Don’t Stop Praying

In the past few articles, we called on all Jews to strengthen their prayers for the Jewish people. There is no better time for more prayers for the Jewish people than the Shabbat of Parashat Va’etchanan, in which Moshe Rabbeinu, more than he prays about himself and his desire to enter the Holy Land – he teaches us how to pray, how to beseech. He prays and prays unceasingly until Hashem yitbarach tells him explicitly to stop. 

But Hashem does not tell us to stop; no – Hashem wants us to go on and on, and never stop praying for the Jewish people! And the Jews need prayers – lots of prayers. “Do not give Him quiet until He has established, until He has raised Jerusalem to be the glory of this earth,”¹ says the prophet Yeshayahu (Isaiah). In other words, it is in our own hands, so-to-speak, not to allow Hashem to be silent, and it is His will that we demand His action and involvement until the complete Geula (Redemption) comes.  

Whoever refrains from praying to Hashem is doing the opposite of Hashem’s will, as Shmuel Hanavi says: “As for me, far be it from me to sin against Hashem by ceasing to pray on your behalf.”² And in Sefer Hamiddot Rabbi Nachman says: “The tzaddik is punished when he doesn’t pray for his generation.” And also: “When there is some din (prosecution, decree) on Yisrael, chas vechalila, then the Holy One, Blessed Be He, tells the tzaddikim about it so they will pray for Yisrael. And Hashem is angry at whoever doesn’t pray for them.”³ 

It is hard not to hear the wheels of the Geula revolving quickly, but the situation is also very frightening. The threats to the Jewish People in Israel and in the diaspora from every direction are immense! And this is precisely the time to stand and pray – not just that we will be saved from these threats, but that we experience the complete Yeshua (salvation), the complete Geula. 

We must not fall asleep. We must arouse our hearts endlessly to feel the troubles of Yisrael and to pray for the people, as Rabbi Nachman say in Sichot Haran 39: 

“It is proper that [a person] feel the trouble of another individual – and all the more so the troubles of the many, chas veshalom – in his heart. Because it is possible that he will know of the trial, chas veshalom, and know clearly the pain of this trial chas veshalom, and with all that his heart doesn’t feel it at all. And in the case of the troubles of the many, chas veshalom, it is right that the heart feels the pain. And if he doesn’t feel, he should bang his head on the wall – meaning bang his head on the walls of his heart, as is brought in another place about the passuk, “Know today and take to heart” – the daat (understanding) should be brought into the heart. Understand this well. Afterwards I heard in his name that he said that that is like when “Chizkiyahu turned his face to the wall” – that he turned and brought the face, which is the brain and the daat – close to the walls of the heart, as mentioned above. Because the main aspects of the face are the wisdom and daat, which are the light of the face, as explained elsewhere.” 

Since we have publicized the initiative of the chain of prayers for the Jewish People, many Jews are making contact and hurrying to join existing chains or creating their own chains where they live, but there are also many who feel they need help with their prayers: How does one pray, what does one say, what does one do when one feels stuck and has nothing to say, etc… 

Therefore, we will bring some examples of prayers for the Jewish People, prayers that just touch upon the central points, each one of which can be delved into and extrapolated endlessly:  

Ribbono shel Olam (Master of the World), thank You for all the miracles that you are performing for the Jewish People at each and every moment, and for all the miracles that You are doing for us in this war, for all Your protection from the tens of thousands of missiles and mortar shells and UAVs and explosive charges. 

 

Give us the strength and the will and a warm heart to pray for Am Yisrael. Give every Jew the will to pray for Am Yisrael! May we all feel responsible for one another and for all our brethren. 

 

Protect all Jews, both in the Land of Israel and abroad. Save them from all evil and from all the wicked plans of our enemies, our haters and those who wish us ill. 

 

Please, Hashem, fight for us, and kill and destroy and annihilate and finish off all our enemies and those who hate us. Cast upon them terror and fear. 

 

Guard all the soldiers who are fighting in the Gaza Strip, in the north, and in Judea and Samaria, and save them from all evil; provide them with complete and absolute protection and may not one hair fall from their heads.  

 

Please, Hashem, strengthen their spirit and their soul and all their powers, strengthen and protect the families back home, the parents and the wives and the children, and may all of them return to their homes healthy in body and soul. 

 

Please, Hashem, send a complete recovery – in body and soul – to all our wounded and especially to the wounded soldiers who are suffering physically and emotionally; send them a complete recovery, and help them during the rehabilitation process, so that everything will go well and quickly. 

 

Have mercy on all the hostages and their families, and return all the live hostages home in peace, and grant them complete recovery in body and soul, and may they go back to leading normal, healthy lives. Return, as well, the bodies of the murdered hostages to their families, so that at least they will have the consolation of providing their loved ones with Jewish burials.  

 

Have mercy on all the residents of the north and the south who have been displaced from their homes; strengthen them in body and soul and provide them with the necessary finances; protect their homes and their children from falling apart; help them to return soon to their homes safely and in peace; and help them to rehabilitate their lives and their businesses quickly and fully. 

 

Guard all the residents of the Land of Israel wherever they are, because every Jew, in any place, is in great danger, and we have no one to depend upon except our Father in Heaven, for You, and only You, can protect the Jewish People. 

 

And protect the diaspora Jews from the rising antisemitism and from all those who wish them ill, and arouse all of them to come on Aliya to the Land of Israel quickly, with the full agreement of the entire family, with abundance and comfort; and prepare apartments for all of them in the Land of Israel; may they all have communities and institutions and good sources of living and may they settle successfully in the Holy Land. 

 

Establish peace amongst all Jews and save us from baseless hatred and from a war between brothers, chalila. Provide all Jews with complete daat and emuna, and a true connection to Torah and Judaism. May we all be united around Judaism and belief in G-d. 

 

Ribbono shel Olam, cause all your nation, the House of Israel, to repent fully; allow them to taste the wonderful taste of Torah and Judaism. Give all Jews complete emuna, to believe in You and trust only in You completely and to speak to You and perform an hour of hitbodedut every day, and take account of their actions every day, and may they be able to thank Hashem yitbarach wholeheartedly for the good and for the bad.  

 

And so, You will be able to send us Mashiach Tziddkeinu soon, and he will build our Beit Mikdash (Temple) and may the glory of Your kingship be revealed to us and to the entire world, and all human beings will know You and believe in You, and may Your purpose in creating the world be fulfilled. 

This is the prayer. 

And it is, as mentioned, just a drop in the ocean; we have a more detailed page with points of prayer. And may Hashem give us the strength to walk in the ways of Moshe Rabbeinu and to pray for the Jewish People day and night, devotedly, and may the words of Rabbeinu Hakadosh in Sefer Hamiddot be fulfilled: “Whoever prays for Yisrael devotedly – everyone loves him,” and also, “Whoever empathizes with the troubles of Yisrael and prays for them will achieve humility.”⁴ And may Hashem accept our prayers willingly and always protect us and may He redeem us permanently, speedily in our days, Amen. 

Editor’s Note: 

¹ Yeshayahu 62:7 

² I Samuel 12:23 

³ Sefer Hamiddot – Hamtakat Din (Sweetening of Judgment):16 

⁴ Sefer Hamiddot – Ahava (Love):5