Q:
Is it good to weep when one prays or says Tehillim if he’s praying for a refuah shleimah for a loved one?
A:
The truth is it’s good to weep anytime that you’re saying Tehillim. It’s good to weep when you’re standing shmoneh esrei. It’s a lost art. Jews used to weep a good deal when they prayed.
But they didn’t weep only from sadness; they wept from gladness too. They wept from happiness. It’s a remarkable fact. In the olden days, I remember there were Jews who wept in shmoneh esrei on the weekdays. And they enjoyed it.
These were tears of love of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. And they expressed their love in such a heartfelt manner that they were so moved that their tears flowed copiously.
But certainly if a person is praying for a loved one, he should shed tears because Hakodosh Boruch Hu listens to prayers accompanied by tears. Why? Because it’s more heartfelt. It’s not a dry request like somebody writes on a slip of paper and he hands it in at the window. No. It’s something that comes from the heart and it enters into Hakodosh Boruch Hu’s own heart.
TAPE # 492 (January 1984)
