Shabbat Parashat Chayei Sarah 5784

Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook: Support for Jerusalem Old-Age Home – #175 – part II

Date and Place: 5 Kislev 5669 (1908), Yafo 

Recipient: Rav Naftali Amsterdam, one of the great disciples of the Mussar Movement’s founder, Rav Yisrael Salanter. Rav Amsterdam moved to Jerusalem at an older age. 

Body: [Last time we saw the beginning of Rav Kook’s letter of support for Rav Amsterdam’s home for the most impoverished elderly people in Jerusalem.]

When these people will be taken care of, they will be able to spend the rest of their lives in the study of Torah and in prayer for the “remnant of the scattered sheep” among the many nations (the oppressed Jewish Diaspora). They will be able to arouse great divine mercy with the prayers of the upstanding, on behalf of every bitter person and everyone who is in a difficult situation. The prayer of poor people who are of humble spirit, like these residents, is so great and lofty. It is uniquely capable of breaking through and reaching the Heavens, and go before He who hears screams, especially when it is the plea of a downtrodden person.

This is in line with what it says in the Zohar (Balak 195a): “What is more important than anything else? The prayer of a poor person. This prayer goes before the prayer of Moshe, and before the prayer of David, and comes before all the rest of the prayers in the world. What is the reason? Because the poor person breaks his heart, and the pasuk says:’ Hashem is close to those who have broken hearts …’ The deprived regularly makes a struggle with Hashem, and Hashem listens and hears. Once he prays, his prayers open a window in the Heaven, and all the other prayers that go up are pushed aside by the prayers of the deprived person with the broken heart, as the pasuk says ‘The prayer of poor when he covers.’ It should have said, ‘when he is covered.’ What does it mean, ‘When he covers’? It means that he creates a covering of all of the prayers in the world, and they do not go up until his prayer goes up, as the Holy One Blessed Be He says: ‘All the prayers shall be covered, and his prayer shall come before Me.’” One should look into the source carefully.

We see from this that all wise-hearted people who are true G-d-fearers, who love charity and kindness, should realize how great and lofty this holy institution is. After all, it brings together homeless destitute people, people of pure hearts, who are afflicted and despondent, and they can take part in prayer in the city in which Hashem’s presence is most felt. How much good consequence and salvation this can bring for those who support them from all their travails! What a flow of blessing and grace is set out before those who support the recipients of the institution’s help from the prayers of such impoverished people in such a holy background!

In His name, He who is close to the cries of the poor and has mercy on the cast-off and the oppressed, I put my confidence, that you and all who are with you will succeed on the path you began. The prayers of the elderly and deprived should be accepted, and the dear institution should have a prominent stature among the important institutions, which use their great glory to glorify the lofty city of our sanctity and grandeur. May the act of charity be complete. 

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