“Kishur Merkavah” – a prayer for salvation

“Kishur Merkavah” – a prayer for salvation

The Baal Shem Tov, zechuto yagen aleinu, taught that one who recites “Kishur Merkavah” with faith in the Almighty repairs the spiritual damage inflicted upon the Creator’s chariot. And one who tells stories about tzadikim is, as it were, engaging in “Ma’aseh Merkavah”—the creation of the world. (“Shivchei HaBesht”) Recently, an astonishing story came to light in Israel, showing the extent to which we can protect ourselves from every kind of fear through faith in the Creator. Late one Shabbat evening, Leah was returning from the hospital, where her sister was staying and receiving the devoted care to which Leah had dedicated so much of her time. Suddenly, along the way, she felt an attack of overwhelming fear. Leah was in a deserted, abandoned neighborhood on the outskirts of the city, and at that late hour there was not a soul in the street. She then began repeating the words of a prayer that suddenly came back to her: “To my right is Michael, to my left is Gavriel…”, until she calmed down and felt completely certain that nothing bad would happen to her. A few minutes later, she saw a police car approaching and finally relaxed. Two police officers got out, plunged into the nearby bushes, and, after a brief struggle, literally dragged a man out of them. It turned out to be an escaped criminal whom the police had been pursuing for a long time. “Didn’t you notice that this man had been following you for some time?” the police officers asked her. When she answered in the negative, they turned to the criminal: “Why didn’t you harm her?” He replied: “But she was walking the entire way accompanied by four men!” This woman was saved solely because she continually repeated aloud the prayer in which she imagined herself surrounded and protected by guardian angels. And she was indeed granted the miraculous protection of these angels and remained unharmed. Prayer מימיני מיכאל ומשמאלי גבריאל מלפני אוריאל מאחורי רפאל ועל ראשי שכינת אל “Mi-yemini Michael, u-mi-smoli Gavriel, mi-lefanai Uriel, mi-achorai Raphael, ve-al harosh sheli Shekhinat El”! (To my right is Michael, to my left is Gavriel, before me is Uriel, behind me is Raphael, and above my head is the Shekhinah of the Almighty)!   (Based on the book “Everything Is in Your Thoughts” by Sarah Yosef)