At the Threshold of Perfect Prayer
R’ David Cohen told me that his father, R’ Chananya, had only boys. He prayed to Hashem that in the merit of the Torah and the merit of Rabbi Chaim Pinto, he should be granted a daughter. His prayers were well-received. After nine months, his wife gave birth to a baby girl. But their joy […]
Renewed Faith
After receiving a number of people in Ashdod, I turned to go home. Suddenly, a number of men approached me and tearfully begged me to bless a young woman standing off to the side. She had been diagnosed with cancer, rachmana litzlan, and the doctors predicted she had three months to live at the most. […]
A Gem of a Lesson
I once arrived at Los Angeles a day after that city suffered a devastating earthquake. A man told me that there was a woman who had been badly hurt in the earthquake. She was lying in the hospital. Would I care to do the mitzvah of bikur cholim and visit her? I agreed to his […]
A Silent Prayer
After the hilula of the tzaddik, Rabbi Chaim Pinto, zy”a, Mr. Shmuel Myara approached me. He was an admirer of my father and asked for my blessing. I blessed him in the merit of my holy forefathers and instructed him to become stronger in Torah study and mitzvah observance. He was very moved by my […]
A Concentrated Effort
An avrech once approached me in a state of disappointment. “Honored Rav, when I was young andidealistic, I would become emotional in my prayers. I was able to concentrate completely on what I was saying and really feel connected to the Ribbono shel Olam. But nowadays, not only do I not feel an ounce of […]
Documenting Heartfelt Prayer
I once stayed at a certain hotel. Before leaving, as I was packing up my things, I noticed that I had lost an important document. I looked for it everywhere, but it evaded me. Since there was no natural way I would find it, I lifted my eyes heavenward and asked Hashem to retrieve it […]
Wrapped in Prayer
I was scheduled to fly to the States in order to raise funds for our institutions approximately two weeks before my daughter was due to give birth. On the Shabbat before my flight, during one of the seudot, I turned to my family and said, “May the merit of the Torah allow Sarah to give […]
Haste Makes Waste
I once noticed a man come extremely late to the tefillah. After rushing through his prayers, he turned to leave as quickly as he had come. I hurried over to him, stopping him in his tracks. I roundly rebuked him for his sham of a prayer. “Is this what you call tefillah?” I asked rhetorically. […]
Thoughts on Prayer
A man once lamented that whenever he stood up to pray Shemoneh Esrei, his heart would be filled with foreign thoughts, which prevented him from having proper concentration. I advised him to learn the halachot regarding this prayer and be punctilious in them. Studying these halachot would instill in him an appreciation for the greatness […]
The Sands of Time
A cousin of my wife was diagnosed with cancer. He was at an advanced stage, and according to the laws of nature, the doctors did not give him more than a month to live. When he heard this, he wept copiously and lamented his bitter fate. When we met, he asked that I pray for […]
Raising the Bar
In 1984, we wanted to purchase a certain building to house our institution in Lyon. But the cost of the structure was the astronomical sum of 700,000 francs, which we could ill afford. I was in my thirties then, and this sum was light-years away from anything I could imagine. I had no idea how […]
The Key to Freedom
I was once acquainted with a number of Jews who were incarcerated. After numerous prayers on their behalf, and with great Heavenly kindness, they were finally set free. To this day, these people mistakenly believe it was pure luck which liberated them. They have no idea that it was the merit of the prayers offered […]
