his books because of it.  It is also noteworthy that today, Rav Shmuel Auerbach Shlit"a was one of the eulogizers of Rav Moshe Twersky HY"D and that he called on people to increase Ahdut.
• YWN reports:

  11:02: Jerusalem Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar Shlita told Kol Chai Radio that the time demands that we ask and grant total mechila to/from everyone at this time. He personally announced that he is moichel anyone and everyone that has offended him, total mechila from his inner heart, asking the same from others that he may have offended.

• 70 years after the last few months of the Holocaust, we get a terror attack that "Looks like the Holocaust".
• The Pera'ei Adam have been committing atrocities every week since the end of the Yamim Tovim.  They were also committing atrocities every day from the kidnapping of the 3 boys until Rosh Hodesh Elul.  Not to say that there were no incidents between Rosh Hodesh Elul and Simhat Torah, but there was a definite downturn in intensity during that period.  Ashkenazim say Psalm 26 during this time, where it says: כִּי יִצְפְּנֵנִי, בְּסֻכֹּה-- בְּיוֹם רָעָה: יַסְתִּרֵנִי, בְּסֵתֶר אָהֳלוֹ; בְּצוּר, יְרוֹמְמֵנִי [For He concealeth me in His pavilion in the day of evil; He hideth me in the covert of His tent; He lifteth me up upon a rock.]  The wave of terror has risen once more and the so-called "Silent Intifada" is now far from silent.  It is a full-scale Intifada and needs to be treated as such.

May the mourners be comforted, may the injured be healed, may we increase Ahdut among ourselves, and may we only hear good news in the future.