How Can I Merit to Get My Tefilos Answered
Question: Rabbi Mandel. An important man in the community gave a shiur before Kol Nidre. He said: “May we merit to be the answer to someone’s Refua.” You have a well-known history of being the answer to many Refua’s. I’m wondering, in your view, what does it take to merit to be an answer? What does this all mean to you? Thank you
Answer: You want to become like me? Is that what you're trying to say? There are different ways; I don’t know if I'm the only answer. The reason why I do well in a lot of things is because I have tremendous faith in my own Tefilos. I keep records of my answered Tefilos; especially difficult ones. Everyone you and I know has had a lot of Nissim in their lives with their own Tefilos, and they deserve it, either because they had Bitachon, or they davened. If they would record them, and they would work on it, they would really believe in it.
First of all, it has NOTHING to do with being a Tzadik or not a Tzadik. It can be, but it doesn’t have to be. I don’t work with that. I TRY to be a Tzadik; but that doesn’t affect my power of helping people. My Bitachon has nothing at all to do with that! In fact, when I'm at a low (and I've been at a low in my Yiddishkeit; sometimes I'm not so great) I've had the biggest miracles. Being at a low means nothing to me (but you better try to behave, because Hashem will not appreciate your misbehaving. But that has nothing to do with your power of helping others and bringing about Nissim). Keep calling yourself a miracle-worker. Even little kids can become, here and there. If you had a little Tefila that once helped, even if it happened once in your life, talk about it forever and call yourself a big-shot. Things are going to happen more in that direction.
Most of us are only recording our doubts about ourselves, i.e., why things don’t work, etc. It’s easy to be a depressed, negative person. We all do that automatically. But if you want to gain and become a greater person, then become a positive person and start respecting your Tefilos. They should work! Normally, why shouldn’t they work?
A boy in my class, a little 9-year-old kid decided not to take antibiotics, even though he was sick. It wasn’t under my supervision, but it WAS under the way I talk a lot. He did it, and his parents were proud of him. Two day later, he had a Refua Shleima. This was something that needed medical attention, and he said “No! I'm a Baal Bitachon!” and it worked!
There are many stories. Anybody can do this. If you learn a lot of Mussar on Bitachon, and you're involved in Emuna and being close to Hashem as a priority in your life (including not being afraid of people and their opinions. That’s helpful, because people pull you away from Hashem a little bit. They distract you, since you are always worried about their opinion; it’s not so great). But it doesn’t matter. For this, as long as you always write down the good things He does for you. Make long lists, and review them, for the rest of your life; make a book out of it. Get involved in all the good, positive things. All the times you thought things were no-good, and suddenly they turned around. Have them all on record! When you get involved like that, you are going to become a big-gun, and you are going to have powers. Ask Hashem “Please, I would like to be such a person”. Just say it! Ask Him! He understands! And He likes your request! It’s a very nice thing to want to be able to do. Always insist that you are good at it, even when things don’t look like that. Better a positive lie than a negative truth. You say that, and you'll have much more power than otherwise; that much I can guarantee you. Hashem should help you and give you lots of Hatzlacha. I don’t mind competition.