Three Times a Day

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear

The Gemara in Masechet Berachot teaches that whoever recites Tehilla L'David (Ashreh) three times a day, praising Hashem, is a ben Olam Haba . Yet the same Gemara states that one who recites Hallel daily is considered a blasphemer. We know Hallel is one of the greatest praises, so how can this be understood? The Meshech Chochmah in Parashat Bechukotai explains that Hallel is generally reserved for thanking Hashem for open miracles performed for our nation, such as the makkot or Kriyat Yam Suf . Reciting Hallel daily, even without such miracles, suggests that the person only values Hashem's interventions that defy nature, overlooking the countless hidden miracles Hashem performs every day. By contrast, Tehilla L'David praises Hashem for His everyday hashgacha peratit over each individual and every creature. As the pasuk says, ואתה נותן להם את אכלם בעיתו —"Hashem gives everyone its needs at the time that it needs." We must recognize how Hashem takes care of us every moment of every day. Each person gets what he needs in a unique way. When we look back and see how Hashem gave a person just what he needed when he needed it, in a hidden yet exposed way, it gives us extra chizuk to recognize that Hashem is always behind the scenes taking care of us. A woman shared a story about how she had hired a rabbi to learn with her 11th-grade son every night. When a recent payment to the rabbi was overdue, he sent a friendly text reminder. The woman planned to write a check the next day but completely forgot. That night, as she boarded a plane, she remembered. She asked the rabbi for his Zelle information and told her husband, Reuven, to send him $1,600 via Zelle. A few days later, the rabbi mentioned he hadn't received the payment. Surprised, the woman sent him a screenshot of the confirmation. Upon closer inspection, the rabbi noticed that Reuven had mistakenly entered the wrong middle initial in the email address. Reuven immediately sent the payment to the rabbi again, and then emailed the person who had accidentally received the $1,600. The next morning, Reuven received a reply that began, "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to perform the mitzva of hashavat aveda and return the lost money" The recipient explained that when the money arrived, he didn't recognize the sender or the purpose of the transfer. He even contacted a friend with the same last name as the sender. The friend said he did know someone with that name, but didn't think he would be sending him this money, so he didn't bother to call him. In fact, that person actually was Reuven who did send the money. The man also mentioned that it was amazing hashgacha peratit that he received this exact amount at that exact time. He was making a bar mitzvah for his son but lacked the $1,600 balance needed to pay for the tefillin he was about to pick up. His wife had asked him what they would do, and he replied, "Hashem sends the money when it's needed." Just half an hour before he was to pick up the tefillin , the $1,600 came through. The man concluded his email by asking for a few extra days to repay the money, as he had already used it. Reuven, moved by the story, responded that it would be his greatest zechut to participate in the mitzva of buying tefillin . He told the man he did not need to repay the money at all. Overjoyed, the man thanked Reuven. The next day, Reuven shared the story with a friend, who also wanted to help. Reuven asked the man how much more money he needed for the bar mitzva , and the man replied, "$900." The friend immediately sent him the remaining amount. Hashem made this woman forget to pay the Rabbi twice by check and then caused her husband to put the wrong letter in the email amongst dozens of other things that had to take place for this man to get that money at that time. Hashem helps everyone. We should look for His hand in our everyday lives and thank and praise Him at least three times a day.