1) What did our forefathers do during the ‘3 days of fencing in’ Mount Sinai before receiving the Torah? Rabbi Mencahem Mendel of Riminov says that during those 3 days the Jews in the desert at the foot of Mount Sinai pleaded and prayed: “Illuminate our eyes with your Torah and cleave our hearts to your mitzvoth, and unite our heart to love and fear you.”
2) Concentrating on the blessing upon Torah study: Before and during Shavuot one should pay attention and concentrate more when saying the blessing on Torah study which helps to retain your Torah learning. The Noda B’Yehudah says: “To me, the blessing for Torah is an amazing remedy not to forget what you learn.”
3) The Blessing on the Torah the most elevated of blessings: In the Tractate ‘Berachot’ it says that the blessing on the Torah is the most elevated blessing for in it we proclaim that ‘G-d gave us His Torah’ and conclude ‘Blessed are You G-d, the giver of the Torah’, meaning we received it as a gift. The main function of the blessing is to make the Torah ours that is why this blessing is the most elevated.
4) Pray that your children should relate to Torah and it should be part of their lives: A parent’s prayer for their children is very powerful. In Tanna D’bei Eliyahu it states: “Once there was a Cohen (Priest) who was secretly G-d fearing and managed to conceal his good deeds that had 10 children 6 boys and 4 girls. Every day he would pray and prostrate himself in the dirt and beg for compassion that his children not come to sin or something unbecoming. It was said about this Cohen that he ended up coming with Ezra from the Diaspora to rebuild the Holy Temple and he didn’t leave the world until for 50 years his children and grandchildren were high priests in the temple. From this we can see the power of a parent’s prayer which is included in the wording of this blessing “and our children and children’s children should all know your name”…
5) Mention your children in every prayer: Rabbi Aharon of Belz said he doesn’t know how a father who wants his children to be successful in Torah study can stand before G-d in his amidah and pray with dry eyes. Rabbi Aharon’s father, Rabbi Issachar Dov Rokeach testified he never missed one Amidah prayer where he didn’t pray for his son’s success, even after Rabbi Aharon was already famous.
6) Rabbi Aharon of Belz also said: “the prayer for one’s children is so elevated that our sages didn’t give it a standardized form so as the damaging spirits and outer impure spirits don’t take hold of it. In our Amidah there’s a hint to praying for our children when we say “for all generations we should give you thanks” meaning that our children should be such that we always thank G-d for them.
7) A grandson returned because of his grandfather’s tears: The Hazon Ish once said of a secular ‘kibbutznik’ came back to Judaism because of his grandfather’s prayers who cried when his son went to a secular kibbutz.
8) The weak succeed: Rabbi Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz a teacher of thousands of young men in the Ponevezh Yeshiva said that many generations of youth passed through his teaching and he noticed something wondrous. Generally speaking the weaker students were more successful than stronger brothers or peers. Rabbi Lefkowitz maintains that his is because of the many prayers the parents prayed for these weaker children more than for the stronger ones.
9) When saying the words “and please let us merit having children and grandchildren busy with Torah and mitzvoth” they would cry rivers of tears: Rabbi David of Lelov was an exceptional young man when discovered by the 2 brothers Rabbi Elimelech and Zusya during their self-imposed exile. He was an amazing and refined young man full of Torah and refined character traits. The brothers were baffled until they discovered that Rabbi David’s father would cry rivers of tears until he fell into a faint when singing the words and please let us merit having children and grandchildren busy with Torah and mitzvoth” during the Friday night meal every Shabbat. Now the brothers understood why Rabbi David was such a special young man whose very face testifies that his soul came from G-d’s throne and he grew up to lead his flock.
10) A father of twins got a report from their rabbi: One boy is thriving and the other doesn’t really enjoy Torah study. The father took upon himself to concentrate on the blessing on the Torah especially on the words ‘and may all my children and children’s children all know your name….’ A few weeks later the rabbi gave this father a glowing report about both children thriving and doing quite well. Rabbi Biderman concludes; “From this we can understand the great power a parent’s prayers for their children have for their children’s success in Torah!”
