On Thursday night, July 30th, the Talmidei Chachamim of Kollel Chatzos Meron will gather in Amukah to daven on behalf of Jewish singles around the world to find their bashert. At a time when the shidduch crisis has been called the bane of our generation, Kollel Chatzos is offering singles the world over the zechus of partnering with Torah learning and the power of talmidei chachomim’s tefillos on their behalf.
Kollel Chatzos, the network of kollelim that studies Torah throughout the night, every night, maintains three branches throughout the Greater New York area, as well as an exclusive fourth Torah Center in Meron at the kever of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. In the Zohar, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai repeatedly extols the practice of rising at midnight to learn Torah; he mentions often that he in fact did so as well. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai guarantees that anyone who gets up to learn Torah during the second half of the night will have his tefillos accepted.
Amukah, home to the kever of the taana Yonasan ben Uziel, is renowned as a place where tefillos for shidduchim are readily accepted. While the origins of this tradition are shrouded in mystery, thousands of eligible young men and women travel each year to daven at the kever and beseech Hashem for a wonderful shidduch.
So why is the 15th of Av such a special time to partner with Kollel Chatzos?
The 15th of Av has been adapted as a special day for tefillah for Kollel Chatzos; a day focused on davening for shidduchim for Klal Yisroel. The Talmud (Taanis 26b) teaches that the 15th of Av was celebrated as a tremendous yom tov, a date that was set aside for matching up Jewish couples. The eligible girls of Yerushalayim would gather in the fields on this day to be chosen by suitable young men. Building on this theme, later seforim describe the 15th of Av as a day that bears a special segulah for finding one’s zivug.
In addition, the Talmud also states that on the 15th of Av the summer solstice has passed and the nighttime hours begin to lengthen, allowing for more learning to take place during the night hours. “דמוסיף יוסיף ודלא מוסיף יאסף” (Taanis 31a). While this is a difficult obligation for most to fulfill, the illustrious kollel members of Kollel Chatzos do indeed spend the midnight hours steeped in Torah, beginning earlier as the day begins to shorten. Kollel Chatzos is therefore eminently qualified to represent Klal Yisroel in Amukah on the 15th of Av.
These two reasons make Kollel Chatzos the ultimate conduit for tefillos for shidduchim and the 15th of Av the perfect day on which to daven. In past years, calls have come in to the main office from across the world and across the spectrum of Jewish people; young men and women and their parents, eager to partner with Kollel Chatzos during the Amukah campaign and reserve their share in this special event.
Last year, on the eve of the 15th of Av, the Kollel Chatzos Meron members left their homes and travelled to Amukah. With hundreds of names in hand, they opened their hearts and davened in unison, storming the Heavens on behalf of the long list of names who are hoping to find their bashert quickly and easily. In the weeks that followed, Kollel Chatzos was thrilled to receive numerous calls announcing shidduch after shidduch that came to fruition after parents partnered with Kollel Chatzos.
Adding together the merit of the location in Amukah, the date on the 15th of Av and the nature of the representatives who offered the tefillos, the representatives of Kollel Chatzos; the sum is an unbelievably charged opportunity for zechusim on behalf of those awaiting their bashert.
May we all hear Besuros Tovos b’karov! Phone: 1-855-Chatzos (242-8967), Email: [email protected], Web: www.1855chatzos.org
By Shoshana Bernstein
