In The Merit Of One Tefillah By Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser

"Send forth men, and let them spy out the Land of Canaan that
I give to the Children of Israel; one man each from his father`s tribe
shall you send, every one a leader among them" (Bamidbar 13:2).

The Talmud tells us that Calev, one of the Twelve Spies, went to
Hevron to visit the burial sites of the Patriarchs. He went there to daven
to Hashem to be protected from the bad counsel of the Spies. This is a
Biblical source for going to daven at the graves of tzaddikim (righteous
people).

It is interesting to note that although the Spies were direct
emissaries of Moshe Rabbeinu, Calev nevertheless went to the graves of
the tzaddikim to ask for protection. Wasn`t being an emissary of Moshe
Rabbeinu enough to protect him from negative influences? We can see from
this the great merit and power of davening at the graves of our holy
forefathers.

Our Sages tell us that "Gadol b`misosom yoser m`bechayeihem" —
"greater are they in their death than in their life." Sometimes a tzaddik`s
power may even be greater after he leaves this world.

There is a fascinating Responsa in the Chasam Sofer concerning the
Chevra Kadisha (burial society) of two cities who were arguing. Each one
wanted to claim a certain tzaddik as belonging to their town, in order to
gain the rights to bury him in their cemetery.

The tzaddik not only has the power to shield others during his
lifetime, but even after his passing. Even the mere mention of a tzaddik`s
name is a source of blessing. When saying something in the name of a
tzaddik, we are cautioned that we should quote accurately, as we learn:
"sfosov dovevos bakever" — that when a person quotes a tzaddik, his lips
move in the grave.

There is a question as to how one should pray at these holy places.
The Maharil is of the opinion that when one davens at a kever, he should
direct his prayers straight to Hashem. Accordingly, we ask Hashem to
please accept our prayers and supplications in the merit of the great
tzaddik who is buried there.

The Maharam Schick, however, says that one is permitted to ask the
deceased to intercede to G-d on his behalf.

Over the years, there has been an increase in the numbers of people
who have gone to great lengths to visit kivrei tzaddikim. Thousands of
people flock to Miron every year on Lag B`Omer, the yahrzeit of R` Shimon
bar Yochai, and converge on Netivot on the Yarhzeit of the Baba Sali. They
travel to Lizhensk on the yahrzeit of the Noam Elimelech, and to Uman,
the burial place of Rabbi Nachman of Breslav, every Rosh Hashana. Even
here in the United States, the yahrzeits of tzaddikim have become events
of major gatherings at various burial sites.

Some time ago I became acquainted with a man by the name of R`
Mordechai, who was having a very difficult time with shidduchim. He had
gone out for years and was becoming disillusioned. After more than a
decade of trying, he was just about to give up. Around that time, a very
poor bachur had come from Eretz Yisrael who needed assistance during his
trip to the States. R` Mordechai took Shlomo under his wing and literally
took care of him night and day. After staying for a few months, Shlomo
was ready to return home.

Before leaving, he begged R` Mordechai, "You have shown me so
much kindness. Tell me something I can do to repay you." When R`
Mordechai refused payment of any kind, Shlomo said to him, before
leaving for the airport, "I know what I can do for you. I live in Netivot, and
as soon as I get home, I will go to the kever of the great tzaddik, the Baba
Sali, and ask for a shidduch for you." With those words, he left.

The next evening, R` Mordechai received a call from a person he did
not know, who wanted to suggest a shidduch. After checking out the refer-

ences, R` Mordechai agreed to go out the following day. At the first meeting
it was clear that they had much in common and there was a mutual inter-

est. The interest grew greater with each meeting. After a few weeks of
going out, the couple was ready to get engaged.

At the same time, R` Mordechai did not forget his friend Shlomo from
Netivot. He decided to give him a call to let him know the good news. When
Shlomo heard the good news, he asked, "What is the family name of the
kallah?" When he heard the reply, he started to shout, "Baruch Hashem,
baruch Hashem! I knew that going to the Baba Sali`s kever would help, but
I never knew it would help so quickly!"

Shlomo then revealed that when he had gone to the kever to daven for
Mordechai, all of his feelings and emotions broke loose. R` Mordechai had
given of himself totally to help him, and now, Shlomo davened for him as
one davens for his closest friend.

While he was thus praying, a man who was present saw Shlomo
crying. He asked if everything was alright. Shlomo explained that he had
just returned from the United States and someone there had done so much
for him. He now wanted to ask Hashem that his friend should finally merit
to meet his basherte. Shlomo then proceeded to tell the stranger many
wonderful things about his friend.

When he was finished, the man said, "From all that you`ve told me
about your friend, he sounds just perfect for my niece, who lives in the
U.S." Shlomo gave the man Mordechai`s number, and within hours, the
connection was made!