The Rosh Yeshiva delivered a beautiful and inspiring piece of chizuk to the bochurim. Here is a written version:

Shlomo Hamelech in Malachim Alef (8:26) davens by the chanukas bayis rishon that Hashem should guarantee his

eyes be open to "this house" (the Beis Hamikdash) day and night. We know that in Yerushalayim we have a special koach hatefillah as the Gemara in brachos tells us that in chutz laaretz we daven facing ֵֵEretz Yisroel, in Eretz Yisroel we daven facing Yerushalayim, and in Yerushalayim we daven facing the makom

hamikdash.

Shlomo Hamelech continues (psukim 33-34) that there will be a time when the enemy will come and attack, klal yisroel will do teshuva, and thank hashem for the evil that was exacted upon them. He says that klal Yisroel will daven to hashem "babayis hazeh," their prayers will be heard in shamayim and they will be forgiven. Then "hasheivosam el haadamah asher nasata laavosam" – they will return to their land that was given to their forefathers.

The meforshim explain these pesukim in a way that is incredibly pertinent to us in these difficult times. The Ralbag explains that Shlomo Hamelech is teaching us that the process of teshuvah will allow us to take back the physical land that the enemies took from us. The Radak adds that while many of klal yisroel will be forced to go out to war in order to take back their land from the enemy, the ones who remain in Yerushalayim will daven for their brothers who have gone out to war. It is their tefillos that Hashem will listen to, causing him to forgive klal yisroel and bring them back to their land. We see the great responsibility that we have to ensure the safety of our country and our brothers at war as the ones who have stayed back in Yerushalayim.

Yet, the Malbim’s perush may ring true even more so for us in these times. He explains that Shlomo Hamelech’s message is not necessarily that our land will be taken from us and that our tefillos will allow us to recapture it. Rather, the warriors will go to the borders of the land to fight the enemy, and the yiddin who stay in Yerushalayim to daven will cause hashem to bring the soldiers back to their homes safely.

We, the warriors in Yerushalayim who did not go to the battle front to protect our country, must focus on our tefillos to help ensure the safety of our soldiers who are protecting us at this very moment. The Navi guarantees that staying in Yerushalayim and davening for our brothers will bring home safely all of the soldiers and hostages. We should be zoche to see this come to fruition quickly, and to bias hamashiach bimhera byameinu.