Takes Place
Every Shabbos Day
No Matter Where You Are!
We want to create a complete unity with Jews all around the world in saying these holy words, with the hope and prayer, that through the recital of the words of psalms, composed by King David, that our prayers will be heard.
We will be saying Tehillim for anybody in distress or need of anything. This may include you / family / friends. Categories of needs may include Refuah (Healing), Shidduch (Marriage Partner), Parnassah (Wealth, job etc.), Hatzlacha (Success) - including success in Torah study, Yiras Shamayim (Fear of Heaven), etc.
If you would like to add names to the list of people to daven (pray) for, please send through the Hebrew names together with the name of the mother and what the request is for (as above.)
Names can be sent to: Please CAPITALIZE all first letters of names, and prepare your list in an easily readable format. As there may be hundreds of names, it makes it that much easier to compile into one complete list formatted neatly.
SAMPLE: "Avraham ben Ploni Almoni - Refuah"
All names will be read out before the Tehillim are recited. In this way everyone will have in mind to pray for all those on the list.
This way everybody realizes the importance of everybody else, rather than simply submitting a list of one hundred people (or more!) and relying upon someone else to pray for you. Unfortunately those saying the Tehillim may not be Rebbes, and as this is a free project, we rely upon everyone wishing to submit names to take part in the project as much as we do.
This is a project which includes all of us! The list of names will be sent to everybody participating. Every Jew is important, and it is absolutely necessary that every person saying Tehillim read off the names on the entire list.
For more information about the Tehillim group and for articles and Torah for women go directly to the women's section at:
http://leivesther.blogspot.com
___________________________________________________________________STAY POSTED FOR THE NEXT BROCHA PARTY!
BROCHA / AMEN PARTY - WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?!
Since we are praying for so many people in need, we also want to do something additional to strengthen the power of the holy words of Psalms. To make them even more concrete by doing something physical, by bringing down the spiritual goodness into something in the physical world.
We are therefore following the group recital of Tehillim with a Brocha party - a blessing party. A variety of foods is available allowing all to make all the blessings available, including a blessing on grape juice, cake, a fruit, a vegetable, as well as crisps or chocolate.
Those women attending the Brocha party in person are all invited to take part in the selection of foods that will be available.
The catch? You will need to recite your blessing aloud for all the other women to answer to. In this way, there will be many "AMEN's" being said over each Brocha. Since each women will make 5 Brocha's, already there will be 5 additional angels created in the merit of all those in need of prayer. The more women that join us, the more AMEN's will be said, thus creating HUNDREDS of angels to act in the defense of all those people on our lists.
FOR BOTH THESE MOST HOLY, SPIRITUAL AND HEALING SESSIONS!
Once there was a cloth merchant who lived in Medzhibuz, the hometown of the holy Baal Shem Tov. The merchant wanted to sell his wares in the city of Whitefield, but was afraid to go because a band of robbers was known to attack travelers on the road to that city. His wife told him: "The Baal Shem Tov travels that road. Why don't you give his driver Alexei some money with a bottle of whiskey and he'll tell you which day the Baal Shem Tov will make his next trip. You can travel along with him and you will not have to fear." Although the merchant wasn't a follower of the Baal Shem Tov, he took his wife's advice.
And so it happened. The next time the Baal Shem Tov planned a trip to Whitefield, Alexei told the merchant on which day they would leave. The merchant loaded his wagon and left at the same time as the Baal Shem Tov. When the two wagons arrived at the forest where the robbers were supposed to hide, the Baal Shem Tov ordered Alexei to stop and allow the horses to graze. The merchant became very frightened. The Baal Shem Tov positioned the wagons opposite each other and sat down between them. He opened the Book of the Zohar, the primary text of Kabbala study, and started to read with intense concentration.
Suddenly the robbers appeared, but when they got close to the wagons, they were seized with trembling and quickly fled. When they stopped running, the robbers said to each other: "What's wrong with us? Let's go and rob them." But when they approached the wagons again, the robbers were again seized by trembling and ran away. Later, when the Baal Shem Tov and the merchant continued on their journey, the robbers were afraid to go after them. "This is not a simple matter," they remarked.
When the merchant saw what happened, he hugged and kissed the Baal Shem Tov and said: "Now Rabbi, I know your greatness.
The Baal Shem Tov replied: "Well you might think that you know, but you still do not know."
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Over a 100 years later, in 1856, Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (known as the Tzemach Tzedek) sent his son (and eventual successor) Rabbi Shmuel to St. Petersburg on matters of communal concern.
The night before Rabbi Shmuel left, his father said to him: "In 1843, when I was summoned to the rabbinical conference in St. Petersburg, I went to pray at my mother's grave in Liozna. She told me that due to her self-sacrifice for her father and for Chassidism [see Story #154 -y.t.] she was granted entry to the heavenly palace of the Baal Shem Tov. She asked the Baal Shem Tov to pray for me, and to provide something to help me withstand the enemies of Chassidism.
"The Baal Shem Tov answered her: 'Your son knows by heart the books Chumash ("Five Books of Moses"), Tehillim (Psalms), and Tanya (a primary Chasidic text). We learn from the Torah that the sons of the Patriarch Jacob were not harmed by the Canaanites, because "the dread (chitas in Hebrew) of G-d was upon the cities around them" (Gen. 35:5). The three consonants of the word chitas are the first letters of the Hebrew names of the three books: Chumash, Tehillim, Tanya. One who is thoroughly acquainted with every letter in them is granted the spiritual strength to shatter any obstacles that could prevent the revelation of holiness.'
"Therefore," the Rebbe instructed his son Rabbi Shmuel, "wherever you may be, whether in government buildings or with government ministers, recite a chapter each from Chumash, Tehillim, and Tanya."
Many years later, when Rabbi Shmuel recounted this experience to his son (and eventual successor), Rabbi Shalom Ber, he added: "It was a wonderful prescription. With the first three chapters of the Chumash, three psalms from the Book of Tehillim, and three chapters of Tanya, all the plans of our opponents collapsed, and Torah-true Judaism triumphed."
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So now, we follow the Baal Shem Tov's heavenly advice and study Chitas -- a section of Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya -- every day. Shavuot is an especially propitious time to renew or initiate this practice. The Torah (Chumash) was given on Shavuot; King David (composer of Tehillim/Psalms) and the Baal Shem Tov (whose teachings are in Tanya) passed away on Shavuot.
[Edited by Yrachmiel Tilles from the adaption of his friend Howard M. Cohn (cohn@baalshemtov.com) appearing on www.baalshemtov.com, based on Shivchei Ha-Besht, Story No. 123.]
Biographical note:
Rabbi Yisrael, the Baal Shem Tov ["master of the good Name"], a unique and seminal figure in Jewish history, revealed the Chassidic movement and his own identity as an exceptionally holy person, on his 36th birthday, 18 Elul 1734. He passed away on the festival of Shavuot in 1760. He wrote no books, although many claim to contain his teachings. One available in English is the excellent annotated translation of Tzava'at Harivash, published by Kehos. For an ongoing online translation of Sefer Baal Shem Tov, go to the above-mentioned www.baalshemtov.com.
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