Tefilat HaShlah (Yaakov Shwekey)

May 30, 2022

לרפואה שלימה יונתן בן סיגלית בתוך שאר חולי ישראל

The great Kabbalist and community leader, Rav Yeshaya ben HaRav Avraham HaLevi Horowitz, zt’l (1555-1630) is known by his major work, the Shnei Luchos HaBris – the acronym of which is “של’ה” – hence he is referred to as The Shlah HaKadosh. After holding prominent positions in Austria, Frankfurt and Prague, he made aliyah to Eretz Yisroel in 1621 and served as the Ashkenazi leader in Yerushalayim for the next 5 years. He then moved to Tzfas in 1626 and was niftar in Tiveria in 1630.

In his aforementioned sefer, there is a gorgeous tefillah – now famously known as the Tefilas HaShlah. This special prayer beautifully expresses a parent’s appeal on behalf of their precious children. While this particular tefillah can, and should be recited at any time of the year, the Shlah HaKadosh opined that the optimal time to recite this prayer is on Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan (today), on the eve of the month in which Hashem gave us the Torah and called the Jewish people His Children.

The Torah is our sacred heritage, and teaching it to the next generation has been the focal point of our people’s existence since time immemorial. “V’shinantam l’vanecha” – And you shall teach the Torah to your children until they know them thoroughly. “V’limadtem osam es beneichem l’dabeir bam” – And you shall teach your children the words and the laws of the Torah, to speak in learning with them. Etc.

But while our obligation to transmit the Torah to our offspring is distinctly defined, our efforts cannot possibly bear fruit without the help of our tefilos. We must daven for Siyata Dishmaya – Heavenly assistance, so that our children grow up to be good and upright. We must daven that they should have everything they need to live a healthy, fruitful, and joyous life as they traverse the righteous path of our holy ancestors.

And so, as we cautiously round the calendar’s corner, about to enter the Shloshes Yimei Hagbalah, we can take with us a message so clear – a message that is as much to ourselves as for our children: Banim Atem LaMakom – We are all Hashem’s Children. We must recognize that we are His legacy just as our little ones are ours. This special tefillah, especially recited today (and appropriately found in the Shnei Luchos Habris), reinforces this powerful idea, and is a timely reminder of the awesome relationship and responsibility that we share with our Father in heaven.

Tefilat HaShlah is a song that I think aptly accentuates this message, and appeared on the 2018 album Musica by the terrifically talented Yaakov Shwekey. The song was composed by Yitzy Waldner in honor of the wedding of his first child, and he accompanies Shwekey on this track to create an absolutely stunning duet – thus taking the beautiful ballad and its holy words to another level entirely.

A gutten Chodesh!

Lyrics:
ובכן אבוא אליך ה‘ מלך מלכי המלכים ואפיל תחנתי
ועיני לך תלויות עד שתחנני ותשמע תפילתי להזמין לי בנים ובנות

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