Many people have the custom to say the perek (Tehillim 91) עֶלְיוֹן בְּסֵתֶר ֵׁביֹש after lighting Chanukah lecht. The Birchas Avraham zt'l of Slonim, who had this custom, explained to his chassidim the words וְאֶע ֱנֵהוּ יִקְרָא ֵנִי, from this chapter "He will call upon Me, and I will answer him." He said: Why does it occur that people daven, and Hashem doesn't answer them? It is because it wasn't יִקְרָאֵנִי, which means they didn't call Hashem. They davened, they even had kavanah, but it wasn't called יִקְרָאֵנִי, a call to Hashem.
The Birchas Avraham explained this with a mashal:
There was a person who went to a doctor because of a pain in his eye. After checking him, the doctor told him that he needed an urgent operation, which must be done within a month, otherwise, he would go blind r”l. The doctor said, "The problem is that there are only two doctors in the world who know how to do this operation that will save your eyes. One lives in London and the other lives in New York. If you can get an appointment with either one of them within a month, you can save your eyesight."
He got on the next flight and flew to London. But the doctor told him that the next appointment available is in three months. He pleaded with the doctor to help him, explaining the dire importance of the operation. But do you think he pleaded with all his heart? No, he wasn't pleading with all his heart because he knew that if this doctor didn’t help him, there was a doctor in New York who might help him. Afterwards, he flew to New York. The ophthalmologist in New York also told him that the next available appointment is in three months, and he doesn't have a time slot available for him now. However, this time, he pleaded with all his heart because he knew that this doctor was his only hope.
This is how we should pray to Hashem, with the understanding that no one can help, other than Hashem alone. When one prays to Hashem with such emunah, his tefillos will be answered. As it states, וְאֶע ֱנֵהוּ יִקְרָא ֵנִי, "He will call upon Me [with a sincere tefillah, with all his heart], and I will answer him."
Reb Don Segal Shlita tells a story that occurred to one of the gedolim from the city of Tunis. The gadol was walking with two of his students when suddenly a mighty Arab thief approached them. The Arab didn't let them pass, saying that he would kill the Rav. The students spoke to the Arab, hoping to convince him otherwise. The Arab callously responded, "If you don't stop bothering me, I will kill both of you, together with the Rav."
The Rav understood that the Arab's threat was real, so he advised his students to leave immediately. They should not be around, since it was a matter of pikuach nefesh. With a broken heart and with tears, they left their Rav. They stood at a distance to see what would happen.
The Arab murderer said to the Rav, "What is your last wish?" He said he wanted a cup of water. The Arab gave him a cup of water. The Rav then said the brachah over the water with immense hislahavus. Just then, even before the Rav had a chance to drink from the water, a sheikh arrived. This sheikh was very well respected among the Arabs, and they all had to listen to what he said. He was also a known anti-Semite. Surprisingly, this time the sheikh said to the Arab, "You can do whatever you want to all Jews, but do not harm this Rav. You must allow him to live."
The Arab obeyed the sheikh and untied the Rav's ropes. Then he quickly ran to capture the two students who were standing from afar. If he couldn't kill the Rav, he would satisfy his desire for murder with the students. But since the students were several yards away, they managed to escape.
The next time the students met with their Rav, they asked him why he requested a cup of water. The Rav replied, "Do you think I wanted water? I didn't want the water. I wanted to say the brachah בדברו נהיה שהכל, 'that everything was created by Hashem's word.' I received a kabbalah that when one says the brachah שהכל with kavanah, it rips up all harsh decrees. No creation can harm him or rule over him when one believes with certainty that מלבדו עוד אין, there is only Hashem, בדברו נהיה שהכל, and everything happens according to His decree.
This lesson is also written in the Nefesh HaChaim: "The truth is, that it is a great concept and a wonderful segulah to remove and to annul all dinim from oneself, and no one will be able to harm him. This is when one places in his heart that Hashem is true, מלבדו עוד ואין, there is no one but Hashem."
