Dovid HaMelech says (Tehillim 27), אבקש אותה 'ה מאת שאלתי אחת, "I ask one thing from Hashem." The Chasam Sofer zt'l explains that Dovid HaMelech didn’t want to ask for more than one thing because the Gemara (Taanis 8:) states that one shouldn't pray for two things at once. The Gemara's source is the pasuk (Ezra 8:23) לנו ויעתר זאת על מאלקינו ונבקשה ונצומה, 'We fasted, and we asked Hashem for this..."
The question is, when we review our tefillos, we see that we ask for many things at once. A prime example is Shemonah Esrei. We ask for intelligence, teshuvah, redemption, parnassah, refuah, and more. But the answer is that all requests are essentially one: We are praying for ruchniyos. For that, however, we need parnassah, health, and more.
The tzaddikim of Karlin zy'a advised their chassidim to read Parashas Haman every day of Aseres Yemei Teshuvah because this is the time of year that Hashem allocates our parnassah for the entire upcoming year. Therefore, it is an ideal time to daven for parnassah.
This can be compared to going to a great, mighty king and asking him for help changing a lightbulb or for a ride to the store. Some things aren’t fitting to ask from a king. Similarly, it doesn't seem correct to ask Hashem for gashmiyos.
Therefore, asking for gashmiyos doesn't contradict the Zohar since we don’t ask for gashmiyos for its own sake. We don't daven to become wealthy to make our neighbors jealous or to take luxurious vacations. Such tefillos aren't appropriate on Rosh Hashanah. But when we daven for gashmiyos to have the peace of mind to serve Hashem, it is certainly permitted and even admirable to daven that way.
Reb Meir of Premishlan zt'l once said, "If you take apart and look at the essence of all the tefillos of Bnei Yisrael, you will see that all of it is about money. But if you consider the essence of their money, it is all about mitzvos." Klal Yisrael uses their money to pay for chedarim and girls' schools, to marry off their children, to pay for Shabbos and Yom Tov seudos, etc. In this sense, asking for gashmiyos is like asking for ruchniyos.
Reb Pinchas of Koritz zy'a also encouraged his chassidim to daven for their material needs on Rosh Hashanah. He said, "Those who don’t ask don’t get."
Reb Asher of Stolin zy'a says, "The Zohar discourages shouting 'hav hav — Give more! Give more!' This is when one has enough, and he only wants more. But for one who doesn’t have enough, there is nothing wrong with asking for it.
We say in the Rosh Hashanah Shemoneh Esrei, מבלעדיך ה-אלו ואין שמך ונורא אתה קדוש. Reb Moshe of Kobrin zt'l explains that here we are saying that Hashem is קדוש, extremely holy, ונורא, and awesome, and it doesn't seem right for us to ask Hashem for parnassah and other worldly matters. However, we say, מבלעדיך ה-אלו אין, "There is no other G-d other than You." We are telling Hashem, "Perhaps it seems disrespectful to ask You for our worldly needs, but to whom else can we turn to help us? Only You can provide for our needs. Therefore, it is proper that we request them from You."
Tehillim
Saying Tehillim is wonderful every day of the year. The Emek HaMelech zt’l writes the following story: A simple person lived in a village near Leport. He only knew Tanach. He was niftar at an old age. Thirty days after his passing, he came in a dream to the chacham of the city, holding an old, worn Tehillim under his arm. The chacham asked, "Aren’t you the person we buried recently?” “Yes, it is I.” “What’s that sefer under your arm?” “It’s a Tehillim. I came to warn you and the townspeople to escape immediately. When I was alive, I recited the entire Tehillim every day."
The Shlah's version of this story is that he would finish Tehillim once a week.
People asked the Brisker Rav why he doesn't learn Torah on Rosh Hashanah, instead of saying Tehillim. He replied that when one learns, he sometimes has to look up something. During that time when he is looking for a sefer, he isn't learning, and he isn't davening. Therefore, he prefers to say Tehillim, because this keeps him occupied the entire time.
There is a segulah to complete the entire Tehillim twice on the first night of Rosh Hashanah. One year, on the night of Rosh Hashanah, the magid, Reb Ben Tzion Yadler zt’l, gathered a group of older bachurim, and together they said the entire Tehillim twice. All of them got engaged shortly after that. There’s an askan in Eretz Yisrael who had two sons and a daughter in shidduchim, and nothing was progressing. The phones were quiet. They did this segulah, and the three children were engaged within the year. Another person had the privilege of marrying off all his children, but three of his married couples were childless. The father did this segulah. He said Tehillim twice on Rosh Hashanah night. That year, all three were blessed with children. If it is hard to perform this segulah, the family can divide up the Tehillim between themselves, so they say the entire Tehillim twice collectively.
