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Rav Chaim Kanievsky, a foremost Torah authority today, also strongly encourages every effort made towards maintaining a functioning shul. Rabbi Raanan shares an inspiring story. A childless couple in Bnei Brak commissioned a Torah scroll. Since they were financially limited, they asked the sofer to work according to the amount they could pay. It took 7 ½ years for the scroll to be completed. “When they approached me, I told them that they could donate the scroll to either a young, vibrant community in Ramat Beit Shemesh in central Israel, or to a kibbutz where we had recently completed building a shul.” The couple asked Rabbi Kanievsky to make the decision. Although prayer services are being held in the kibbutz on Shabbat, Rabbi Raanan couldn’t guarantee that there would be a minyan Shabbat mornings. “It’ll take between six and twelve months for the minyan to build up,” he predicted. Despite this, Rav Kanievsky directed the couple to donate their scroll to the kibbutz. “We are now planning the hachnasas Sefer Torah,” says Rabbi Raanan with pleasure. Thanks to the efforts of Ayelet Hashachar, the sound of prayer is once again ringing throughout Israel.

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Rhona Lewis made aliyah more than 20 years ago from Kenya and is now living in Beit Shemesh. A writer and journalist who contributes frequently to The Jewish Press’s Olam Yehudi magazine, she divides her time between her family and her work.