1. Prayer in Times of War

”

“During the war, you call a number and they give thename of a soldier to pray for… asoldier who’sfighting inthe army…

1. Bamidbar - 10:9על הצר הצרר אתכם והרעתם בחצוצרות

ונזכרתם לפני ה' אלקיכם ונושעתם מאויביכם

When an enemy attacks you, sound short blasts on trumpets, so that you will be remembered before Hashem

your G-d and saved from yourenemies.

Ramban - Sefer Hamitzvos 5והיא מצוה על צרה שתבא על הצבור

לזעוק לפניו בתפלה This is the mitzvah: when any

distress befalls the community, cryout before [Hashem] with prayer.

2. Bamidbar Rabbah - 22:3שני אלפים מכל שבט ושבט שלח...

ושנים עשר אלף לתפלה Two thousand from each tribe were sent... twelve thousand were to pray.

3. Bereishis - 48:22ואני נתתי לך שכם אחד על אחיך אשר

לקחתי מיד האמרי בחרבי ובקשתי And I have given you an extra portion

over your brothers that I took from the hand of the Emori with my sword

and bow.Gemara Bava Basra - 123aחרבי זו תפלה קשתי זו בקשה

My sword is prayer, my arrow is supplication.

4. Gemara Brachos - 54a אבן שישב עליה משה בשעה שעשה יהושע מלחמה בעמלק ... צריך שיתן הודאה ושבח

לפני המקום When you see the stone that Moshe sat on when Yehoshua led the war with Amalek, you must give thanks

and praise before Hashem.

If you pray to

pass a test,

did you fulfill a

mitzvah?

Prayer in Time of War

Moshe Ben Nachman, known as the Ramban (1194–1270) was a Spanish rabbi and scholar and one of the leading authors of talmudic liter-ature in the Middle Ages. In addition to that he was also a philosopher, kabbalist, poet, and physi-cian. He was born in Gerona, Catalonia. His Span-ish name was Bonastrug da Porta!

He exercised extensive influence over Jewish public life in Catalonia; even King James I (1213–1276) consulted him. In 1263 King James coerced him into a public disputation in Barcelona with Pab-lo Christiani. The disputation was a victory for Ramban, the king even presenting him with 300 dinars. He summarized his views in a book, called Sefer ha-Vikkuach. In April 1265 he was called to trial for his supposed abuses against Christi-anity. Ramban barely succeeded in escaping from Spain and during the same year emigrated to E”Y. About 50 of his works have been preserved.

Summary

There is an obligation to pray in a time of war and in any time of need. The Medrash taught us that the people who pray are as needed as the infantry. The Gemara tells us that in fact, the prayers are the real weapons that bring victory. They are our sword and our bow. This concept is so true, that when we make a bracha to acknowl-edge the miracle of the victory, we do it in the place that the prayers were said, not where the swords were swung! That is re-ally where the battle was fought.

Summary

The Gemara teaches us that Amen has 2 meanings. It is both an a�rmation of what was said, and a prayer that it comes true. We should try and have both of these thoughts in mind whenever we say Amen. Tosfos tells us that another thing you should have in mind when saying Amen, is “Kel Melech Ne’eman” Hashem is the faithful king. The Maharal explains that this is a praise of Hashem. He is faithful in paying the reward of those who serve him. The Gemara also tells us that the one who says Amen is greater than the person who made the bracha! This is because the Amen does 2 things, it a�rms that which was said, and it is a prayer. The bracha on the other hand was only the a�rmation, not the prayer!

Rav Shlomo Elyashiv (1841-1926) was the grandfather of Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the world famous gadol hador who passed away in 2012. He was also well known in his own right and was considered one of the greatest Mekub-alim of his time. He is said to have merited to be taught by Eliyahu Hanavi.

Summary:

There is an obligation to pray in a time of war

and in any time of need. The Medrash teaches us

that the people who pray are as needed as the

infantry. The Gemara tells us that, in fact, the

prayers are the real weapons that bring victory.

They are our swords and our bows. The proof of

this is that when we make a bracha to acknowl-

edge the miracle of the victory over Amalek, we

do it in the place that the prayers

were said, not where the swords were swung!

That is really where the battle was fought

and won.

Biography:

Rav Moshe Ben Nachman, (1194–1270) known as the Ramban, was born in Gerona, Catalonia. He was the Gadol Hador in Spain at the time, and most of the future generations of Rishonim in Spain were greatly influenced by him. He was also a philosopher, mekubal, poet, and physician. His Spanish name was Bonastrug da Porta!

He was a very influential figure in Catalonia; even King James I consulted him. In 1263 King James forced him into a public disputation to defend Judaism against a Jewish apostate. The disputation was a victory for the Ramban, which led to him being persecuted, and he barely succeeded in escaping from Spain. During the same year he emigrated to Israel.

In Israel he established a synagogue which is known until today as the Ramban Synagogue. It was also in Israel that he wrote what his perhaps his most famous sefer, his commentary on the Torah.

Prayer in Times of War

2. Praying for Others

When you realize that someone prayed for you to come back, it makes the heart verywarm

1. Gemara Brachos - 12b כל שאפשר לו לבקש רחמים על חבירו ואינו

מבקש - נקרא חוטאAnyone who can ask for mercy for his friend and does not is called a sinner.

2. Maharasha – Brachos 10a אבל לבקש רחמים על חברו להחזירו בתשובה

קשה מה יועיל בקשתוHow does it help to ask for mercy

regarding a friend he hopes will do teshuva?

3. Rashi - Bereishis 21:17 מכאן שיפה תפילת החולה מתפילת אחרים

עליו, והיא קודמת להתקבלFrom here you learn that a sick person’s

prayers for himself are more effective than those of others that pray for him and are

also answered first.

Maharasha - Eiruvin 29b ואין בקשתו על עצמו מועלת כבקשת אחרים

עליוA request for yourself is not as effective as

one made by others for you.

4. Chasam Sofer - Drashos וכל ישראל נפש אחד נמצא גם חליו של זה כואב לזה והוה כאילו פיו של אדם מתפלל

שירפא לו מכאב אצבעוSince all Jews are one soul, one person’s

sickness pains the other. It is like the mouth praying to heal a finger that hurts!

5. Magen Avraham – Orach Chaim 46 קודם תפלת שחרית יקבל עליו מצות עשה של

ואהבת לרעך כמוךBefore shacharis, accept upon yourself the mitzvah of loving your fellow Jew as you

love yourself.

Is praying for others just as important as offering them to help them out in a rough

time?

Rabbi Samuel Eliezer Halevi Edeles, known as the Maharsha, was born in Posen about the middle of the sixteenth century. His mother-in-law Edel was famed for her virtues and charitableness. In appreciation of his mother-in-law›s efforts, the Maharsha added the name Eidels to his own name, and from then on calledhimself Shmuel Eliezer Eidels. He is well known for au- thoring one of the most used works on the Aggados ofthe Gemmara.

Rabbi Moshe Sofer (1762 -1893) known as the Chasam Sofer after his famous series of responsa,was born in Frankfort, Germany. He was a child prod- igy and was already an advanced Talmudic scholar at the age of seven. At the age of twelve, Rabbi Sofer was already a student of Rabbi Noson Adler, one of thegreatest sages of that period. In Pressburg he es- tablished a yeshiva, which was attended by as many as 500 pupils. Hundreds of these pupils became the rabbisof Hungarian Jewry.

Praying for OthersSummary

Praying for others is not just an option- al good deed, it is a real obligation just like anything you can do to help out. You can pray for others, even though it is not so simple, since we are all one entity and it isreally like you are praying for yourself.

This is something unique to Jews, as seen from the fact that Yishmael and Hagardidn’t have this power. This idea, the con- nection between each and every Jew, is also the basis for the Mitzvah of Loving your fellow Jew. That is why every morning we try to accept to love our friend’s, and thenpray for them!

Summary

The Gemara teaches us that Amen has 2 meanings. It is both an a�rmation of what was said, and a prayer that it comes true. We should try and have both of these thoughts in mind whenever we say Amen. Tosfos tells us that another thing you should have in mind when saying Amen, is “Kel Melech Ne’eman” Hashem is the faithful king. The Maharal explains that this is a praise of Hashem. He is faithful in paying the reward of those who serve him. The Gemara also tells us that the one who says Amen is greater than the person who made the bracha! This is because the Amen does 2 things, it a�rms that which was said, and it is a prayer. The bracha on the other hand was only the a�rmation, not the prayer!

Rav Shlomo Elyashiv (1841-1926) was the grandfather of Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the world famous gadol hador who passed away in 2012. He was also well known in his own right and was considered one of the greatest Mekub-alim of his time. He is said to have merited to be taught by Eliyahu Hanavi.

Summary:

Praying for others is not just an optional good

deed; it is a real obligation just like anything you

should do to help out. You can pray for others,

even though it is not so simple, since we are all

one entity and it is really like you are praying for

yourself.

This is something unique to Jews, as seen from

the fact that Yishmael and Hagar didn’t have

this power. This idea, the connection between

each and every Jew, is also the basis for the

mitzvah of loving your fellow Jew. That is

why every morning we should try to accept

upon ourselves to love our friends, and then

pray for them!

Biographies:

Rabbi Samuel Eliezer Halevi Edeles, known as the Maharsha, was born in Posen about the middle of the sixteenth century. His mother-in-law Edel was famed for her virtues and charitableness. In appreciation of his mother-in-law’s efforts, the Maharsha added the name Eidels to his own name, and from then on called himself Shmuel Eliezer Eidels. He is well known for authoring one of the most used works on the Aggados of the Gemmara.

Rabbi Moshe Sofer (1762 - 1839) known as the Chasam Sofer after his famous series of responsa, was born in Frankfurt, Germany. He was a child prodigy and was already an advanced Talmudic scholar at the age of seven. At the age of twelve, Rabbi Sofer was already a student of Rabbi Noson Adler, one of the greatest sages of that period. In Pressburg he established a yeshiva, which was attended by over five hundred pupils. Hundreds of these pupils became the rabbis of Hungarian Jewry.

Praying for Others

Pay attention to the details in your life and you will see so many miracles everywhere, from each breath that you take and the mar-velous creations that surround you, to the

events in your everyday life.

Keep a journal of even your smallesthashgacha pratis stories. It will increaseyour awareness of Hashem and improve

your davening.

Include in your prayers the name of anyone who needs some extra help, even a complete

stranger! The results can be surprising!!

PAY ATTENTION KEEP A JOURNAL ADOPT A NAME

Three Steps to Greatness

1) When is a person obligated to pray?

2) Which of the avos prayed in times of war?

3) Who is more important: a soldier or a person who is davening?

4) Is a prayer more powerful when it is made for yourself or when it is said for someone else?

5) Before we daven, to which mitzva do we try to commit? Why?

Challenge Yourself!