THE POWER OF PRAYER

Two stories to illustrate the power of prayer:

The Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, the Shefa Chaim, retold a story his father, the rav of Rudnick, had once told:

There was an old Jewess who lived in Cracow. One day a “crazy idea” formed in her head. She decided that when she would leave this world, she wanted to be buried in only one place--the old beis hachaim (cemetery) of Cracow. This is where tzaddikim such as the Rema, the Bach, the Megaleh Amukos, and others were all interred.

She summoned the chevra kadisha, rewrote her will and informed them of her decision. There was only one problem: for almost a century, no one – not a single person--had been buried in the old beis hachaim. Cracow had a new Jewish cemetery and that’s where all the levayas (burials) took place. The old beis hachaim was officially closed to new burials. Nothing, however, could dissuade her from her plan. She stubbornly refused to change her mind and clung to her desire to be buried in that alte (old) beis hachaim.

She began a campaign to get her way. First, she davened ceaselessly. She pleaded during the three tefillos each a day that her wish be fulfilled. She recited her request before giving tzedakah and said all of sefer Tehillim over and over, each time asking to be buried in the old beis hachaim. She even enlisted the help of the little cheder boys! She waited by the cheder with treats for the chubby-cheeked angels and soon they all knew the strange grandmother who gave them daily sweets in exchange for the outlandish request that they bless her to be buried in the old beis hachaim. Soon enough, they sang gaily in chorus as they passed her, “A gut morgen mime, di zolst bagruben veren in alten beis hachaim – Good morning, Auntie, may you be buried in the old cemetery!” Even at the weddings of her grandchildren, she asked the chassan and kallah to bless her with this unusual beracha.

Finally, one day, she passed on. During her levaya, a snowstorm began that was so strong that it prevented the chevra kadisha from burying her anywhere. . .except in the old beis hachaim! And so, she got her dying wish. Remarked the Shefa Chaim, “I knew the power of prayer was great! But I never realized it was so strong that even for such a seemingly crazy idea it could work!”

Rav Gedalya Moshe of Zhvill once told of a town that he was well acquainted with. This town had only one doctor and one pharmacist and they constantly took advantage of their medical monopoly to raise their fees month after month. Finally, the residents had had enough. They called a meeting together and decided to unanimously give up going to the doctor for diagnoses and give up going to the pharmacist for prescriptions. “We shall rely on Hashem alone; whoever has someone sick in his home shall cry out to Hashem and ask Him to send a refuah (cure), as we say, ‘Hashem is the Healer of all flesh and does wonders!’”

The Zhviller Rebbe told how at the end of the year they met once more and discovered that not one resident had died! In fact, said Rav Gedalya Moshe, the only two who had died were the doctor and the pharmacist. This is the power of true, sincere prayer from the depths of the heart!