Past Prayer

The Maharil is of the opinion that one should not daven or make a Mishebeirach for a choleh if one is unsure of his status. Perhaps the choleh already recovered or, Heaven forbid, passed away. If that were the case, then praying for this individual might be considered a wasted prayer, since the outcome had already been determined at the time the prayer was recited. This is a basis for Rav Scheinberg’s opinion. Not only is a prayer on the past a wasted prayer but it is also forbidden to recite such a prayer.

The Nachalas Shiva vehemently disagreed. As an initial matter, most sick people do not instantly recover. It is a slow process. Therefore, even if one did not hear any recent updates, there is no reason to assume that a choleh is already fully cured. On the flip side, even if there is a reason to assume that a choleh passed away, there is, at the very least, a doubt if this is true. We desecrate the Shabbos even if there is just a small chance that we could save a life. Certainly in this case, where the only possible “prohibition” is uttering a wasted tefillah, we should definitely violate it in order to save a life. The prayers that the tzibbur recite may make the difference between life and death for the sick individual. Since there is a chance the prayers might save the life of the choleh, that should supersede the prohibition of uttering a wasted tefillah.

In defense of the Maharil, Rebbe Chanoch Siegel suggests that the Maharil’s concern that the choleh may have passed away was referring only to a goseis. The Gemara mentioned earlier explains that this sick individual is unfortunately in the throes of death. Therefore, the Maharil rules that in this situation we are concerned with tefillah that may be in vain.

It is interesting that there seems to be a direct contradiction to the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch from an incident in the Gemara (Berachos 60a). The Sages taught: There was an incident involving Hillel the Elder, who was coming on the road when he heard a scream in the city. He said: “I am certain that the scream is not coming from my house.” And of him, the verse says: “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the L-rd” (Psalms 112:7).

Yet, the Gemara earlier and indeed the Shulchan Aruch ruled that one cannot pray on the past. The commotion already was or was not in Hillel’s house when he approached the city. What was the meaning of Hillel’s statement that he was certain that the scream was not coming from his house?

The Anaf Yosef offers two explanations. The first is that Hillel did not pray that the commotion was not in his house; rather, he trained his family with the traits of emunah and bitachon. Hillel was sure that if there was screaming and hysteria, it would not be coming from his pious family. They would be calm and cool no matter what happened. The second explanation is that righteous Hillel was blessed with a prophetic-like sixth sense. Without intellectually knowing what was occurring, he was able to determine that it was not in his house.

However, Rabbi Shaya Cohen, rosh yeshiva of Zichron Aryeh, frequently quotes the Meiri on this Gemara. After noting that one cannot pray to change the past, the Meiri then asks, “What should a righteous individual do when faced with an adverse situation such as hearing a commotion in the city?” He cannot pray to change the past. The first suggestion is that the tzaddik should daven that Hashem should help him cope and live with whatever circumstances he finds himself in and save him from any further negative occurrences. Then the Meiri offers a radical second option. The righteous individual should have bitachon that the commotion is not in his house. While it is true that it is too late for prayer at that point, it is not too late for bitachon. Hashem is all-powerful and can change nature and the past. However, the gift of tefillah is limited in that we are enjoined from asking for open miracles that defy the laws of nature. No such limitation applies to bitachon. Someone on the highest level can have trust in Hashem that the commotion that already took place is not in his house.

The Meiri further notes that such extreme trust will not be returned empty-handed. While we may be very far removed from this level of bitachon, just the awareness of how powerful bitachon is should motivate us to work on this middah, b’ezras Hashem.