The Klausenberger Rebbe zt'l heard the following story from his father, Reb Tzvi of Rudnik zt'l:
There are two cemeteries in Krakow. Many ancient scholars are buried in the older cemetery, such as the Bach, the Megaleh Amukos, and the Rema. A local woman wanted to be buried in the older cemetery, but it was almost impossible to fulfill her wish. For hundreds of years, no one was buried in the old cemetery. Even the Rabbanim of Krakow were buried in the new cemetery. But this woman didn't give up. Three times a day, during shacharis, minchah, and maariv, she came to the beis knesses and davened that Hashem have compassion on her and that she be buried in the old cemetery. She was so obsessed with this desire that all the children in Krakow knew to greet her, "Good morning, aunt. May you be buried in the old cemetery," as she had trained them to say.
At the weddings of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, she would ask the chasan and kallah to bless her that she be buried in the old cemetery.
It seemed insane and peculiar to everyone why this was so important to her. Furthermore, it was almost impossible to be buried in the old cemetery. But she was persistent and stubborn with her desire.
On the day she left the world, there was a heavy snowstorm, and the ground was covered with high piles of snow. The chevrah kadisha couldn't carry her to the new cemetery, so they buried her in the old cemetery.
Reb Tzvi of Rudnik commented about this story, "This taught me that even when one davens for something insane, Hashem will listen to his tefillos and answer them. So great is the power of tefillah!"
The Gemara (Brachos 21.) says, אדם שיתפלל ולואי כולו היום כל, "Halevay a person would daven all day long!" How does one do that? Doesn't he have many other things to do?
Rebbe Bunim of Peshischa zy'a says that this means to daven for everything that one is doing. One must recognize that he can't do anything without Hashem's help; therefore, he should daven for success before each deed he tries to do. It will then be considered like he davened all day long.
When he goes to work, he davens for success. Before performing chesed, he davens that his deed should have the proper impact on the recipient, and so on. When one prays for all the trivial and significant things he does, he will be davening all day long.
This can be alluded to in the words (Tehillim 102:2), שיחו ישפוך 'ה ולפני יעטוף כי לעני תפילה, "A prayer for a poor man when he enwraps himself and pours out his speech before Hashem." With everything he does, he encircles it with a tefillah for Hashem. He knows he can't do anything without Hashem's aid, so he wraps all his deeds with tefillah.
The Divrei Chaim zt'l uses this pasuk to discuss a higher madreigah. He explains that even when one speaks to his fellow man, he can intend a prayer to Hashem in his words. He wraps all his conversations in a prayer. That level might be beyond us, but we can daven before everything we do, with the recognition that we need Hashem’s help for success, and then it will be like we are davening all day long.
The Chofetz Chaim zt'l (Likutei Amorim 10) teaches, "In addition to Shemonah Esrei, which one says three times a day, one should daven from the depths of his heart when he is alone in his house. The daily Shemonah Esreis is said by rote, and people don't think about what they say. But when a person is alone and thinks about his life and struggles, he will pour his heart out like water before Hashem and daven with kavanah. It will be a tefillah from the depths of his broken, humble heart, and such tefillos never go unanswered."
The rebbetzin said, "Don't ask how I passed that night because the night didn't pass! I cried and prayed the entire night, knowing what awaited me in the morning. I saw in my imagination hungry dogs eating me alive, ripping me to pieces. When it was daybreak, I prayed to Hashem, נא הושיעא 'ה אנא! ''Save me, Hashem. Please, Hashem, I am a young girl. I place my life in Your hands; please save me."
The rasha sent her out into the courtyard. She walked calmly; she didn't rush. She wasn't afraid. She focused on מלבדו עוד אין; there is no one in the world other than Hashem. Hashem was with her, and the dogs didn't touch her. They didn't even bark. The man, who was a high-ranking Nazi officer, witnessed the miracle and had no choice but to keep his promise. He protected her until the end of the war.
This story teaches us that even wild animals can't cause harm, if Hashem didn't decree it. This isn't solely with regards to dogs. It also applies to human-dogs, dogs who appear like humans. No one can harm you unless Hashem commands so.
(Mishlei 16:7) אתו ישלים אויביו גם איש דרכי 'ה וברצות, "When Hashem accepts a person's ways, He will cause even his enemies to make peace with him." As in this story, the cruel nazi saved this girl and protected her throughout the war.
She was saved because of her emunah and because of her tefillos. Tefillah can turn everything around and save a person's life.
Tefillah can also be used in our war against the yetzer hara. Each person has his "dogs," his share of tests and yetzer haras, which desire to swallow him alive. A person should daven (Tehillim 22:21) מיד נפשי מחרב הצילה יחידתי כלב, "Save my soul from the sword... from the grip of the dog." We are always at war with the yetzer hara, who wants to tear us apart.
(Tehillim 37:32) להמיתו ומבקש לצדיק רשע צופה, "The rasha watches for the tzaddik and seeks to put him to death." But just as this young girl was saved from wild dogs with her emunah and tefillos, certainly whoever davens will be saved from the hands of the yetzer hara – including the snare of technology which rips and tears the neshamah of a Yid. Hashem will hear his tefillos and save him from the yetzer hara, and he will be saved and live well.
In a beis medresh in Chaifa, a Yid was contemplating what to do. He had a debt due that day, but he had no cash. He could take money out of an ATM machine, but it was in the middle of the summer, and going to the bank posed challenges with shemiras einayim. He preferred to avoid being outdoors when possible. He decided to daven for siyata dishmaya. Hashem has ways of sending him money without needing to go outdoors.
So, after Minchah, he said a tefillah in his own words, asking Hashem to send him the money he needs, without him having to leave the beis medresh. He expressed in his tefillah that his intentions were leshem shamayim, to safeguard his kedushah.
After saying this tefillah, he went into a side room, put his hat on the table, and put down his head for five minutes. When he woke up, precisely the amount of money he needed to pay his debt was lying there. Somehow, the money was lying in his hat. The person to whom he owed the money was also in the beis medresh at this time, so he could pay back the debt immediately.
Wanting to know how the money got there, he checked the shul's camera system and saw a stranger — someone he had never seen before — enter the beis medresh, place the money inside his hat, and leave. Apparently, he wanted to give matan b'seser, tzedakah in a concealed manner.
His tefillos were answered!
By akeidas Yitzchak (Bereishis 22:7) it states, בני הנני ויאמר אבי ויאמר אביו אברהם אל יצחק ויאמר, "Yitzchak spoke to Avraham, his father, and he said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Divrei Yisrael zt'l says that this conversation set a precedent for all times. Whenever a Yid shouts out to Hashem, אבי, "Father!" Hashem replies, בני הנני, "I am here to help you!"
