“I have strayed like a lost sheep; seek out Your servant” (Psalms 119:176).
Hashem’s way is to call a person the moment He sees him straying from the path of good sense, asking him to turn back. He calls each person in the way most suited to him. To some, He beckons with a hint. To others, the summons is literally a cry. Some people kick, and He must strike them in order to call them. The Torah is Hashem’s voice calling and begging those who sin to return to Him.
As long as a person has not strayed too far from the right path, it is easy for him to return, because he still recognizes the voice. This is because only a short time has passed since he was close to G-d and heeded His voice, the voice of the Torah. Similarly, when a sheep strays from the path and the shepherd immediately calls it, as long as the sheep has not yet strayed too far, it still recognizes the shepherd’s voice and immediately responds.
But once the sheep strays far from the path, it forgets the shepherd’s voice and no longer recognizes his call. Similarly, when a person has been going in the wrong direction for a long time, having strayed far from the true path into all those corrupt, devious, and confusing pathways, it is hard for him to repent.
King David prayed: “Search out Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your mitzvos” (Psalms 119:176). “I have strayed like a lost sheep”: I have strayed from the good path like a lost sheep that has strayed from the road. This is why I beg of You: “Seek out Your servant, because I have not forgotten Your commandments.” Hurry and search for me as long as I still remember the voice of the Torah and mitzvos. Take pity on me and search me out quickly, as long as “I have not forgotten Your mitzvos” and still recognize the voice of the call of the Torah and the mitzvos.
Hashem’s greatness is unfathomable: That is why t’shuvah has such power. No matter how far you strayed from the right path, never despair, because you can always return to Hashem. With just a little effort, you can turn even your worst sins into merits and you can easily come back to Hashem. This is because of His unfathomable greatness. Nothing is beyond His power. Just never give up! Keep crying out, praying, and pleading to Hashem at all times.
List of People Who Need a r’fuah sh’leimah (a complete recovery)
Please recite Psalms 20, 30, 88, 121, and 130.
Shmaryahu ben Raizel Shoshanah Miriam
Yisrael ben Raizel Shoshanah Miriam
Eliyahu ben Rachel
Yosef Yechiyeh ben Devorah
Yitzchak ben Dafna
Moshe Shlomo HaLevi ben Hinda
Gavriel ben Yael
Shia Herschel ben Sosha
Moshe ben Sarah Yehudis
Ezra Rafael ben Taoos Miriam
Fatolah Efraim ben Leah
Meir ben Malah
Tziporah bas Fruma
Ruchama Perel Malkah Leah bas Chanah Serel
Esther Hadassah bas Devorah
Shanaz bas Sarah
Moran Zohara bas Guila
Ethel Golda bas Sheindel Gitel
Blima bas Lozah
Leah bas Beila
Henya bas Brachah Devorah Leah
Saltanat Ronit bas Taoos Miriam
Mahine Miriam bas Khanoom
Blume bas Ethel Rivkah
Mazal bas Chedvah
To add names of individuals who need a r’fuah sh’leimah to next week’s T’hilim column, please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and complete the Google form.