Tehillim 74 x 24 Times – Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz’s Segula for a Miracle

Tehillim 74 x 24 Times – Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz’s Segula for a Miracle

Tehillim 74 x 24 times – a segula for a miracle In the manuscript of Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz (author of “Lecha Dodi,” teacher of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero—the Ramak—and Rabbi Yosef Karo), it is written that if a person needs a miracle, he should recite Tehillim 74 twenty-four times. He points out that we find an allusion to this in the 21st pasuk: אַל־יָשֹׁ֣ב דַּ֣ךְ נִכְלָ֑ם עָנִ֥י וְ֝אֶבְי֗וֹן יְֽהַלְל֥וּ שְׁמֶֽךָ – “Al yashov דך nikhlam ani ve’evyon yahalelu sh’mecha” (“May the oppressed not return disgraced”), where the word דך, “dakh” (oppressed, downtrodden), has the gematria of 24. It is interesting that Psalm 139 is also connected with the number 24: it consists of 24 p’sukim (verses)—כד (kaf-dalet). David HaMelech means that whoever recites it 24 times or recites 24 p’sukim will not have his prayer return unanswered; it will be accepted in Heaven. The 24 verses of Tehillim 139 are a powerful segula for opening the Gates of Prayer.   Kavanot When Reciting Tehillim 74   1. Protection from Witchcraft Rabbi Daniel Frish, author of “Matok MiDvash,” one of the most authoritative commentaries on the Zohar HaKadosh, reveals the following: the rashei tevot of Tehillim 74:13 form the word שרתע, which is the secret of the ten fish that swim in the waters of the Nile: אַתָּ֤ה פוֹרַ֣רְתָּ בְעָזְּךָ֣ יָ֑ם שִׁבַּ֖רְתָּ רָאשֵׁ֥י תַ֝נִּינִ֗ים עַל־הַמָּֽיִם – “Atah forarta ve’oz’cha yam, shibarta rashei taninim al ha-mayim” (“You crushed the sea by Your might; You shattered the heads of the sea monsters”). The Zohar reveals that there are ten species of large fish connected with witchcraft and which sustain it. They swim in the Nile River in Egypt; that is, the ten species of Nile fish are agents of witchcraft. When reciting Psalm 74, we should have in mind that the Holy One, blessed be He, has shattered the ten forms of witchcraft—the ten impure kelipot.   2. For Salvation In Tehillim 74:12, we find the words from the Selichot, “po’el yeshuot” (“He who brings salvation”): וֵ֭אלֹהִים מַלְכִּ֣י מִקֶּ֑דֶם פֹּעֵ֥ל יְ֝שׁוּע֗וֹת בְּקֶ֣רֶב הָאָֽרֶץ – “Ve’Elohim malki mikedem, po’el yeshuot bekerev ha’aretz” (“But G-d is my King from old, working salvation throughout the earth”).   3. The Secret of the Hanukkah Dreidel – “Ga’altah shevet nachalatecha Har Tziyon” – (“You redeemed the tribe of Your inheritance—the Mount of Zion”). The initial letters of this verse—“Ga’altah shevet nachalatecha har Tziyon”—correspond to the initial letters of the words carved on the Hanukkah dreidel (in Hebrew, “sevivon”; in Yiddish, “dreidel”): “Nes Gadol haya Sham”—“A great miracle happened there.” Hanukkah commemorates the renewal of the Temple (literally, in Hebrew, its “dedication”). The Hanukkah dreidel spins and turns one thing into another. Geulah (redemption) is when the “higher” things are below and the “lower” things are above, as was the case when the Temple stood. Therefore, when the Jews left Egypt, they sang in Shirat HaYam: “Bring them and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance, the place You made for Your dwelling, the Sanctuary, O L-rd, which Your hands established.” As it spins, the phrase “Ga’altah shevet nachalatecha Har Tziyon” corresponds to “Bring them and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance.” Tehillim 74 and the Secret of the Hanukkah Dreidel   4. Tehillim 74:8 for Miracles and the Two Inverted Letters Nun in the Torah – “Amru velibam ninam yachad, sarfu chol mo’adei El ba’aretz” (“They said in their hearts, ‘Together let us destroy them’; and they burned all the meeting places of G-d in the land”). A pasuk from Bamidbar (10:35–36): “When the Ark [of the Covenant] set out, Moshe would say: ‘Arise, O L-rd, and let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee from before You.’ And when the Ark came to rest, he would say: ‘Return, O L-rd, the myriads of the thousands of Israel!’” This pasuk is marked in the Torah by two signs—inverted letters nun, which are written in Torah scrolls, “opening” and “closing” the pasuk. It is written in the “Zohar Chadash” that this is a very serious matter: because of these letters, the nations of the world hate and constantly persecute us, since they know that they have no portion in these letters. It follows that these letters bring salvation to the Jewish people. In addition, the segula of Rabbeinu Chida—11 p’sukim beginning and ending with the letter “nun” is well known. This prayer is also especially powerful during the month of Nisan, since the word Nisan likewise begins and ends with the letter נ “nun”. The mekubalim explain the word “Nisan” as referring to a time of “Nisei Nisim”—“miracles of miracles.” Segulot from Verses Beginning with the Letter Nun   Why Do We Recite Psalm 74 Twenty-Four Times for a Miracle? 74 is the gematria of the word “yadaim”—ידיים (hands), ביחד “beyachad” (together). The number 24 corresponds to the number of hours in a day. There are 24 books in Tanakh, 24 gifts were given to the kohanim, and the number of watches and positions in the Temple was 24. The number 24 symbolizes home, health, security, and comfort. Ben Ish Chai always advised women to wear 24 ornaments every day of Hanukkah. He said that Hashem adorned Chavah with 24 precious ornaments. The mekubalim teach that there are 24 ornaments of the Shechinah. By reciting Tehillim 24 times, we symbolically adorn the Shechinah. The Gemara (Shabbat 22b) says that the “ner ma’aravi”—the western lamp of the Menorah—miraculously burned for 24 hours, while the other lamps burned out by morning. The “ner ma’aravi” was the second lamp of the Menorah (the first was called eastern, while the second was the first in the direction of the west and was therefore called western). The purpose of the miracle was to show Am Yisrael that the Shechinah was with them.   It is also interesting that during the days of Shovavim, two Tikunim involving the number 24 are important: 1) Tikkun Yosef—recite the name Yosef 24 times; יוֹסֵף – [24 פעמים] [Chazal teach that our people have still not atoned for the sin of selling Yosef—Yosef (the sefirah of Yesod), the son of the forefather Yaakov (Tiferet), and his continuation. This is alluded to in the words of the Torah: “These are the generations of Yaakov—Yosef.”]   2) Tikkun Yesod—recite the word “Yesod” (foundation) 24 times; יְסוֹד – [24 פעמים] [Yesod is the sixth sefirah, and the corresponding organ is the sexual organ. Shovavim is a period of rectification for transgressions related to the laws of the Brit. According to Kabbalah, this period is especially conducive to rectifying sexual sins (the Arizal, Sha’ar HaYichudim 4:3). During Shovavim, Jews gather in synagogues throughout Israel and recite special prayers called “Tikkun Yesod” (rectification of the sefirah of Yesod).]   Prayer After Tehillim 74 [After reciting Tehillim 74, this short prayer should be recited each time]   “Yehi ratzon milfanecha, Elohim Chaim Rachum veChanun, Erech apayim, Rav chesed ve’emet, Karov lekor’av, Kerati’cha mi-mitzar mima’on kodshecha, Aneni ve’atzeleni me’ha-davar hara ha-zeh Ve-ta’aseh nisim ve-niflaot ka’asher asita le-Yisrael Be-Shem Elohim Chaim Rachum veChanun.” (May it be Your will, G-d of Life, Merciful and Gracious, slow to anger and abundant in kindness and truth, Who is close to all who call upon You; I call to You from the narrow place, from Your holy abode. Answer me and save me from the evil in which I find myself, and perform miracles and wonders as You did for Israel, in the Name of the Living G-d, Merciful and Gracious.)   (Based on a lesson by the Gaon Rabbi Yitzchak Cohen and a lesson by Rabbi Yisrael Yakovov, “The Secret Meaning of Tehillim—Segulot,” for Sila Tehilim)