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Rav Elyashiv: There’s No Inyan of 40 days at the Kosel
In the latest edition of the “Dvar Hashem Zu Halacha” publication, there are a number of shailos that were presented to Maran Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. The publication is produced by Rav Moshe Fried, who frequents the home of the posek hador and presents various questions to him. The answers are then printed in the gilyon.
In the most recent issue, the following question was posed:
“In our times, it has become common that one who needs a yeshuah goes to the Kosel to daven for forty consecutive days. Is there any inyan in doing this?”
Rav Elyashiv responded that there is no basis for this. Every time one goes to the Kosel to daven, said Rav Elyashiv, his tefillos are accepted.
The answer is interesting in light of the fact that various tzedakos commit to have people daven for their donors for forty consecutive days either at the Kosel and other mekomos hakedoshim, suggesting that there is some special significance to davening at the same place for forty straight days. Rav Elyashiv says that there is not.
{Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}
19 Responses to “Rav Elyashiv: There’s No Inyan of 40 days at the Kosel”
2. Comment from ehrliche Yid
Time November 9, 2009 at 2:03 PM
Dayan Fischer Z”L sent people to the Kosel to Daven for 40 days.
3. Comment from YOSSI
Time November 9, 2009 at 2:09 PM
R shlomke zvhiller said there is. And he is supposedly the first one.
4. Comment from WiseMan
Time November 9, 2009 at 2:23 PM
I went to the kosel for a older single and she got engaged right away
5. Comment from shragy
Time November 9, 2009 at 2:34 PM
I am waiting for the denial letter now from The Posek Hadors house, that he really didn’t say it.
Likewise, there is no such thing as 40 kapitlach tehillim or 1000 times to complete tehillim. One kapittal with or without (as the seforim state)kavanah is sufficient. Obviously, the more one says the better. But dont put numbers or false gematriahs to it. This is heresy.
Just be an erliche person, say tehillim and have emunah in Hashem Yisborech. He will help.
6. Comment from Honestly Frum
Time November 9, 2009 at 2:36 PM
Will these organization, such as Kupat Ha’Ir be redoing their marketing material to reflect this?
7. Comment from Reb Mendel
Time November 9, 2009 at 2:43 PM
The newly lemon freshioned invention of all the ladies and girls to say Perek Shira is ridiculous. Sure there is a holy m’kor for Perek Shira. So tell me, did your mother or grandmother say it? No.
We should stick with the basics. “Al Titosh Toras Imecho”. They cried over the kapitlach tehillim they said. They said whenever they could, and how much they could. It didn’t become a religion on its own (with a process — 40 kepitals, 69 times begematria ***, across from Amuka, While a baby was crying at a bris, while 40 women baked challah for XX days, .
Don’t Chalilah get me wrong. Each one of these are holy and have a m’kor, some thousands of years. Just don’t put them all together and make it cheap.
8. Comment from reader
Time November 9, 2009 at 5:44 PM
Some of these concepts seem to have been copied fromm christian/catholic traditions r”l
9. Comment from The Shadow
Time November 9, 2009 at 6:22 PM
In the past two years, I have done the 40-day cycle… FIVE TIMES. The first two were for single girls looking for shidduchim, the next two were for childless couples, and the last one was for a personal matter. Of those five, the only “tangible” result was one of the couples having a child, B”H. I use the word “tangible” because I am sure my tefillos were not in vain; it’s just that I didn’t immediately see the effects of the other four cycles. But for that one cycle, I did see the immediate effect of.
So take it or leave it - apparently this thing can go either way.
10. Comment from Clarification
Time November 9, 2009 at 6:34 PM
I believe what the GAON HADUR Shlit”a is saying.. you don’t necessarily need to be there 40 days in order for your prayers to be answered. The SHECHINA never left the Kosel and hears our every prayer.
11. Comment from Anonymous
Time November 9, 2009 at 6:35 PM
Rav Moshe Sternbuch has a teshuva about this:
Segula For Everything - Davening 40 Days Straight
There is a well known segula for one who needs a yeshua for anything (shidduch, health, parnasa, etc.) to daven at the Kosel Hamaravi for forty days in a row. Rav Moshe Shternbuch shlita of the Batatz Eidah Chareidas (descendant of the Vilna Gaon) says (Teshuvas VeHanhogos 4:61) that this could be done even if one doesn’t have access to the Kosel. One can go to a any specific Shul or Beis Medrash for forty days straight to daven for a particular need and will have the same segula. He says that one should give 18 “prutos” tzedaka to those that toil in Torah before each of these 40 tefilos.
see here: http://zchusavos.blogspot.com/2007/06/segula-for-everything-davening-40-days.html
12. Comment from Reb Mendel
Time November 9, 2009 at 8:22 PM
I will give you a gevaldigeh better segula. Instead of giving 18 prutos for 40 days — give $40 prutos to those who toil in Tora for 18 days and you will surely be helped.
The Sanz - Klusenburger Rebbe once said: Its a shame that in Hebrew Living is Chai (18) and Dying is mes. It should have been the reverse mes ($440) should mean alive, then people would give as a donation $440 dollars rather than only $18.
A person should give as much tzedokah that he can plus some. In that zchus Hashem should and will help them. Leave the gematriyos and the day counting to others. May all the Yiden be helped.
13. Comment from Kish Ka
Time November 9, 2009 at 9:25 PM
What happenned to the ancient “Minhag”, which has a very good Mekor, of letting the Gadol Hador have the last word?
14. Comment from Logical
Time November 10, 2009 at 12:06 AM
The rav didn’t say there is no inyan to daven at the kotel, he didn’t say the the more you daven there is not better, he simply said the inyan of dafka 40 has no
basis. What’s so hard to understand? There is no damage in someone davening there for you 40 days, but 41 days is even better, 42 days even better yet etc. Hashem doesn’t have to give us everything we ask for too. Moshe rabbanue who saw the shechina didn’t have his prayers answered when he davened some 500+ times.
15. Comment from anon
Time November 10, 2009 at 12:36 AM
maybe after 40 days the person will finally have a sincer prayer after s[ending all that time at the kotel
16. Comment from anon
Time November 10, 2009 at 12:41 AM
what is an inyan?
17. Comment from zalman
Time November 10, 2009 at 5:36 AM
I’m glad to see that at least one person here had the guts and wisdom to say that the forty day segulah is nonsense. Davening at the kosel, perek shirah or tehillim are valuable as all tefillos are. But the forty day thing? Nonsense.
18. Comment from lakewood guy
Time November 10, 2009 at 12:30 PM
i dont believe anything anyone quotes from a gadol until i see it in writing this is a new craze today that everyone quotes and we dont know what realy went on
19. Comment from samthenylic
Time November 11, 2009 at 11:10 AM
As far as 18 is CHAI, when the Satmare Rebbe Z”L first came to America & saw everyone pledging Chai Dollars, said ” Ez zoltz shnoderen MESS dollars, und ich vel enk unwinschen CHAI”
1. Comment from egg
Time November 9, 2009 at 1:47 PM
Reb Yankel Galinsky sent me to the kosel for forty days