Rav Aviner said there is no need to daven for Ariel Sharon's health.
I'll admit that when I first heard the announcement I assumed it was because of Sharon's involvement in the Disengagement from Gaza. Rabbi Aviner was very involved in opposing the Disengagement. I could understand if Rav Aviner would think very badly of Sharon, as a result of that conflict, and would therefore say Sharon is a rasha whose life shiould not be davened for.
I admit that is what I first thought was going on.
But that was wrong. That was not the reasoning employed by Rav Aviner. It had absolutely nothing to do with it.
Rav Aviner said that one need not pray for Ariel Sharon's health because even if gets out of his current predicament, it would bring him to a life not worth living. Davening for him would not be doing him a favor.
Regarding the idea that maybe he should not be prayed for because of his involvement in the Disengagement, Rav Aviner said that he did problematic things, but he also did good things. He is a hero, in the Yom Kippur War he saved us - not just him, but he saved us. He has many merits, and he has debts. We must be grateful to him for his good aspects.
One could daven very generally. Just like we daven for rain but we dont specify how much rain we want on how many dunam of land, we can daven generally for Sharon and let Hashem decide what to do with the prayers.
(source: Srugim)
I would suggest that one can daven that Sharon be in less pain or suffer less. I have no idea what he feels and what he doesn't. While davening for his recovery might be pointless, one could still daven regarding his level of suffering.
However, that was a side point. I am surprised to hear such a statement, that even if he could recover from this it could only be to a life of tremendous pain, one of serious brain injury, and one not worth living. I always thought that we, as Orthodox Jews, believed that our prayers can overcome anything. And that any additional moment of life is worth living, no matter what state the person is in.
I have been torn many times, not knowing what is right. Someone who suffers tremendously, do you daven for his recovery or not. For example, just like we can daven generally for Ariel Sharon, as Rav Aviner explained, why can we not also daven that he recover from his brain injury? He says we can daven, but if the prayers help it would bring him to a bad situation - so why not daven for that situation to be repaired as well?
What are the limits of our tefilla? Are there limits? Are there no limits? All sorts of questions come to mind as a result of Rav Aviner's statement...
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