“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh parshas Ki Sisa
17 Adar I 5782/February 18, 2022
To be added to
my “Striving Higher” WhatsApp chat with periodic chizuk clips, or
my “Power Parenting” WhatsApp chat with weekly ideas about parenting,
text me at 845-641-5094.
לרפואה שלימה נטע יצחק בן רחל
HANGING ON A
PRAYER
When I
was in Eretz Yisroel a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to see my wonderful
cousin, R’ Izak Cohn. As we both share a love of seforim, whenever we meet our
discussion invariably turns to the newest seforim we purchased.
When we
spoke, Izak informed me that a Sefer called Me’chayei Abba -
From the life of my Father, containing recollections of the Chofetz Chaim’s son
about his father, has recently been reprinted.
Over the
next few days however, I couldn’t find the sefer in any of the seforim stores I
visited (I had been to quite a few around Yerushalayim). Then, during the
afternoon of one of my final days there, I was walking with my son in
Yerushalayim when we met Izak. When I told Izak I couldn’t find the sefer, he
smiled and said there was a famous seforim store right up the block from where
we were standing, and that store had the sefer.
A few
minutes later I walked out of the seforim store holding the sefer Me’chayei
Abba.
During
the flight home I was perusing a few pages and came across the following:
“It was
not his (the Chofetz Chaim) practice to say Tehillim every day, because he was
very busy analyzing halachic matters…
However,
often just before dawn, he would pour out his heart to his Creator.
Particularly during his old age, young men who slept in his home related that
they would often awaken to the voice of the Chofetz Chaim conversing with
Hashem in Yiddish, his first language.
Someone
close to the Mashgaich, Rav Don Segal, related to me that Rav Don noted that of
all the many special places where one can daven in Eretz Yisroel, there is no
more propitious place for prayer than Kever Rochel. I assume it is because the
very reason Hashem caused Rochel to be buried there was to enable her
descendants to daven at her kever.
During
my trip I went to daven at Kever Rochel. While reciting Tehillim there, a blind
man was led in and positioned right next to me. Though I tried not to listen,
because the blind man was standing so close to me, it was impossible for me not
to overhear what he was saying. He didn’t have a Tehillim with braille. He
faced the kever and simply began to speak. At some points he spoke in English,
at other points he switched to Hebrew. Certain times he spoke to Hashem and at
other times he addressed Rochel Imeinu asking her to intercede on his behalf.
He mentioned names of people that were looking for shidduchim, hatzlocho, and
health.
I found
it very inspiring. Rav Shimshon Pincus notes that the prayers of the Siddur and
Tehillim are nuclear weapons. They have the power to accomplish incredible
things, even if we don’t really know what we are saying. At the same time, a
vital component of prayer is davening in our own words, expressing our
innermost hopes, emotions, and yearnings.
The
halacha is that we do not recite tachanun on Tisha b’Av because it’s referred
to as a “mo’ed - set time of meeting”. The holidays of the year are called
mo’adim because each holiday is a special time to “meet” and draw close to
Hashem in a unique manner. Tisha b’Av is indeed a set time, but for tears,
mourning and recalling tragedy and destruction. In fact, the verse that
describes Tisha b’Av as a mo’ed states “he called a set time upon me to break
my chosen ones” (Eicha 1:15). That hardly seems like something worth marking
with any modicum of joy, such as not reciting tachanun.
Rav
Shlomo Wolbe (Alei Shur I p. 115) writes that this law contains a powerful and
encouraging insight about prayer.
We
generally think that the righteous are close to Hashem, but those more sinful
are distant from Hashem. But the pasuk tells us otherwise. “Hashem is close to
all those who are close to Him, to all those who call out to Him with
sincerity.”
It is
conceivable that a sinner will be as close to G-d as a righteous person because
he calls out to G-d wholeheartedly and with sincerity.
A Jew
understands that even when he feels distant, even when he cannot see the Hand
of G-d in his life, and even when the Bais Hamikdash - including the Bais
Hamikdash within himself - is destroyed, still, “He called a set time upon me”.
A Jew always has the ability to daven and discover that it can be “a set time
for meeting” with Hashem if he wills it to be.
That is
why we don’t say tachanun on Tisha b’Av. Even when feeling distant, during the
mist painful day of the year, we recognize that we never forfeit our ability to
call out to Hashem with sincerity.
The
message gleaned from our omission of tachanun on Tisha b’Av is a tremendous
chizuk for us. We all have Tisha b’Av moments in our lives when we feel
unworthy of davening or seeking Hashem’s guidance and assistance. Yet, even
during those times we can daven and create a “meeting” with Hashem.
One of
the lesser recognized components of Purim is the incredible added poignancy of
prayers recited during the holiday. At the time of the Purim miracle Hashem
hearkened to our ancestor’s prayers, in an absolutely hopeless and grim
situation. Each year on Purim the added power of prayer is reawakened.
Still,
we must realize that to pray effectively, we don’t need to be at Kever Rochel,
it doesn’t have to be Purim or Yom Kippur, and we don’t even need a Tehillim or
a Siddur.
We need
to simply open our mouths and sincerely speak from our hearts to the One who
always loves us and is always listening.
Shabbat
Shalom & Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum