Q:
What’s the purpose of saying Tehillim for somebody in the time of need? I see that even yeshiva people spend time saying Tehillim.
A:
Yeshiva people, you know, say Tehillim. It’s a remarkable thing, how much the yeshivos pray for people.
And the purpose is twofold. One is to demonstrate that we have complete trust in Hakodosh Boruch Hu that He is the only one who is in charge of our fate. By addressing ourselves to Him in time of our need or somebody else’s need, it creates such a great merit that Hakodosh Boruch Hu says, “In the merit of emunah and bitachon, I’m going to grant your request and show you – I’ll demonstrate that your trust is justified.”
There’s another thing. When we repeat the שירי דוד עבדך, the beautiful, inspired songs of Dovid, you just cannot help but be changed by that; because you are walking in his footsteps, in the footsteps of his thoughts, some of these thoughts will take hold of your mind and transform you in the course of time. And that’s a very great benefit.
That’s why we are always busy repeating the words of Tehillim in our prayers. אשרי, the lyric of Dovid, is one of the greatest poems ever written in the history of mankind and inspired by a ruach from above. And the Mesillas Yesharim says that repeating those words, walking in the footsteps of Dovid, encourages us in the ways of love of Hashem and true chassidus.
And in the merit of these two things – number one demonstrating that Hashem is our trust, and number two by studying the ideas and the attitudes of Dovid our great teacher, Hakodosh Boruch Hu listens to our prayers and rewards us.
TAPE # 443 (January 1983)
