Asking for Prayers

People “network” for many different reasons. Some people use networking to promote their businesses; others to share jokes or recipes. In many circles, networking, such as that found on social media, is used to spread the word about family and friends who are ill and are in need of prayers for good health.

While some people prefer keeping news of illness private (a very valid point of view), it is interesting to note that there may be a precedent in the Torah for publicly announcing the need for healing prayers. In the Torah, the most commonly discussed affliction is that of tzara’at (often misinterpreted as leprosy), a skin disease with spiritual ramifications attributed to lashon harah (evil speech). An individual who discovered the white spots of tzara’at on the skin of his/her body, went to the priest rather than a doctor for a diagnosis. While the treatment for tzara’at was isolation, the true cure was teshuva, repentance. Once the priest declared that a person had tzara’at, the Torah instructs that the afflicted person must cry out: “Unclean! Unclean!” (Leviticus 13:45).

The sages of the Talmud wondered why it was necessary for the person to call out his/her unclean status: “It is required for what has been taught…a person must make his/her distress known to many so that many pray for mercy on his/her behalf” (Talmud Moed Katan 5a).

For those who do receive requests for prayers, whether by social media, email or word of mouth, it is customary to pray for a sick person using his/her Hebrew name and the Hebrew name of his/her mother. Traditionally, Psalm 20 is recited in the merit of refuah shelaimah (speedy recovery).