[Avodah] Tehillim for a choleh

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, Jun 19, 2011 at 08:21:40PM -0500, Chanoch (Ken) Bloom wrote:
: > This reeks of cultic behaviour, especially as many are chanting words that
: > they have no clue to their meaning. This is especially true in women's
: > tehillim groups but not exclusively.

: It's a mishna in Sanhedrin 10:1 (perek Chelek), and it refers specifically
: to the verse quoted [... hamachalah asher samti veMitzrayim lo asim
: alekha, ki *Ani* Hashem rofe'ekha], in which the one who says it seemingly
: equates himself with god.

We discussed this last year
http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/getindex.cgi?section=I#IS%20IT%20PERMITTED%20TO%20SAY%20TEHILIM%20FOR%20A%20SICK%20PERSON
http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/getindex.cgi?section=I#IS%20IT%20PERMITTED%20TO%20SAY%20TEHILIM%20FOR%20A%20SICK
http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/getindex.cgi?section=T#TEHILLIM%20FOR%20THE%20SICK

or:
<http://bit.ly/jhOIom>
<http://bit.ly/mxHp6h> and
<http://bit.ly/ijDoyF>, respectively.


I think it goes to the heart of our discussions about the rules of segulos.

If Tehillim is seen as optional tefillah on behalf of a choleh or someone
or a community be'eis tzarah, I don't see how one can object.

If one sees it as a way to use metaphysical causality to force a particular
outcome, it rubs me the wrong way -- seems too similar to lechishah.


Lechishah is problematic even with other pesuqim. Rambam Hil' AZ 11:12.
Of course, you would expect the Rambam to be at the far end of this
kind of thing -- he bans the text on the back of most of our mezuzos
too. But it's also the SA YD 179 ("Shelo laKhashof, leOnein uleNacheish"),
se'if 8, where he doesn't specify which pasuq. According to the SA, if
done with spitting the person loses their cheileq le'olam haba, and if
without, he retains it -- but it's still assur. Therefore, in the case
of saqanas nefashos, "hakol mutar" (the Gra says this is from Tosafos).
The Rama (citing Rashi and the BY) prohibits only if the pasuq is in
lashon haqodesh. The Taz points out that the pasuq needn't even contain
sheim Hashem.

In any case, that would seem to play down the diyuq RCB makes from that
particular pasuq. The other rules -- spitting, language, etc... as well
as the SA's choice of placement in that particular se'if would seem to
make the issur of lechishah more about kishuf than sounding idolatrous.


Seems straightforward to me: Tefillah is laudible, encantations made of
pesuqim is assur. Are they being said to ask HQBH for Rachamim, or to
pull cosmic levers?

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             The fittingness of your matzos [for the seder]
micha at aishdas.org        isn't complete with being careful in the laws
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