6 replies to this topic

[danceInTheRain]

lately i have unfortunetely been getting emails asking me to pray for certain people. sometimes the message has been fowarded countless times till it reaches me. and always they request you to pass it on and not break the chain.
is it a problem to do so since you cant know the status of the choleh. isnt there a problem to daven for someone who is no longer living?

[Rabbi Shapiro]

Worse than praying for a dead person is praying for the Refuah of someone who is not sick. And that's what happens with these lists, when, where the Choleh gets better nobody tells anyone. In fact, by the time you get the name, the person could have gotten better.

I therefore tell people not to participate in these things. And that is why I did not allow a forum listing Cholim on this site.

Better to pray the regular Refaeinu and have in mind all the Cholim of Klall Yisroel.

If you want, you can pray for the individual like this:"If so-and-so is still a Choleh, send him a Refuah Sheleimah..."

[danceInTheRain]

thank you,
why is it so bad to pray for someone who is not sick
and is there any source for the above?
thanks again

[Rabbi Shapiro]

Mentioning in your prayers that a person is sick and needs a Refuah when in fact they are healthy is a problem of אל תפתח פה לשטן and ברית כרותה לשפתים, which means you should not say a bad thing is true, because the words you say can make it come true. The source is the Gemora Moed Katan 17a. The following is the Halacha in short from the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch:
.

ספר קצור שו"ע - סימן לג - דברים האסורים משום סכנה:

[יד] אָסוּר לְהוֹצִיא מִפִּיו דְּבַר פֻּרְעָנוּת עַל אָדָם מִיִּשְֹרָאֵל, אֲפִלּוּ לוֹמַר אִלּוּ הָיָה פְּלוֹנִי קַיָּם הָיָה בָּא לְכָאן, כִּי בְּרִית כְּרוּתָה לַשְֹּפָתַיִם. וְאֵין לַעֲשֹוֹת מוֹרָא לְתִינוֹק בְּדָבָר טָמֵא כְּגוֹן לוֹמַר חָתוּל אוֹ כֶּלֶב יִקָּחֵהוּ. וְכֵן בְּכָל כַּיּוֹצֵא בְּאֵלּוּ צָרִיךְ לְהִזָּהֵר מְאֹד מֵהֶרְגֵּל הַלָּשׁוֹן (וְעַיֵּן לְקַמָּן סִימָן ר"ז סָעִיף ג'

[danceInTheRain]

thank you very much.

[sandythedog]

What if the person is in remission from cancer, as in, not currently receiving chemo but still on specialized meds?? The last two 6th month check ups turned up nothing b"H/Chasdai Hashem and I'm not sure if it's proper to still daven for the person.

Thank you!

[Rabbi Shapiro]

What if the person is in remission from cancer, as in, not currently receiving chemo but still on specialized meds?? The last two 6th month check ups turned up nothing b"H/Chasdai Hashem and I'm not sure if it's proper to still daven for the person.

Thank you!

You can pray that he does not get sick again c"v, but you should not mention his name as a choleh. And only on the weekdays; not on Shabbos.