Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei 5780
QUESTION:
How are we supposed to say refaeinu when we are not ill?
ANSWER:
OH! That's the best time to do it!
Hakadosh Baruch Hu says: Hypocrite! Now when you need me you come to me? It's when you're well and you ask for good health, that Hakadosh Baruch Hu appreciates it. Same is a wealthy man, he is asking for parnosso – a rich man he has plenty of money, please Hashem help me make a living! Ahh, Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, you're My man! When a poor man comes and asks, Hakadsosh Baruch Hu says, what's the chiddush? Certainly you need my help, because you ask me now doesn't mean much, however Hashem has pity on the poor man too.
That's why Dovid Hamelech was so beloved in the eyes of Hashem. He was powerful, he was a victor, he was a king, he was wealthy, he was tall and strong and handsome – and he always prayed to Hashem as if he was nobody. Ana Hashem he said, ki ani avdecho, I am your servant, please help me Hashem! And that's why Hashem loved Dovid. So if you're a successful man and you are praying to Hakadosh Baruch Hu for help, your prayers are worth so much more.
The Gemora says in Mesechtah Shabbos, when a man prays before he is ill, he could get off easily. If a man waits till he's ill and he prays, it's not so easy; and he gives a moshol. Suppose a man walks out into the street and he sees a policeman coming towards him, so he takes out a fiver and he says, not me officer, you're not looking for me. Five dollars can help. What happens if the officer however is writing a summons already? You can't get away with five dollars, it's hard to tear up a summons; for twenty five he'll do it. However if he already handed it into the precinct, it's on the books already, and you need to go to the lieutenant, twenty five dollars won't work, you'll need a bigger sum. Suppose you're already standing in front of the judge, now you can't slip the judge fifty dollars. One of the clerks has to bring a letter to the judge, and he says, here are some documents pertaining to this case, and in those documents is a $500 check. The judge says according to these documents new evidence has been revealed, that cast new light on the subject.
So the Gemora says, before you're ill, you can get by with smaller things, prayer will help. After you're ill, you need maasim tovim, and you need big lawyers, after you're ill. That's why it always pays to pray when you are well. Of course you should always try to pray, but the best time to pray is when you don't need it, when you're not in trouble. That's why every day you should pray.
By the way, don't wait for Shmonei Esrei. It's a good idea every day, in the middle of the day – if you came only to hear this your time wasn't wasted. Every day in middle of the day take out a half minute, it's a worthwhile investment, and ask Hakadosh Baruch Hu, please Hashem keep me well, and keep my wife and children well.
I'm not charging you for that, it's worth a lot of money, you'll be surprised at the results. Every day, ask Hakadosh Baruch Hu, please Hashem, keep me well, and keep my family well. It's a Gemora, l'olam yevakeish adam rachamim shelo yechele, a man should always ask for mercy, not to become ill.
Good Shabbos To All
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures.
To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
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Important Numbers
