Powerful Prayer

​It says enormous good about you readers that some of the top-read posts were about prayer:
​

• A Prayer to Make Aliyah & Live in Eretz Yisrael 

(from the book Pele Yoetz by Rav Eliezer Papo, published in 1824)​

​ The series on segulot from the Chida regarding Tehillim/Psalms:

• The Full List of Segulot/Uses for All of Tehillim/Psalms
• ​Update on the Source for Tehillim Segulot/Uses

A list of what each Psalm especially helps with: healing a kidney or a spleen, a fever, an ill child, a spreading fire, a flood, slaying a demon, a bad mood, harmful thoughts, a bad dog, a snakebite, enemies, childbirth—and much more.

• A Very Short Prayer For Success Before Going Anywhere

A surprisingly effective little prayer from the Holy Shlah. Sure, there are no guarantees in life. But this little prayer can help a lot.

---

Eretz Yisrael

• Eretz Yisrael in Its Entirety: A Heart-Stirring Photo Documentary

(Immerse yourself in all parts of the Land of Israel according to the original Biblical boundaries & Tribal locations—including areas of what later became Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.)
​

• The Original Borders of Eretz Yisrael as Defined by the Torah: A Stunning Photo-Documentary

The God-given borders of Eretz Yisrael encompass a surprising amount of land, included modern-day Lebanon & part of modern-day Syria. Yet some Sages insist the northernmost border of Eretz Yisrael extends all the way to southern Turkey while the southernmost border expands until the Nile River—encompassing the Sinai Desert.

Stunning photos offer a glimpse into what these areas look like.

---

Our Inspiring Ancestors in the Torah

• The Kli Yakar on Sara Imeinu in Parshat Chayei Sara: Her Wisdom & Deeds Elevated Her to become the Exalted Princess of The Entire World

​

• ​Why a Leah Imeinu Can't (and Shouldn't) be a Sara Imeinu

 

• Were You Ever Despised or Treated as Inferior? Then You Need to Read Rav Avigdor Miller's Dvar Torah for Parshat Vayetzei

 

• ​Two Powerful Lessons Revealed by Dinah's Ordeal in Parshat Vayishlach

​​

• Loneliness & Rejection as Aspects of Mashiach

​Yosef HaTzaddik, King David, Leah Imeinu, and Rachel Imeinu
​

• The #1 Path to True Greatness & Achieving Your Absolute Best: Rejection, Isolation, and Being Quashed

​Moshe Rabbeinu & Yirmyahu HaNavi

• ​Miriam as Azuvah–Rejected: The Little-Known Story of How Miriam HaNeviah Found Her Shidduch

 

• The Overlooked Prophetess: Chana​  

 

• How to Learn from King Shaul's Ultimate Mistake​

​​

• Ever Done Something Really Awful? Still Beating Yourself Up over a Massive Missed Opportunity? Take Heart & Hope from King Asa of Yehudah (and learn what you really should be doing instead)

 

• What Eliyahu Hanavi's Self-Imposed Isolation Teaches Us

 

• ​Want to See an Angel? Here's How Gidon Did It.

​

• What Yiftach's Challenge Teaches Us about Our Own Challenges & How to Respond in the Best Way Possible

 

• Rejection: The Playing Field of the Greatest

​More about Yiftach/Jephte

• Why was Ruth's Conversion to Judaism So Monumental? What Does Conversion Actually Accomplish? And Why is It So Vitally Necessary for a Conversion to be Absolutely Kosher & Sincere?

​

• ​Megillat Ruth: What Naomi & Ruth Teach Us about Self-Transformation, Teshuvah, Mistakes, Rebuke, Criticism, and How It's Okay to Not be Perfect

 

• When Feeling Heavy & Struggling Means You're on the Right Path

​Megillat Ruth yet again!

• Tanach: The Garden of Role Models

 

• The Nations Established by the Sons of Noach: Where are They Now?

Don't miss the follow-up post describing the view of the Me'am Lo'ez on the topic:
the-meam-loez-on-the-descendants-of-the-sons-of-noach.html

---

Inspirational Posts

• Why This Generation is So Astounding

Feel good about yourself for all the right reasons.
​

• How to Conquer Toxic Shame

​With its secular blinders firmly in place, even the best-intentioned modern psychology cannot truly heal you of toxic shame & apathy. Get real with yourself at the soul level.

• How to Get Past Toxic Shame & Apathy

A follow-up of the previous post on toxic shame, with a lot more detail & explanation.
​

• What is the Main Purpose of Your Existence?

A short post on feeling good about anything bad you discover within yourself. It's the truth of how to view your negative aspects.

• Our Purpose in This World

What the Arizal says about our individuality.

• What Tanach Teaches Us about Responding to Rejection & Persecution​

A look at how our greatest & holiest dealt with unbelievable levels of rejection & persecution.

• The #1 Thing to Keep Doing When You Find Yourself Sinking in Mud

​Everything & anything from Rav Levi Yitzchak Bender offers amazing truth & inspiration. See here for the full list of his posts:
www.myrtlerising.com/blog/category/rav-ly-bender

• How the Baby Steps in This World Create Your Future World of Beautiful Pulsating Light

Some thoughts from Rav Eliyahu Dessler's Strive for Truth.

• 14 Ways to Sweeten Dinim

No need to go to crazy extremes to sweeten any bitter Heavenly judgement against us. You'll find many doable suggestions on this list.
​

• The Original Magic Mirror: A True Story from the Life of Rav Chaim Ben-Attar, the Ohr Chaim Hakadosh

A varied & especially large amount of readers seemed drawn to this little-known yet fascinating story of the Ohr HaChaim features a tzaddik, a special mirror, a Muslim ruler, and a jewel-studded golden gun. 
​

• Discover the Torah Truth of the Phoenix Bird Stripped from Its Mythology:

What is the Real Story, Authentic Spiritual Meaning, and Jewish Symbolism of the Phoenix?
Very intriguing how popular this post became. Don't forget to check out its follow-up post: 
2 Ways to Understand How Noach Spoke with the Dove, the Raven, and the Phoenix
​