תהילים לומר להרב מרדכי אליהו - להתפלל לרפואתו - Tehillim to Recite on Behalf of Rav Mordechai Eliyahu

As you may be aware, Rav Mordechai Eliyahu, a Torah leader in Israel and one of the former Sephardi Chief Rabbis, is in need of a recovery. Rabbi Eliyahu is in intensive care in the hospital in Israel. May he have a refuah among the other cholei Yisrael.

It is recommended to say Tehillim that spell out the name of the sick individual for a refuah shelaimah. These pesukim are taken from the 119th chapter of Tehillim. Rabbi Eliyahu's Hebrew name is "Mordechai Tzemach ben Mazal Tov" - "מרדכי צמח בן מזל טוב". For the convenience of the reader, I have included these pesukim below:

: מָה אָהַבְתִּי תוֹרָתֶךָ כָּל הַיּוֹם הִיא שִׂיחָתִי:

: מֵאֹיְבַי תְּחַכְּמֵנִי מִצְוֹתֶךָ כִּי לְעוֹלָם הִיא לִי:

: מִכָּל מְלַמְּדַי הִשְׂכַּלְתִּי כִּי עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ שִׂיחָה לִי:

: מִזְּקֵנִים אֶתְבּוֹנָן כִּי פִקּוּדֶיךָ נָצָרְתִּי:

: מִכָּל אֹרַח רָע כָּלִאתִי רַגְלָי לְמַעַן אֶשְׁמֹר דְּבָרֶךָ:
: מִמִּשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לֹא סָרְתִּי כִּי אַתָּה הוֹרֵתָנִי:

: מַה נִּמְלְצוּ לְחִכִּי אִמְרָתֶךָ מִדְּבַשׁ לְפִי:
: מִפִּקּוּדֶיךָ אֶתְבּוֹנָן עַל כֵּן שָׂנֵאתִי כָּל אֹרַח שָׁקֶר:

: רְאֵה עָנְיִי וְחַלְּצֵנִי כִּי תוֹרָתְךָ לֹא שָׁכָחְתִּי:

: רִיבָה רִיבִי וּגְאָלֵנִי לְאִמְרָתְךָ חַיֵּנִי:

: רָחוֹק מֵרְשָׁעִים יְשׁוּעָה כִּי חֻקֶּיךָ לֹא דָרָשׁוּ:

: רַחֲמֶיךָ רַבִּים יְקֹוָק כְּמִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ חַיֵּנִי:

: רַבִּים רֹדְפַי וְצָרָי מֵעֵדְוֹתֶיךָ לֹא נָטִיתִי:
: רָאִיתִי בֹגְדִים וָאֶתְקוֹטָטָה אֲשֶׁר אִמְרָתְךָ לֹא שָׁמָרוּ:

: רְאֵה כִּי פִקּוּדֶיךָ אָהָבְתִּי יְקֹוָק כְּחַסְדְּךָ חַיֵּנִי:

: דָּבְקָה לֶעָפָר נַפְשִׁי חַיֵּנִי כִּדְבָרֶךָ:

: דְּרָכַי סִפַּרְתִּי וַתַּעֲנֵנִי לַמְּדֵנִי חֻקֶּיךָ:

: דֶּרֶךְ פִּקּוּדֶיךָ הֲבִינֵנִי וְאָשִׂיחָה בְּנִפְלְאוֹתֶיךָ:

: דָּלְפָה נַפְשִׁי מִתּוּגָה קַיְּמֵנִי כִּדְבָרֶךָ:

: דֶּרֶךְ שֶׁקֶר הָסֵר מִמֶּנִּי וְתוֹרָתְךָ חָנֵּנִי:

: דֶּרֶךְ אֱמוּנָה בָחָרְתִּי מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ שִׁוִּיתִי:

: דָּבַקְתִּי בְעֵדְוֹתֶיךָ יְקֹוָק אַל תְּבִישֵׁנִי:

: דֶּרֶךְ מִצְוֹתֶיךָ אָרוּץ כִּי תַרְחִיב לִבִּי:

: כָּלְתָה לִתְשׁוּעָתְךָ נַפְשִׁי לִדְבָרְךָ יִחָלְתִּי:

: כָּלוּ עֵינַי לְאִמְרָתֶךָ לֵאמֹר מָתַי תְּנַחֲמֵנִי:

: כִּי הָיִיתִי כְּנֹאד בְּקִיטוֹר חֻקֶּיךָ לֹא שָׁכָחְתִּי:

: כַּמָּה יְמֵי עַבְדֶּךָ מָתַי תַּעֲשֶׂה בְרֹדְפַי מִשְׁפָּט:

: כָּרוּ לִי זֵדִים שִׁיחוֹת אֲשֶׁר לֹא כְתוֹרָתֶךָ:

: כָּל מִצְוֹתֶיךָ אֱמוּנָה שֶׁקֶר רְדָפוּנִי עָזְרֵנִי:

: כִּמְעַט כִּלּוּנִי בָאָרֶץ וַאֲנִי לֹא עָזַבְתִּי פִקֻּדֶיךָ:

: כְּחַסְדְּךָ חַיֵּנִי וְאֶשְׁמְרָה עֵדוּת פִּיךָ:

: יָדֶיךָ עָשׂוּנִי וַיְכוֹנְנוּנִי הֲבִינֵנִי וְאֶלְמְדָה מִצְוֹתֶיךָ:

: יְרֵאֶיךָ יִרְאוּנִי וְיִשְׂמָחוּ כִּי לִדְבָרְךָ יִחָלְתִּי:

: יָדַעְתִּי יְקֹוָק כִּי צֶדֶק מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ וֶאֱמוּנָה עִנִּיתָנִי:

: יְהִי נָא חַסְדְּךָ לְנַחֲמֵנִי כְּאִמְרָתְךָ לְעַבְדֶּךָ:

: יְבֹאוּנִי רַחֲמֶיךָ וְאֶחְיֶה כִּי תוֹרָתְךָ שַׁעֲשֻׁעָי:

: יֵבֹשׁוּ זֵדִים כִּי שֶׁקֶר עִוְּתוּנִי אֲנִי אָשִׂיחַ בְּפִקּוּדֶיךָ:

: יָשׁוּבוּ לִי יְרֵאֶיךָ וידעו וְיֹדְעֵי עֵדֹתֶיךָ:

: יְהִי לִבִּי תָמִים בְּחֻקֶּיךָ לְמַעַן לֹא אֵבוֹשׁ:

: צַדִּיק אַתָּה יְקֹוָק וְיָשָׁר מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ:

: צִוִּיתָ צֶדֶק עֵדֹתֶיךָ וֶאֱמוּנָה מְאֹד:

: צִמְּתַתְנִי קִנְאָתִי כִּי שָׁכְחוּ דְבָרֶיךָ צָרָי:

: צְרוּפָה אִמְרָתְךָ מְאֹד וְעַבְדְּךָ אֲהֵבָהּ:

: צָעִיר אָנֹכִי וְנִבְזֶה פִּקֻּדֶיךָ לֹא שָׁכָחְתִּי:

: צִדְקָתְךָ צֶדֶק לְעוֹלָם וְתוֹרָתְךָ אֱמֶת:

: צַר וּמָצוֹק מְצָאוּנִי מִצְוֹתֶיךָ שַׁעֲשֻׁעָי:

: צֶדֶק עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ לְעוֹלָם הֲבִינֵנִי וְאֶחְיֶה:

: מָה אָהַבְתִּי תוֹרָתֶךָ כָּל הַיּוֹם הִיא שִׂיחָתִי:

: מֵאֹיְבַי תְּחַכְּמֵנִי מִצְוֹתֶךָ כִּי לְעוֹלָם הִיא לִי:

: מִכָּל מְלַמְּדַי הִשְׂכַּלְתִּי כִּי עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ שִׂיחָה לִי:

: מִזְּקֵנִים אֶתְבּוֹנָן כִּי פִקּוּדֶיךָ נָצָרְתִּי:

: מִכָּל אֹרַח רָע כָּלִאתִי רַגְלָי לְמַעַן אֶשְׁמֹר דְּבָרֶךָ:

: מִמִּשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לֹא סָרְתִּי כִּי אַתָּה הוֹרֵתָנִי:

: מַה נִּמְלְצוּ לְחִכִּי אִמְרָתֶךָ מִדְּבַשׁ לְפִי:

: מִפִּקּוּדֶיךָ אֶתְבּוֹנָן עַל כֵּן שָׂנֵאתִי כָּל אֹרַח שָׁקֶר:

: חֶלְקִי יְקֹוָק אָמַרְתִּי לִשְׁמֹר דְּבָרֶיךָ:

: חִלִּיתִי פָנֶיךָ בְכָל לֵב חָנֵּנִי כְּאִמְרָתֶךָ:

: חִשַּׁבְתִּי דְרָכָי וָאָשִׁיבָה רַגְלַי אֶל עֵדֹתֶיךָ:

: חַשְׁתִּי וְלֹא הִתְמַהְמָהְתִּי לִשְׁמֹר מִצְוֹתֶיךָ:

: חֶבְלֵי רְשָׁעִים עִוְּדֻנִי תּוֹרָתְךָ לֹא שָׁכָחְתִּי:

: חֲצוֹת לַיְלָה אָקוּם לְהוֹדוֹת לָךְ עַל מִשְׁפְּטֵי צִדְקֶךָ:

: חָבֵר אָנִי לְכָל אֲשֶׁר יְרֵאוּךָ וּלְשֹׁמְרֵי פִּקּוּדֶיךָ:

: חַסְדְּךָ יְקֹוָק מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ חֻקֶּיךָ לַמְּדֵנִי:

: בַּמֶּה יְזַכֶּה נַּעַר אֶת אָרְחוֹ לִשְׁמֹר כִּדְבָרֶךָ:

: בְּכָל לִבִּי דְרַשְׁתִּיךָ אַל תַּשְׁגֵּנִי מִמִּצְוֹתֶיךָ:

: בְּלִבִּי צָפַנְתִּי אִמְרָתֶךָ לְמַעַן לֹא אֶחֱטָא לָךְ:

: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְקֹוָק לַמְּדֵנִי חֻקֶּיךָ:

: בִּשְׂפָתַי סִפַּרְתִּי כֹּל מִשְׁפְּטֵי פִיךָ:

: בְּדֶרֶךְ עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ שַׂשְׂתִּי כְּעַל כָּל הוֹן:

: בְּפִקֻּדֶיךָ אָשִׂיחָה וְאַבִּיטָה אֹרְחֹתֶיךָ:

: בְּחֻקֹּתֶיךָ אֶשְׁתַּעֲשָׁע לֹא אֶשְׁכַּח דְּבָרֶךָ:

: נֵר לְרַגְלִי דְבָרֶךָ וְאוֹר לִנְתִיבָתִי:

: נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי וָאֲקַיֵּמָה לִשְׁמֹר מִשְׁפְּטֵי צִדְקֶךָ:

: נַעֲנֵיתִי עַד מְאֹד יְקֹוָק חַיֵּנִי כִדְבָרֶךָ:

: נִדְבוֹת פִּי רְצֵה נָא יְקֹוָק וּמִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לַמְּדֵנִי:

: נַפְשִׁי בְכַפִּי תָמִיד וְתוֹרָתְךָ לֹא שָׁכָחְתִּי:

: נָתְנוּ רְשָׁעִים פַּח לִי וּמִפִּקּוּדֶיךָ לֹא תָעִיתִי:

: נָחַלְתִּי עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ לְעוֹלָם כִּי שְׂשׂוֹן לִבִּי הֵמָּה:

: נָטִיתִי לִבִּי לַעֲשׂוֹת חֻקֶּיךָ לְעוֹלָם עֵקֶב:

: מָה אָהַבְתִּי תוֹרָתֶךָ כָּל הַיּוֹם הִיא שִׂיחָתִי:

: מֵאֹיְבַי תְּחַכְּמֵנִי מִצְוֹתֶךָ כִּי לְעוֹלָם הִיא לִי:

: מִכָּל מְלַמְּדַי הִשְׂכַּלְתִּי כִּי עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ שִׂיחָה לִי:

: מִזְּקֵנִים אֶתְבּוֹנָן כִּי פִקּוּדֶיךָ נָצָרְתִּי:

: מִכָּל אֹרַח רָע כָּלִאתִי רַגְלָי לְמַעַן אֶשְׁמֹר דְּבָרֶךָ:

: מִמִּשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לֹא סָרְתִּי כִּי אַתָּה הוֹרֵתָנִי:

: מַה נִּמְלְצוּ לְחִכִּי אִמְרָתֶךָ מִדְּבַשׁ לְפִי:

: מִפִּקּוּדֶיךָ אֶתְבּוֹנָן עַל כֵּן שָׂנֵאתִי כָּל אֹרַח שָׁקֶר:

: זְכֹר דָּבָר לְעַבְדֶּךָ עַל אֲשֶׁר יִחַלְתָּנִי:

: זֹאת נֶחָמָתִי בְעָנְיִי כִּי אִמְרָתְךָ חִיָּתְנִי:

: זֵדִים הֱלִיצֻנִי עַד מְאֹד מִתּוֹרָתְךָ לֹא נָטִיתִי:

: זָכַרְתִּי מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ מֵעוֹלָם יְקֹוָק וָאֶתְנֶחָם:

: זַלְעָפָה אֲחָזַתְנִי מֵרְשָׁעִים עֹזְבֵי תּוֹרָתֶךָ:

: זְמִרוֹת הָיוּ לִי חֻקֶּיךָ בְּבֵית מְגוּרָי:

: זָכַרְתִּי בַלַּיְלָה שִׁמְךָ יְקֹוָק וָאֶשְׁמְרָה תּוֹרָתֶךָ:

: זֹאת הָיְתָה לִּי כִּי פִקֻּדֶיךָ נָצָרְתִּי:

: לְעוֹלָם יְקֹוָק דְּבָרְךָ נִצָּב בַּשָּׁמָיִם:

: לְדֹר וָדֹר אֱמוּנָתֶךָ כּוֹנַנְתָּ אֶרֶץ וַתַּעֲמֹד:

: לְמִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ עָמְדוּ הַיּוֹם כִּי הַכֹּל עֲבָדֶיךָ:

: לוּלֵי תוֹרָתְךָ שַׁעֲשֻׁעָי אָז אָבַדְתִּי בְעָנְיִי:

: לְעוֹלָם לֹא אֶשְׁכַּח פִּקּוּדֶיךָ כִּי בָם חִיִּיתָנִי:

: לְךָ אֲנִי הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי כִּי פִקּוּדֶיךָ דָרָשְׁתִּי:

: לִי קִוּוּ רְשָׁעִים לְאַבְּדֵנִי עֵדֹתֶיךָ אֶתְבּוֹנָן:

: לְכָל תִּכְלָה רָאִיתִי קֵץ רְחָבָה מִצְוָתְךָ מְאֹד:

: טוֹב עָשִׂיתָ עִם עַבְדְּךָ יְקֹוָק כִּדְבָרֶךָ:

: טוּב טַעַם וָדַעַת לַמְּדֵנִי כִּי בְמִצְוֹתֶיךָ הֶאֱמָנְתִּי:

: טֶרֶם אֶעֱנֶה אֲנִי שֹׁגֵג וְעַתָּה אִמְרָתְךָ שָׁמָרְתִּי:

: טוֹב אַתָּה וּמֵטִיב לַמְּדֵנִי חֻקֶּיךָ:

: טָפְלוּ עָלַי שֶׁקֶר זֵדִים אֲנִי בְּכָל לֵב אֶצֹּר פִּקּוּדֶיךָ:

: טָפַשׁ כַּחֵלֶב לִבָּם אֲנִי תּוֹרָתְךָ שִׁעֲשָׁעְתִּי:

: טוֹב לִי כִי עֻנֵּיתִי לְמַעַן אֶלְמַד חֻקֶּיךָ:

: טוֹב לִי תוֹרַת פִּיךָ מֵאַלְפֵי זָהָב וָכָסֶף:

:וִיבֹאֻנִי חֲסָדֶךָ יְקֹוָק תְּשׁוּעָתְךָ כְּאִמְרָתֶךָ:

: וְאֶעֱנֶה חֹרְפִי דָבָר כִּי בָטַחְתִּי בִּדְבָרֶךָ:

: וְאַל תַּצֵּל מִפִּי דְבַר אֱמֶת עַד מְאֹד כִּי לְמִשְׁפָּטֶךָ יִחָלְתִּי:

: וְאֶשְׁמְרָה תוֹרָתְךָ תָמִיד לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד:

: וְאֶתְהַלְּכָה בָרְחָבָה כִּי פִקֻּדֶיךָ דָרָשְׁתִּי:

: וַאֲדַבְּרָה בְעֵדֹתֶיךָ נֶגֶד מְלָכִים וְלֹא אֵבוֹשׁ:

: וְאֶשְׁתַּעֲשַׁע בְּמִצְוֹתֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר אָהָבְתִּי:

: וְאֶשָּׂא כַפַּי אֶל מִצְוֹתֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר אָהָבְתִּי וְאָשִׂיחָה בְחֻקֶּיךָ:

: בַּמֶּה יְזַכֶּה נַּעַר אֶת אָרְחוֹ לִשְׁמֹר כִּדְבָרֶךָ

: בְּכָל לִבִּי דְרַשְׁתִּיךָ אַל תַּשְׁגֵּנִי מִמִּצְוֹתֶיךָ:

: בְּלִבִּי צָפַנְתִּי אִמְרָתֶךָ לְמַעַן לֹא אֶחֱטָא לָךְ:

: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְקֹוָק לַמְּדֵנִי חֻקֶּיךָ:

: בִּשְׂפָתַי סִפַּרְתִּי כֹּל מִשְׁפְּטֵי פִיךָ:

: בְּדֶרֶךְ עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ שַׂשְׂתִּי כְּעַל כָּל הוֹן:

: בְּפִקֻּדֶיךָ אָשִׂיחָה וְאַבִּיטָה אֹרְחֹתֶיךָ:

: בְּחֻקֹּתֶיךָ אֶשְׁתַּעֲשָׁע לֹא אֶשְׁכַּח דְּבָרֶךָ:

PDF's of "Bircas HaChammah" Prayer - Available for Download

Hi. Please find below PDF's of "Bircas HaChammah" - "ברכת החמה":

http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-BIRCHASHACHAMA5769text.PDF

Halachos: http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-BirchasHachama.htm (Discusses when to recite the blessing and what to do if the sun is obscured by clouds.

"Bircas HaChammah"

I have started a new blog at http://bircashachammah.blogspot.com, though I don't know whether the site can be found except by those who enter the link location. In light of this, I am including the text from those posts, as follows:

Post #1:

Bircas HaChammah - Erev Pesach - In One Week

"Bircas HaChammah" - "ברכת החמה" - occurs once every 28 years and is the time when the sun assumes it original place, as it was at the time of creation, this being the 207th time it will occur. However, the occurrence on erev Pesach, according to calculations, has occurred only 11 times, this time being the 12th and last time for this event to occur on this date prior to the Jewish year 6,000. I plan to be posting some Torah with relation to "Bircas HaChammah" and hopefully the tefillah as well, so stay tuned. However, perhaps each of these 12 occurrences can relate to a Jewish month of the year, this one being related to Adar. May we merit to see the Mashiach revealed to the world in this cycle of "Bircas HaChammah", if not earlier.

Post #2

Bircas HaChammah on erev Pesach - 12th time

Pesach (Passover) is the holiday that relates to the freedom of The Jewish People from bondage - we were freed from Mitzrayim (Egypt) on the 15th of Nissan in the year 2448 so that we would accept The Torah, which we did just over 7 weeks later, on the 6th of Sivan (which is the date for the holiday of Shavuos).

According to Rabbi David Bleich's book on "Bircas HaChammah" (92), if one were to extend the make-up of Hillel's calendar to the time of Creation, then the upcoming date of Bircas HaChammah would be the 12th time in history to have occurred on erev Pesach - the day prior to the date of our Redemption. In reference to the 15th of Nisan - the date of our Redemption from Mitzrayim - the pasuk (Shmos: 12; 42) mentions the word "שמרים" - "safeguarding" - two times - "It is a night of safeguarding" and "...safeguarding for all of The Children of Israel for their generations". I learned that the commentary "Ba'al HaTurim" - "בעל הטורים" says that there are two mentions of the word "שמרים" - "safeguarding" - as one of the usages refers to the future Redemption, concerning which the 15th of Nisan - the first day of Pesach - פסח - is an auspicious time for the future Redemption to occur.

We learn in The Torah that the month of Nisan is the first of the months. (Shmos: 12; 2) The fact there appears to be 12 occurrences of Bircas HaChammah - ברכת החמה - on erev Pesach during the 6000 years of history perhaps can refer to the twelve months of the year, concerning which the current one can relate to Adar.

See part II tomorrow...

Part 3:

The B'racha for "Bircas HaChammah"

There are various laws with respect to the recitation of "Bircas HaChammah" - "ברכת החמה". The blessing should be recited early in the day, if possible prior to the third halachic hour of the day - i.e. the latest time for the recitation of Shema (קריאת שמע).

Though there is a whole order - seder - סדר - of psalms and other sections from The Torah, which many recite for "Bircas HaChammah", in order to fulfill one's obligation, the person must recite the below blessing. The blessing may only be recited if the sun is visible. If - we hope hypothetically - the entire day is overcast, the blessing would not be able to be recited.

The Blessing for "Bircas HaChammah" (Blessing of the Sun) - ברכת החמה

ברוך אתה י-ה-ו-ה א-להינו מלך העולם, עושה מעשה בראשית:

Transliteration:

Baw'ruch atta A-doe-nawy Elo-hei-nu Me'lech ha'Oh'lawm, oh'seh ma'asei v'rei'shees:

You, HaShem our G-d, King of the universe, are The Source of Blessing, Who Performs the Actions of Creation:

For those who wish to recite the whole order of prayers for "Bircas HaChammah", you can search for one, find it in Rabbi David Bleich's "Bircas HaChammah", or, im Yirtzeh HaShem, I will be able to post and/or link to the Tefillos.

In the Artscroll book of "Bircas HaChammah", the order of the tefillos is as follows:

The following is a list of the tefillos included in the Artscroll
"Birchas HaChammah" by Rav David Bleich:

1. Beings with "ויהי נעם" - Tehillim: 90; 17

2. Section of "Pasach Eliyahu" from the "Tikkunei Zohar" (17a)

3. Section from The Torah - Bereishis: 1; 14 - 19

4. Yirmiyahu: 31; 34 - 39

5. Tehillim: 136; 1 - 9

6. A special "לשם יחוד" - varying opinions regarding whether it's
recommended to say it or not recommended. (See Artscroll "Birchas
HaChammah")

7. Tehillim: 84; 12

8. Tehillim: 72; 5

9. Tehillim: 75; 2

10. Malachi: 3; 20

11. Tehillim: 97; 6

12. Tehillim: 148; 1 - 6

13. The B'racha of "עושה מעשה בראשית"

14. The tefillah of "אנא בכח" (the tefillah that is also recited by
many before Shacharis and Mincha)

15. Tehillim - Chapter 67

16. Tehillim - Chapter 150 (recited by some congregations)

17. Tehillim - Chapter 8 (recited by some congregations)

18. Tehillim - Chapter 19

19. Tehillim - Chapter 121

20. Baraisa from maseches "B'rachos" (59b) the complete text in the
following section: "תנו רבנן: הרואה חמה...דתלת נגהי ארבע".

21. The section from "Perek Shirah" of the sun - beginning with "שמש
אומר" and quoting the sun's shirah - Chabakuk: 3; 11. Artscroll then
writes "ואומר" and includes the pasuk from Yeshayahu: 60; 1. I don't
think I've seen a "Perek Shirah" with the pasuk from Yeshayahu for the
sun, but maybe there's such a girsa, as it is included in Artscroll.
(I wonder if this pasuk is included in the Artscroll "Perek Shirah".)

22. The tefillah of "E-l Adon..."

23. The paragraph of "שמך ה א-להינו יתקדש... ועל מאורי אור שעשית,
יפארוך סלה"

24. Tehillim - Chapter 33 (recited by some congregations)

25. The entire עלינו tefillah.

26. Tehillim - Chapter 74 (recited by some congregations)

27. The paragraph of "אין כא-להינו" through "אתה הוא מושיענו" (recited
by some congregations)

28. The short tefillah of "רבי חנניא בן עקשיא אומר...יגדיל תורה
ויאדיר"

29. Kaddish D'Rabbanan

30. A special short "מודים" tefillah for Birchas HaChammah.

31. A special "ויהי רצון" for Birchas HaChammah.

32. "Adon Olam..." (recited by some congregations)

Gluten-Free Oat Matzahs (Matzos) -- IMPORTANT - RECOMMENDED SELLERS AND PRICES (מצות שבולת שועל -- כשר לפסח ולסדרים)

GLUTEN INTOLERANT/WHEAT ALLERGY - IMPORTANT INFO. ON AVAILABILITY AND PRICES OF OAT-MATZAH -- SELLS FOR AS LOW AS $15 PER-BOX (see section below for recommended price and sellers) - please scroll down

I write this post for every Jewish person celebrating Pesach, but especially for the benefit of the thousands of people who wish to fulfill the mitzvah of eating matzah this Pesach (Passover/פסח) but who are unable to eat wheat matzahs, whether due to their having celiacs, having a wheat-allergy, or are gluten-intolerant in general.

Dayan Rabbi Ephraim Kestenbaum of Golders Green in London has been producing certified gluten-free matzos for about twenty-years. The matzos that are sold all are shmura and can be used to fulfill the mitzvah (commandment) of eating matzah during the sedarim (seders). In addition, these matzos have a high-standard of kashrus and are certified kosher with hashgachos from a number of good hashgacha organizations (kosher certifications).

Below -- Picture of Box of Shmura Matzah

QUANTITY PER-BOX:

Machine-made gluten-free oat shmura matzos (oat matzahs) (מצה שמורה) come in 1-pound (lb.) boxes (16 ounces) and include approximately 10 - 13 matzos per-box.

Hand-made gluten-free oat shmura comes 3 per-box and is about .767 pounds for the box.

Matzah meal that is gluten-free is also available.

My recommendation is to buy the machine-made as there is more quantity and weight per-box and the machine-made matzos are more stable (i.e. more likely to stay together). The machine-made matzos tend to have a pretty good "track-record" of staying together, though the hand-made are more likely to be fragile.

RECOMMENDED SELLERS AND PRICES:

Recommended Price: According to the producers of the oat-matzah, the recommended retail price is $23 in the U.S., 70 shekalim in Israel, and £ 13 in England. This price doesn't included the packing and shipping costs (which, for a cross country shipment of 10 boxes, should be roughly in the range of $10 - $20 - you can check with UPS or FedEx to get the prices, but can vary somewhat, based on type of packaging, where it's packaged, etc.).

Distributors are located in the U.S., Canada, England, Israel, Australia, Belgium, and South Africa.

For Rabbi Kestenbaum's matzos, there is a list of distributors located internationally, which can be found on the oat matzah website, at the distributor section.

U.S. RECOMMENDED DISTRIBUTOR:

There are many distributors in the U.S.

For Shipping Anywhere in the United States, please contact Karen Beleck - oatmatza@gmail.com Tel. 410 358 9580. fax: 410 764 0777

Karen has great prices and I highly recommend you contact her if you are interested in buying gluten-free matzos. She is also careful to charge for shipment after sending the package out, so that the shipment price reflects the actual cost to ship. Also, if you e-mail her, she can send you all the important information via e-mail.

KAREN'S PRICE: The prices for the matzah have gone down.

Matzah produced in July 2008 is now sold for $15 per box. The newer batch of matzos, produced in December 2008 cost $22 per-box. (offered on sale)

If you're ordering last minute or wish to buy the matzah locally (i.e. within a couple days of Pesach), I'd recommend going to the distributor list, which is pretty extensive, and look up where you can buy the matzos.

If it turns out your local place also has a good price, you can pick it up locally without shipping if that suits you better. Also, just because there are a few distributors that I recommend, it is important to note that I have not looked at the prices the matzos are sold at by many of the distributors and therefore would recommend looking at the list to find other distributors which may also have good prices who may be in your local area.

I believe that the Kollel store in Lakewood has good prices:

Kollel Food Store
(R' Avrohom Moshe & R' Chaim)
411 Clifton Avenue
Lakewood NJ 08701
Tel: 732 363 8102
Fax: 732 363 1475
E-mail: kfs403@msn.com

ISRAEL RECOMMENDED DISTRIBUTOR:

For Worldwide Internet and orders, contact : www.GlutenFree.co.il
or +(972) -3-919-1025

Cost per-box: 70 shekalim

See their website for the cost of shipping. They do subtract the 16.5% tax for international (i.e. orders that are shipped to areas outside of Israel).

If you have any questions about distributors and orders, you can also contact Rabbi Kestenbaum Rabbi E Kestenbaum of London at Tel: 011 44 208 455 9476
Fax: 011 44 208 455 3212, E-mail: sula@waitrose.com

You can also visit his website at http://www.glutenfreeoatmatzos.com/distributors.html for distributor information or at http://www.glutenfreeoatmatzos.com/ for general information.

Note: If you have seen these matzos sold for about $40 a box, please keep in mind that you can buy them at the above mentioned distributors for significantly lower.

Enjoyable and Happy Pesach - חג כשר ושמח!

Prayer for a Good, Kosher Esrog - To Be Recited on Tu B'Shvat

To all of those for whom it is still Tu B'Shvat - ט"ו בשבט - I wish you a Shanah Tovah!

A special tefillah for a kosher esrog, for trees, and many other things, are recited on this day. For all of those for whom it is still ט"ו בשבט (i.e. Western U.S., Alaska, and some other places), you can still recite this prayer, which is from the "Ben Ish Chai" (HaRav Yosef Chaim of Baghdad) - the "Prayer for a [Good] Esrog" - "תפילה לאתרוג נאה" is found below:


An English translation of the tefillah and another Hebrew version can be found by clicking on the following: "Prayer for a Good Esrog" - "תפילה לאתרוג נאה".

The above tefillah (תפילה) in Hebrew was found on "The Right Word" blog. This tefillah (I believe the same version, can be found at 613.org, by clicking on these words.

Again, Happy Tu B'Sh'vat for all of you for whom it is still Tu B'Shevat and all of the applicable b'rachos for all of The B'nei Yisrael.

ט"ו בשבט שמח!:-)