In many old machzorim, some tefillos (called techinos) are written in Yiddish. These were written for women, who in the past often couldn’t read lashon hakodesh. However, in the past, there were many am haratzim among the men, as well, who couldn't read lashon hakodosh. Yet no one composed techinos for those men. Why is that? It is because of the importance of the tefillos of women. Their tefillos are very powerful because they daven with tears, and tears break through all barriers.
Reb Elyah Lopian zt'l said he received a kabbalah that on the yomim nora’im, the women who stay home to take care of their children, they have a personal channel that elevates their tefillos before Hashem’s throne. The few moments that they find to daven, and the few words they manage to say, go up before Hashem's throne, just like the day-long tefillos of the community in beis medresh.
A young girl came to a jewelry store and liked a particular necklace on display. "Is that a real necklace?" she asked the merchant.
"It is real gold," the merchant confirmed.
"Can I see it?"
The merchant knew the young girl couldn't afford to buy the necklace. Nevertheless, he didn’t mind doing her a favor and gave her the necklace to hold. Her eyes lit up. "How much does it cost?"
"A lot of money. Too much for a young girl like yourself,” the merchant replied.
"I want to buy it," she said, "and I have money." She opened her purse and took out seven dollars and eighty cents.
Startled by her determination, the merchant asked, "Why do you want the necklace so much?"
She replied, "Our mother died last year, and my older sister takes care of us. Today is her birthday, and I know she would be happy to get this necklace. I want to buy it for her."
"But it costs a lot more than $7.80. I'm sorry. There is nothing in the store for that amount of money."
Hearing that, the girl began to cry.
The merchant's heart broke for this girl and her family. "You can have the necklace," the merchant said, accepting the seven dollars and eighty cents as payment.
Later that day, the shocked older sister came to the store. "Did my younger sister buy this necklace in your store today?"
"Yes."
"How much did it cost?"
The merchant explained, "My merchandise doesn’t have set prices. I quote a price and the customer counters. We negotiate until we settle on a price. Your sister negotiated well and convinced me to sell it for less."
We tell this story to demonstrate the power of tears. Tears touch the heart. When there are tears, you want to say yes. Keviyachol, something similar occurs when we cry before Hashem. Our tears open all gates, and our tefillos are answered.
