Who will go up to the mountain of G-d, and who will stand in His holy place? (T’hilim 24:3)
The Magid of Kozhnitz explains that the two parts to this verse refer to two distinct stages in spiritual development. Firstly, one has to get up on the mountain to be with G-d. This in itself is hard enough; but to remain with Hashem and maintain one’s level of development on a long-term basis is even harder. Man is a creature of change! Physically, we grow older, and our bodies replenish their cells. We also change emotionally and spiritually – our moods differ from day to day, our level of concentration changes, etc. We are, by nature, changing on a daily basis. This means that it is difficult to remain spiritually constant over a long period of time.
In Parshas VaYeishev, we learn that Yosef not only reached the mountain of G-d, but was also able to remain in His holy place. In Yosef’s first dream, he and his brothers were in a field. They were binding grain into sheaves. Yosef’s sheaf arose and stood. The brothers’ sheaves surrounded Yosef’s sheaf and bowed to it. Rabbi Zvi Belovski explains that in this dream Yosef saw himself in comparison with his brothers. “His sheaf stood upright and also remained erect.” He was to be the quintessential tzadik, the expert at reaching and remaining with Hashem.
David HaMelech teaches us that, in order to maintain our relationship with Hashem, we first have to develop a basic awareness of the presence of G-d in our lives. As it says in T’hilim, “I have set G-d before me always” (16:8). By doing so, we “invite” Him into our lives and are able to begin developing and maintaining a relationship with Him.
List of People
Who Need a R’fuah Sh’leimah
(Please recite Psalms
20, 30, 88, 121, and 130.)
Avraham ben Avital
Daniel Mashiach ben Tamar
Avraham Chaim ben Sarah
Daniel ben Avraham
Itai Yaakov ben Tziporah
Efrat bas Oshra
Yafah bas Monavar
Chaim Avraham ben Shifrah Zisel
Esther Hadassah bas Devorah
Yehudah Yudel ben Miriam Gittel
Zehavah Golda bas Shoshanah
Yonasan ben Sofia
Ruth bas Miryam
Elisheva bas Miriam
David Chayim ben Leah
Elka bas Yehudis
Shomer ben Hadassah
Aliza Chasidah
bas Rachel Shoshanah
Reuven ben Shoshanah
Elimelech Avraham ben Sarah Sheva
Benyamin ben Sarah
David Rafael ben Miriam
David ben Simchah
Chayim Anshel ben Rivkah
Daniel Mashiach ben Tamar
Sam ben Basyah
Tinok ben Natalie
Tinokes bas Fruma
Tinok ben Itta Tziviah
Rivkah Esther bas Naomi
Avishai ben Tali
Rabbi Alon Yehudah
ben Chanah Miriam
Shoshanah Sofie bas Sarah
Y’honasan ben Maya Esther
Sarah bas Rachel
Chayah bas Pari
To add names of individuals who need a r’fuah sh’leimah to next week’s Communal T’hilim List, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and complete the Google form.