1.
How many times have you had the opportunity to read a book and discover in it what is called a "life-changing idea"? I had that opportunity last Passover. Twice.
On the first holiday, we stayed at my brother's house in Rehovot, and just before the seder began, I came across the book "Nachal Eliyahu" for Passover (Shapira Edition) in his library. It is a book of talks by Rabbi Eliyahu Diskin, a well-known yeshivah and preacher in the Haredi sector. In the past, I had read several of his wonderful talks on the weekly torah and really connected with it, but I didn't know that a book had been published that was full of ideas about Passover and the Exodus.
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At first I thought the book, which also contains an entire chapter with explanations of the Passover Haggadah, could accompany me through the seder, but I quickly realized that it wouldn't work. You can't glance at it on the way, between Karpas and Chachatz, and find nice verses. This book is too good, it's either that or the Haggadah. So I put it aside, and read it later in the holiday.
Among all the wonderful ideas, I found two that I absolutely consider a must to publish. Leaving them only for those who come across this book by chance, or even not by chance, is simply spiritual egotism.
And I'll explain: We often hear ideas that catch our ear, and even our heart, but what's special about these two moves is that they can actually affect you. And the truth is, quite easily. And actually more than that: There are two tips here that are quite easy to implement. The first can upgrade all your prayers and make them more useful, and the second can dramatically increase the reward you will receive in heaven. Yes, to that extent. And all, as mentioned, in a very easy way to implement.
Won't you read?
2.
The first idea, in the book that came out about five years ago, actually begins with the discourse of October 6. What did we say here exactly on the day before Simchat Torah? Hoshana. "Hoshana, for your sake our God, hoshana, save us. Hoshana, for your sake our Creator, hoshana, hoshana, for your sake our Redeemer," etc. The people of Israel ask God, blessed be He: Hoshana, save us from all troubles, why? For your sake. For your sake. Because when we are in trouble, there is sorrow for the Divine Presence. Rabbi Diskin cites a series of sources (from the Pentateuch, from the Song of Songs, from the Gemara, from the Midrash, from the Marashi, from the Tosafot) according to which when a Jew is in sorrow, God, blessed be He, is also in sorrow.
And here we come to the practical point that is relevant to your upcoming prayer: Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin calls on us in his book 'Nefesh HaChaim' to study Hannah's prayer in depth. It is said in the Gemara in Tractate Berakhot: How many important laws do we learn from Hannah's prayer? This is a prayer that changed the world, a model for successful prayer. After ten years of barrenness, Hannah was blessed to bring a child into the world. And not just any child, but the prophet Samuel, who was as wise as Moses and Aaron. And all thanks to her prayer.
How did it work?
Pay attention to the verse: "And she was bitter in spirit, and prayed to the Lord." Interesting. Hannah did not pray to the Lord, but about the Lord. Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin explains: "Although she herself was bitter in spirit, she cast her sorrow aside for all this and did not care to pray about it at all. Rather, she directed the words of her prayer before Him, blessed be His name, to the sorrow of the Almighty, which is done because she is now in sorrow." In other words, at the height of her difficulty, what is Hannah thinking about? About the sorrow of the Almighty.
3.
And from the prayer of Hannah, Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin moves on to our prayer. The more we bring the sorrow of the Divine Presence into our prayer, the more our prayer will be answered. Of course, I am writing here in short, profound and reasoned ideas. You are invited to read Rabbi Diskin's book and, of course, also in the original itself, Sefer Nefesh HaChaim (Chapter 2). But I jump to the bottom line: If they had once talked to us about involving the sorrow of the Divine Presence in our prayer, we would have said that this was a virtue of the righteous and the Hasidim. I am now in my little prayer, about livelihood, about children, about matchmaking, about health, where do I bring the sorrow of the Divine Presence into this?
But it seems to me that since Simchat Torah, there is no worshiper who is unable to feel the sorrow of the Divine. When you pray for the kidnapped, don't you also think about the sorrow of the Divine? When you pray for a wounded soldier, don't you also think about the sorrow of the Divine? When you pray that we will defeat the enemies, don't you also think about the sorrow of the Divine? When you see Jews who are these days denying their Judaism, don't you think about the sorrow of the Divine?
Rabbi Diskin calls on us to pay a little more attention to this angle. Not to pray just a small, narcissistic personal prayer, but to think big. He quotes the words of the Kabbalists: "Whoever has a problem, should direct his attention to the words 'For we have hoped in Your salvation all day long,' from the depths of his soul – and he is assured that his prayer will be answered." What is the meaning of this virtue? Why, of all the blessings in the Amidah prayer, should we direct our attention to this prayer and this sentence in particular? Rabbi Diskin reiterates: The words "For we have hoped in Your salvation all day long" have a double meaning: First of all, we hope for the salvation that you will do for us. This is the simple answer. But also: we hope for Your salvation, the salvation of the Divine Presence who is in sorrow. Just like in Hannah’s prayer, who prayed for God.
4.
And he ends with a wonderful parable that happened in reality. A few years ago, he arrived at Rabbi Steinman's house. There was a long line outside the room. There were important rabbis, yeshivot heads, educators. Everyone wanted to get in and waited. Then, out of nowhere, a Jew arrived, with a small kippah that he seemed to have put on before entering the house, and as soon as he arrived, they let him in, bypassing the entire line of important rabbis. And not only that, but when he entered the rabbi's house, he lingered inside for many minutes. Much longer than is customary.
Those waiting in line were a little surprised. Who was this man? Why did he receive this special treatment that no one here received? Then they explained to them who he was and they understood everything. It was the rabbi's doctor.
And Rabbi Diskin says: "Later, when I went into Rabbi Aharon Leib's house, I said to him: Now I understand the words of the 'Nefesh HaChaim.' Everyone was surprised how the Jew who was here before entered without a queue and bypassed important rabbis. The answer is simple: Everyone came here for themselves, but he came for the Rabbi! When a Jew prays only for himself, they tell him: Wait in line, wait, things are in order. When a Jew prays for the sorrow of the Shekhinah - they accept him and his prayer immediately.".
5.
When I read this idea, I was reminded of a moving story I once heard from Hanan Porat about Rabbi Amital. When he was a boy during the Holocaust in the Auschwitz death camp, he once secretly participated in a third meal. Of course, there was nothing there except Shabbat melodies. Then, after they sang "Zimmor LeDavid," one of the Hasidim told what he had heard from his rabbi.
King David says in the Psalms: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil - for you are with me." I have nothing to fear because God is with me everywhere. This is the simple truth. But that Hasid in the camp interpreted the verse in the name of his Rebbe differently: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil". Because who am I and what is my life, I am in myself what I am, but "evil - for you are my support." What am I distressed about and what is my heart heavy with? Because you are my support, that is, the Shekhinah in exile, and because the Lord of the world suffers with me.
But, added the same psalmist, since you are with me, I am assured that the Sovereign of the universe will not allow the Shechinah to be lost forever and will raise her from the dust. And from "evil because you are with me," we come to the continuation of the psalm, "But goodness and kindness shall pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.".
6.
The second tip I take from the book is even easier to implement. It, too, like the first piece of advice about prayer, deals with our thoughts. With your permission, I'll skip the place references and get straight to the point: The Chofetz Chaim says that a simple Jew who owns a grocery store is a man of great kindness. All day long he helps people. He sells bread to this one, milk to that one, Click to that one, and Cheetos to that one. How many kindnesses! And so is a Jew who owns a taxi, also a man of great kindness. All day long he drives people to their destination. A plumber is also a man of great kindness. Sometimes on Fridays he leaves his house and goes to help people who have a blocked pipe. And so on. All professionals are wonderful men of kindness who will receive a huge reward in the world to come.
Well, what do you say? Don't you have a question to ask about the Chofetz Chaim's statement? It's clear: What are benevolent people? It's their livelihood. The grocery store owner doesn't give away free products. It's not a charity, it's a grocery store. And the same goes for the taxi driver and the plumber and the realtor and the insurance agent and the lawyer and the interior designer and the psychologist. You can continue the list. Everyone makes a good living, there are no free meals.
So where is the great grace? For what do you deserve such a great reward in the next world?
Oh, so this is the innovation of the Chofetz Chaim: that everything depends on the intention. If your intention is only for the paycheck at the end of the month, or for the money that the client transfers to you in Bit, then you are indeed not worthy of special pay. But if you act out of a consciousness of helping others, even in the field in which you are engaged - perhaps especially in the field in which you are engaged - you receive a large salary. You own a grocery store to help Jews with products. You own a taxi to transport Jews. You are a plumber to unclog drains. And so on.
True, you take a salary for your work, otherwise how would you make a living? But that doesn't mean that through these actions you can't accumulate a lot of rights in heaven. You don't have to go as far as the enormous grace of donating a kidney. Doing your job properly, for which you receive a salary, with a thought of helping and kindness, is a very great thing.
And at the end of this idea, Rabbi Diskin brings an incident from a great doctor and rabbi. When Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky sat in a vigil for his great father, the Steifler, the doctors who treated him came to comfort the mourners, and Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky told them these words of the Chofetz Chaim: When you treat the sick, don't think only about livelihood. Think about help, about kindness - and your rights in heaven will increase.
7.
That's it. So far, two small ideas, which actually don't require any change in our actions, only in our consciousness. This is what makes the difference between a small prayer and a great prayer that is answered. This is what makes the difference between a livelihood and a miraculous grace that is greatly rewarded.
I would like to thank a number of righteous men and women whose kindness has brought this column to you: the editors, the studio staff, the proofreader, the advertising department staff, and of course the distributors. Their reward is very great in heaven. May it be our will that, thanks to all your great kindnesses, we will soon attain salvation and the Shekhinah will no longer be in sorrow.
