Q&A: Prayer
Prayer
Question
Does prayer have the power to change nature?
Rebecca was barren: “And Isaac prayed opposite his wife, because she was barren,” and “the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebecca his wife conceived.”
Seemingly, without the prayer she would not have merited children.
I’m asking because, for example, now there is Rabbi Shalom Cohen, and on Kikar HaShabbat and other sites and rabbis are asking people to recite Psalms for his recovery. Does the public recitation of Psalms by Jews have the power to make God decide that he should be healed?
Answer
It is commonly accepted that yes, it does. I suspect not. At least not in these generations. In any case, there is no good indication that it helps. If you’ll allow me a nasty remark (which he definitely deserves), it doesn’t seem to me that this would be much of a gain for us.
Discussion on Answer
Here are a few of the things the “sage” Shalom Cohen said, which of course were “taken out of context”:
https://hiddush.org.il/%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%9E%D7%A8-4182-0-%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%91_%D7%A9%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%9D_%D7%9B%D7%94%D7%9F_%D7%9E%D7%99_%D7%A9%D7%91%D7%97%D7%A8_%D7%91%D7%91%D7%99%D7%AA_%D7%94%D7%99%D7%94%D7%95%D7%93%D7%99_%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%9A_%D7%9C%D7%92%D7%99%D7%94%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%9D.aspx
He passed away. May his memory be for the life of the World to Come. Of course, the things he said were inappropriate. But a greater gain than not praying for someone who cursed is simply to hope that he would apologize and speak words of peace and truth. I assume you have never publicly expressed yourself this way about a secular, atheistic, educated, cultured person who spoke similarly against Haredim. It seems to me actually the opposite, in your columns about the coronavirus and the Haredim. I’m no better and I’m not trying to create symmetry; what can I do—“a person is partial to himself,” and for those close to me I wish repentance, not lack of healing. But I admit not everything is rational. Health and refinement of character traits to all of us!!
Sorry for the question, but how do people know he’s a great rabbi? What books did he write, what did he innovate, what did he say—who knows? Being the head of a yeshiva for young men is fine, but there are thousands of kollel scholars who would fit. How does everyone know he is especially great and not just another older kollel scholar? Or do people actually not know that he’s great, and they just pretend to appreciate him so as not to offend the Haredi Sephardim among whom he is considered important—and maybe they also don’t know why? Or maybe they do know? Tell me. Thanks.
Why, what did Rabbi Cohen do ??????????????