Important halachic ruling, entirely handwritten and signed by the rabbi of the entire Diaspora, the gaon Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, requiring all of American Jewry to fast for the success of the Jewish people at war. New York, 28 Tishrei 1973.
The halachic ruling before us symbolizes Jewish mutual guarantee at its best. The halachic ruling was, as mentioned, written at the height of the Yom Kippur War, when harsh news from Israel reported hundreds of casualties (there were actually already thousands of casualties, but the censor blocked publication of this fact). Rabbi Moshe Feinstein cries out in a great and bitter cry, as did Mordechai HaTzaddik in his time, and instructs that a public fast be undertaken in the month of Tishrei (despite these being days that are to be free of fasts) given the terrible situation in the Land of Israel following the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War.
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein writes as follows, inter alia: “In our multitude of transgressions, a war has broken out upon our brethren in the Land of Israel. Every Jewish soul is precious to us, as Rash”i states on the verse: “a multitude of them will fall” – that even one person is considered to us and to Hashem as “a multitude of them will fall” and especially as many hundreds have fallen, and who knows until when? Torah Law requires that we sound the alarm and fast, so a fast has been declared for Monday, the eve of 26 Tishrei …” And those who do not manage to fast, or are prevented from doing so due to weakness, etc., are to make a donation to Ezrat Torah’s special support fund for the Land of Israel so that there will be resources to help those who have suffered and become destitute due to the outbreak of war …”
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein [1895-1886] was the leading halachic authority in the United States. He led Agudat Yisrael’s Council of Torah Sages and was the leader of American Jewry. He stood at the head of Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem in New York. He is also known for his monumental book series Shu”t Iggerot Moshe .
[1] leaf paper, 28×21 cm. Ink on official stationery. Entirely in his hand and with his signature.
Fine condition. Aging stains. Fold marks and creases. Tiny tears in the right margin far from the text.