Prayers to G-d Only an E-mail Away

http://www.russiatoday.com/Top_News/2009-05-01/Prayers_to_God_only_an_email_away.html

A Powerful Letter

Dear Shira,

May G-d Almighty bless you with health & prosperity.

Due to the fact that you were involved in my prayer requests from the beginning, I am writing you this email.

As you know I have been a regular at the 40 days segulah service you offer, since the end of January 2008. I have requested the 40 days segulah service on numerous occasions since then. I am a Sales Manager working at a very large company, and noticing the deteriorating financial situation since the end of 2007, I decided to request my first segulah 40 days prayer at the Holy Kotel. My situation went from bad to worse after my first segulah. I requested a second segulah and a third, and in this period I experienced disaster after disaster. In my sales and in my personal financial situation things could not be worse. I remember that I was so confused that on a certain occasion I even wrote you to ask you if there was a way for me to be cleansed of curse (Taharat Klalot). You asked you rabbi and informed me that this was not applicable to non Jews. My situation was that bad.

It was the month of Elul, I decided to accept G-d's will for my life and decided not to complain anymore and hope that somehow G-d would intervene on my behalf. It was then that due to a mistake in a price offer that I had been circulating that a legal complaint was put up against me and my company by a very large supplier of raw material to my company. I was in the middle of a segulah to be ended on Yom Kippur when I asked you for another 40 days segulah to help with this legal case.

Just after Yom Kippur everything in my life started to take a dramatic turn. My sales went up spectacularly. I could not even believe it myself. I started to close deals for millions of dollars during the worst economic calamity and depression to hit the international markets. On the 40th day of the segulah for the legal case, when I visited the virtual Kotel service on Aish website (I made a habit to visit virtual Kotel service on Aish every day to spiritually accompany my prayer agent in Jerusalem) the visitor count number added up to number 40!!!!! On this same day at my work I was informed by my company that our supplier was dropping all charges against me and my company. I was so surprised that I decided to pray and ask G-d to please open the way for me to go to Jerusalem personally and read Psalm number 21 to thank Him for His kindness. 

2 weeks ago I received an unexpected telephone call from an Israeli friend of mine who invited me to come and visit him for the 50th birthday of his wife. Not only this but he informed me he was paying my flight, he wanted to surprise his family by having me visit them on this special occasion. I will be visiting Israel from December 26 to December 30th, during which time I will come to Jerusalem to visit the Kotel and read Psalm number 21. The faithfulness of G-d and His compassion are so great, he has not left any prayer unanswered.

The story does not end here. Last Monday I received an unexpected fax from our CEO at our head office congratulating me for having been elected "Sales Leader of the Year" by our corporate strategic centre. This is the highest award in our company. I was dumbfounded and surprised as to why they chose me, my company has 32,000 employees worldwide. I will be given the award + 10,000 USD check bonus next Tuesday (by the will and help of G-d) 3 days before I come to Israel. I think I won't be able to read Psalm 21 without tears in my eyes.

I am not informing you of this, in anyway to boast, but only as a testimony to His promise: "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Joshua 1:6)

I would like to thank you and your 40 days segulah service. I had my personal miracles connecting to G-d through the Holy Kotel. This year my life changed. This year I experienced the verses in Psalm 20:1-2

"May the L-rd answer you when you are in distress;

          may the name of the G-d of Jacob protect you.

May he send you help from the Temple

          and grant you support from Zion"

George (name changed upon request)

          If you haven't already done so, we wanted to let you know that this is your last chance to sign up for the special 40 day period beginning this Monday, March 9 (the Fast of Esther) and ending Friday, April 17 (the day after Passover). Click here.

          And, be sure to use Purim to its potential by praying for everything that you need. On Purim, a Jew is not supposed to withhold giving from anyone who stretches out their hand (while the rest of the year, it is appropriate to examine their legitimacy). The late great Rabbi Shimshon Pincas zt"l says that so too, on Purim, Hashem will not turn away our heart-felt and sincere tefilot. For this reason, we will spend extra time and effort saying psalms at the Kotel for you on Purim.  

With blessings that all of your tefilot are soon accepted.

Nechama

Miracle Baby by Jennifer Goodman

I heard that sometimes, to really get prayers answered, a good thing to do is pray at the Western Wall for 40 days. Sadly, since I wasn't going to be in Jerusalem for 40 days to accomplish this, I went to Batya Burd, founder of Western Wall Prayers, who would arrange for an agent to say the prayer for me at the Wall while I said it back in New York. Nothing complicated: I wanted my cousins, David and Deborah, to have a healthy baby.

"This is an awfully nice thing you're doing," Batya Burd said.

"It's important," I said. "They've been trying for 8 years to have a baby. And it's been failure after failure after failure." And I do mean failure. Miscarriage after miscarriage after miscarriage. Hormone treatments that caused more harm than good. Adoption attempts that went nowhere. Medical treatments that produced nothing.

"I think we're cursed," my cousin Deborah had told me. "Nothing works."

Well, it was Passover, an auspicious time to pray at the Wall. I couldn't be in Jerusalem for 40 days to do it, so I figured this was the next best thing. Besides, conventional prayers didn't seem to be working, so it was time to take things to the next level.

I paid the money, the agent prayed, I prayed, Deborah and David prayed, a lot of other people I didn't even know were praying, we all prayed and... nothing. No baby. What was going on? Doesn't G-d hear all prayers? Why was the answer "no"?

"Thank you for the prayers," Deborah said. "I think that will be the only thing that will help us now."

Passover again. Another auspicious time to pray at the Wall. I was debating whether to do it again. After all, there wasn't a baby. It didn't seem like this next level prayer thing was working, and I was ready to give up. Then I remembered a story Batya Burd had told me when I have her the money in Jerusalem. She had said that she had prayed at the Wall to find a better apartment. She did it for 40 days and came up with no apartment. She decided after a period of time to do it again. "After the second cycle, we were finally able to move," she said. "What I didn't realize is that G-d was putting things into place during that first cycle that I didn't know about."

Well, since I certainly didn't understand the ways of G-d, and I figured it couldn't hurt, I decided to send money and do the prayers again. Maybe having someone pray at the Wall would be the extra effort that we needed to make a baby. If it took Batya Burd more than once maybe here was the same thing. So I sent the money and I prayed, the agent, prayed, David and Deborah prayed, people I didn't even know prayed, we all prayed... and still nothing. No news of any baby whatsoever. 

Then, Rosh Hashanah came around. Now here was a really auspicious time to pray at the Wall. And not one to let an auspicious time pass me by, I sent thte money again to pray at the Wall while I prayed in New York. Nothing complicated, same prayer as before, that David and Deborah should have a healthy baby.

After Rosh Hashanah, Deborah took me aside and told me, "I didn't want to say anything but we're having a baby. It's passed the six month cycle so if anything happens, the baby can live outside the womb. I haven't really told anybody yet because it's been so many failures, and I don't want to get anyone's hopes up. But right after Passover we did the in vitro again. I don't know what convinced us to do it again, especially since it failed the first time, but it worked and it looks like we're having a baby."

I knew what convinced them to try again. The first Passover the prayers were laying the ground work. Second Passover the prayers were putting things into motion, hence, the in vitro method. And now, at Rosh Hashanah, the prayers were sealing everything.

David and Deborah's baby was born on January 19, 2009. He weighed 7 lbs., 7 oz, and was healthy in every way. His name is Yehuda Elkana. He is a miracle. Many, many prayers went into his creation. May he grow up to follow the ways of G-d and give his parents much joy. I am so glad we didn't give up.

A true inspiration for those struggling.

Children

I was married for almost five years and was still hoping and waiting to fall pregnant. After signing up for the prayers, I am happy to say that I am now expecting.

See this story on www.WesternWallPrayers.org

Recovery from Illness

Almost a year ago, our daughter, then 8 1/2, became very, very sick. It took almost three months to receive a diagnosis of severe Crohn's disease. Our sweet child was hospitalized for a week, started on many medications, and began a very strict diet. We got in touch with you and were delighted to hear that Daryl, a former yeshiva mate of my husband, would be davening for her at the Kotel.

I am so pleased to report that our daughter now looks and feels normal. She takes only two medications per day. She is still on her strict diet, but she is doing great. We feel strongly that the davening at the Kotel was integral to her recovery.

See this story on www.WesternWallPrayer.com

Successful prayers for marriage

I had been dating for marriage for 5 years and I wasn't getting anywhere. Then, I asked you to daven 40 days at the Kotel for me, because I heard that this Segula works. That period of time I was dating someone very seriously and I asked for a blessing for this shidduch, but you told me that I should only make a general prayer, and not specifically for this guy. Well, this shidduch didn't work out! Instead I met another man with incredible middot (character) and we got married 7 months ago! It has been incredible. Thank you for everything!