What good are those prayers for the dying?

By Rabbi Baruch Lederman

Rabbi Baruch Lederman
Rabbi Baruch Lederman

SAN DIEGO — When praying on behalf of someone who is seriously ill and they unfortunately pass on, there is a tendency to grow despondent and to be overcome by a feeling that one’s prayers are for naught. The Steipler Gaon once enumerated some areas in which such tefillos achieve significant accomplishment:

a) The tefillos (prayers) may very well have diminished the patient’s suffering to some degree.

b) The tefillos may have extended the patient’s life by a few months, weeks, days or even a few hours. Even a moment of life, said the Steipler, is of inestimable value and is more precious than gems.

c) Even if the prayers effected no change at all in the patient’s condition, they still are a source of merit for him/her, since all those who prayed aroused Heavenly compassion through their prayers, which were uttered because of him/her. These merits will stand by  him/her in the World to Come and may also protect his/her offspring in the future.

d) These prayers can bring salvation to other individuals and to the community as a whole. At the End of Days, when all will be  revealed, we will learn how each tefillah (prayer) uttered by each individual brought about great  goodness and salvation (Toldos Yaakov, p. 118-119). [The above reprinted from, “More Shabbos Stories,” by Rabbi Shimon Finkelman]

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Rabbi Lederman is spiritual leader of Congregation Kehillas Torah in San Diego.  He may be contacted at baruch.lederman@sdjewishworld.com