[Avodah] efficacy of prayer

[Michael Makovi]

> My wife spoke this morning with a former terrorist victim (lost
>  husband and 2 sons). She asked my wife that thursday morning there was a
>  public prayer at the kotel with important rabbis. That night was the tragedy
>  at yeshivat hakotel. What good is all these prayers?
>  What do you answer this woman?

At the Shabbat table at night, one person (a mother, btw) remarked
that it isn't difficult to see why Hashem chose these particular
people to lose their children - one mother, for example, said of her
16(?) year-old son, that it was a blessing to have know him for so
long, and now she's returned the trust to Hashem - rather like
Beruriah. All of the parents, she said, said things like this - mamash
"gam zu l'tova", and moreover, you can imagine what sorts of children
these were.

I was also extremely impressed by the eulogies of the rabbis:
from http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/125491
"Rabbi Yerachmiel Weiss, head of the Merkaz high school, spoke next,
in a voice breaking with emotion and tears: "G-d is just, and His ways
are just... We have questions; but the questions are so difficult, so
difficult...  How is it possible to eulogize one Torah scholar on Rosh
Chodesh Adar?  But two? and three, and four, and five...??  Your ways
are so hidden, Master of the Universe!  ... In Adar, we increase joy -
look how much joy You gathered to Heaven!  They were in the midst of
studying Torah, such joy, such purity... We have been left with such a
hole... I just want to tell You, Master of the Universe, what great
people You took: Yehonadav - he gave [nadav, in Hebrew] so much; what
purity and simplicity... You took Yochai from us - he lives [chai] in
G-d, what Torah study he did; even while they were setting up for the
Purim party, he came to learn Torah... You took Segev Pniel of the
Avichayil family - what a family, and what valour [chayil] in Torah!
... You took Yehonatan [meaning "G-d gave"] - what prayer, what Torah,
what beauty...  You took our dear Avraham David - just two days ago I
had a long talk with him in his room - what knowledge he had, what
integrity, what music he gave us with his Torah reading... and the
youngest, Neriah - the candle of G-d, his light will be missing from
us..."

Mikha'el Makovi