The Power of Mitzvot

Dear Ohr HaTorah Friends and Friends of Phillip Sperling,

As we wait for a miracle and for G-d’s blessing to restore Phillip’s, (Pesach Yaakov ben Reizel Peshah) health, we try to do all we can in both the physical and spiritual worlds to affect a change. It is well known that women have great power when it comes to prayer, especially when doing the special mitzvos given to her. We are told that when women perform the mitzvah of separating the challah when baking in honor Shabbat, the (informal) prayers she says in honor of those in need are especially powerful. Let’s not let this Shabbat go by without using this tool to break through the heavens and ask Hashem to give Phillip some more time with us.

The practice that has been handed down through generations and is practiced in many communities is to have 43 women (the numerical value of the word challah) commit to baking challah Thursday night or Friday keeping in mind a certain person or a list of people. For those of you that can commit to bake the challah and do the mitzvah of separating the challah with a bracha, please email us and let us know that you want to be counted as part of the 43. For those of you that don’t have the ingredients at home, or expect tomorrow to be a particularly crazy day, we will be preparing a bunch of challah dough tonight and will be at Shul tomorrow morning at 6:45 a.m. so that you can separate the challah, make the bracha, shape it, and take it home to bake.

Since tomorrow is a fast day, the tenth of Teveth, it is an even more auspicious time to add prayers to this already important day.

Please email us as soon as possible to mgroner@cjdschool.org by midnight tonight.

Thank you in advance. May we only have good things to report.

The Rebbetzens of Ohr Hatorah

P.S. Even when we say informal prayers, it is customary to use the Jewish name and the mother’s Jewish name.