Profiles in Judaism

If you go to shul on shabbos in Israel you will likely find a variety of publications. They get printed on topics ranging from political to parsha to kabbala to cultural to youth to you name it. For a good description see MOI's post on the subject.

There is one publication that gets around to most of the country and that is the one called Sichot Ha'Shavua (talk of the week) put out by one of the various Chabad organizations. I do not read this one for the most part. It does have one section I enjoy and read when I get a hold of it. That would be the section of Jewish Life. It profiles a person who is very active in his community or somebody who has a very interesting story. I find this profile very interesting.

I just got hold of this week's edition and the profile subject is very inspiring, so I will retell it here.

It is Monday night. One in the morning. a six month old baby is rushed to surgery at the Shneider Medical Center in Petah Tikva. After the doors to the surgery room shut, the phone rings at the National Tehillim Telephone Headquarters rings. The father of the baby, who had gotrne hond of the card with the phone number on it (in the hospital) requested, "Can someone please say tehillim for us? Our baby is going into surgery for a complicated situation.."

The father explains,"The baby's situation deteriorated suddenly and they quickly decided the baby had to go right into surgery." I could not even consult with anybody, it was so fast. I called the Tehillim hotline. The person who answered the phone asked for the names of the child and the mother. While still on the line I heard him dial on another line. He first called a group of people who were in Meron at the grave of the Rashbi. Then he called someone by the Kotel. then he called someone who was in Hebron at the Me'arat Ha'Machpela.It was very emotional to know that prayers can be said so quickly from these sites in such a critical situation."

"that was not all. A few minutes later someone calls me from the hotline and asks where I am and where the surgery is taking place and who is the doctor. I gave him all thedetails, while trying to figure out what that has to do with a tehillim hotline. A few minutes later a senior nurse comes in and approaches us presenting herself. She got us information and apprised us of the situation and progress. A senior doctor came to explain what is happening. This nurse was an angel."

"We asked who sent her to us. We were shocked when her response was she is one of the volunteers for the Tehillim hotline and they had called her about us. In the morning, when she could no longer stay with us, a different nurse came and replaced her. For 14 hours straight for the duration of the surgery we had a nurse by our side helping in whatever way she could. And when in between thigns, she sat and said tehillim.


The Tehillim hotline is founded and run by Rav Mordechai Mendel, a 32 year old avreich. He says, "the goal was to do kindness for no gain and via tehillim to do kindness for all types of people."

They run a computerized system 24 hours a day and whoever requests to say tehillim for any need, can call and be recommended what to say, and for whatever need for other people to say tehillim for. We also organize large prayer sessions where we daven for those who need assistance."

Anybody who calls requesting tehillim be said for him or his family is answered. "I sometimes ask for a few details of the sick person and the person calling. I get a database of chessed. I am an agent between people who need help and professionals who volunteer their assistance to the needy. We also have consulting for medical issues and we can offer direction. There are people who can be found at all hours at the graves of tzaddikim or other holy places and I call them and ask them to daven for different names."

It concludes by supplying the number for th tehillim hotline, if you want info or to volunteer. Maybe to request tehillim be said is at the same number... the number is 1-700-700-721 ext. 9

Kol Ha'Kavod.