According to the Midrash, after the incident at the waters of Merivah (Sh’mos 17: 1-7), Hashem made a vow restricting Moshe Rabbeinu from entering Eretz Yisrael. From the moment Moshe learned about the decree, he never stopped davening that it be overturned. Not only did he do this daily, but whenever a new eis ratzon presented itself (such as following the conquest of Sichon and Og), he used the opportunity to pray once more.
Moshe’s prayers were so powerful and effective that Hashem had to actually step in and stop his supplications (D’varim 3:26). Chazal tell us that had Moshe davened one more t’filah, he would have been successful in getting his request. He would have been able to “force” Hashem’s Hand, so to speak, to annul the negative decree. Since Moshe’s arrival in Eretz Yisrael would have ushered in Mashiach, and the world wasn’t ready for that yet, Hashem had to intervene.
This teaches us a very powerful idea about t’filah. By including this episode in the Torah, Hashem is telling us that through t’filah we have the ability to change our mazal and even abolish a negative decree that will personally affect us.
What this means for us, in a practical sense, is that we should use every opportunity presented to us to daven for siyata diShmaya in the areas of our lives where we are struggling the most. This includes formal davening from a siddur and when we are saying T’hilim. It means beseeching Hashem at a bris milah, at the chupah of a wedding, at a l’vayah, at a kever, during the yahrzeit if a tzadik, while completing any mitzvah, such as taking challah, giving tz’dakah, or honoring our parents. It also means making spontaneous t’filos in our own words to Hashem as we go about our day.
(Material was previously published on ShiratMiriam.com.)
List of People Who Need a r’fuah sh’leimah (a complete recovery)
Please recite Psalms 20, 30, 88, 121, and 130.
Yossi Azriel ben Chayah Michal
Aviel ben Ktziyah Batyah
Eliyahu ben Sophia
Mordechai ben Rachel Anba
Nissim ben Devorah
Ezra ben Farida
Yossi ben Vardit
Yaakov ben Mazal
Nissan ben Yael
Yehoshua ben Miriam
Eliyahu ben Miriam
Aharon Mordechai ben Sharon
Moshe ben Rachel
Gavriel ben Imo-Shalom
Marik ben Tamara
Yitzchak ben Chanom Chanah
Yosef ben Leah
Shlomo ben Miriam
Shalom Baruch ben Malkah Freida
Ilay Eliezer ben Rivah Rivkah
Misha Moshe ben Tamara
Meir Yaakov ben Esther
Shlomo Hartzel ben Eka
Chaim Zanvil ben Sarah Dinah
Reuven HaKohen ben Golda
Amram ben Perla
Arkady Avraham ben Mazal
Itai ben Ahuvah
Eliyahu ben Rachel
Tovah Yocheved bas Esther Bukas
Ruchamah Perel Malkah Leah bas Chanah Serel
Esther Hadasah bas Devorah
Alizah bas Miriam
Shoshanah Shurah bas Zina
Luna bas Rachel
Malkah bas Miriam
Malkah bas Reicha Shifrah
Adele bas Adi
Evon bas Sally
Karen bas Rachel
Chavah bas Sarah
Brachah Chanah bas Sarah
Tovah Chanah bas Sarah Devorah
Rachel bas Edith
Chanah Elianah bas Naomi
Gittel bas Malkah
Mira Gitta bas Beila Mariasha
To add names of individuals who need a r’fuah sh’leimah to next week’s T’hilim column, please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and complete the Google form.
