DailyGiving.org, in conjunction with Chazaq and TorahAnytime.com, will be sponsoring an emergency Tehillim and chizuk event this Saturday night, November 7 at 8:30 p.m. The program is being organized for the complete and speedy recovery of Rabbi Alter Shmuel Greenberg, the spiritual leader of the Young Israel of White Plains, who is in critical condition and has been hospitalized for more than a month suffering from COVID-19. Rabbi Greenberg has also been a rebbe at Westchester Hebrew High School in Mamaroneck and the mashgiach at Yeshivas Ohr Hachaim in Queens. He has held each of these positions for over 30 years.
Featured speakers for the program are Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, the rav at Agudas Yisroel of Madison and rosh yeshiva at Yeshivas Torah Vodaas; and Rabbi Moshe Tuvia Lieff, the rav of Agudath Israel Bais Binyomin in Brooklyn. They both grew up with Rabbi Greenberg.
The White Plains Jewish community has rallied around its beloved morah d’asra since he became ill, organizing a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $300,000 in one week to build a mikveh in the community, one of Rabbi Greenberg’s longtime dreams. Plans are already underway to move ahead with the construction.
Three separate WhatsApp groups—each consisting of 250 individuals—make sure to recite Tehillim for Rabbi Greenberg’s refuah 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Every Shabbat, there are over 15 completed rounds of Tehillim that are said on behalf of Rabbi Greenberg.
On most Friday nights, 40 individuals recite Shir Hashirim in Rabbi Greenberg’s merit, and another 40 individuals bake challah on his behalf.
“It’s really incredible how the entire Westchester community has come together to daven and perform acts of Chesed on behalf of Rabbi Greenberg. He has given so much of himself to so many. I’ve never seen a rabbi so beloved by those from all different spectrums of Judaism,” said Jonathan Donath, co-founder of DailyGiving.org, a unique effort that allows people to automatically donate $1 a day to tzedaka.
DailyGiving was started in Rabbi Greenberg’s shul; he is on its rabbinical council with Rav Herschel Shachter, Rav Moshe Tuvia Lieff and Rabbi Paysach Krohn. “Since he has been hospitalized, more than 200 new individuals have signed up for Daily Giving as a zechus for Rabbi Greenberg’s refuah, bringing the total to over $4,000 of tzedaka given out every single day,” said Donath.
Rabbi Greenberg’s father, who was a well-known rav at the Young Israel of Midwood for many decades, passed away just a few weeks before Rabbi Greenberg himself was hospitalized. And Rabbi Greenberg’s brother unfortunately died of COVID-19 in April this year.
New shiurim have been started at the Young Israel of White Plains dedicated to the complete and speedy recovery of Rabbi Greenberg. Rabbi Avi Hoffman started a late-night parsha shiur on Wednesdays at 10 p.m., which has gotten rave reviews, and there is a weekly women’s class, also on Wednesday evenings, in order to learn on Rabbi Greenberg’s behalf.
Rabbi Yaakov Bienenfeld, the rav of the Young Israel of Harrison and a close friend of Rabbi Greenberg for more than 40 years, leads a Tehillim call every night that regularly attracts between 100 and 200 people for the past month. Rabbi Greenberg’s son Nachum is now giving a daily Kitzur Shulchan Aruch class through WhatsApp as well.
The emergency Tehillim program with Rabbi Reisman and Rabbi Lieff will be streamed live on TorahAnytime.com/tehillim at 8:30 p.m. this Saturday night, and is available to all those who log in at no charge. If you would like to join any of the Tehillim groups or get more information on the shiurim being given for Rabbi Greenberg, please email [email protected]. Please consider giving $1 of tzedaka each day through DailyGiving.org in merit of a refuah sheleima for Rav Alter Shmuel ben Chava Leah.
By Michael Feldstein
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