42,000 Kapitalach, 56,000 Minutes and Billions of Pounds of Gold

On Shabbos Mevorchim Shevat, children in Tzivos Hashem said a record number 40,216 kapitalach for over 56,000 minutes. “The amount of Tehillim being said is so much more than it’s even possible to say in one month.” said Shimmy Weinbaum, director of Chayolei Tzivos Hashem. If you would say Tehillim constantly day and night for 30 days, you would only be saying Tehillim for 43,200 minutes.

The growth this year has been incredible. In Cheshvan we said 23,439 Kapitelach in 32,044 Minutes. In Kislev: 26,444 Kapitelach and 36,138 Minutes. Teves it grew to 31,786 Kapitelach, 45,261 Minutes, and Shevat brought us to 40,216 Kapitelach in 56,405 Minutes!

Rabbi Mendy Shanowitz director of MyShliach, is proud of the accomplishments of the shluchim children we are responsible for almost a quarter of the grand total. The Yaldei Hashluchim said 9,041 Kapitach.

“What’s really amazing,” said Shanowitz, “is that most of our Chayolim are children who don’t go to a chabad school. These are children who go to their local Jewish day schools in their area.”

Much credit goes to Mrs. Blumie Rosenfeld who sends out weekly email reminders to the parents and chayolim, and is in constant contact with these families of shluchim.

A special mention should be given to a few schools whose students have said a total of over 3,000 Kapitelach. Thank you to Rabbi Sholom Heidingsfeld of Cheder Menachem L.A., Mrs. Esther Wilhelm from Beis Rivka Crown Heights, Rabbi Yakkov Garfunkel from Lubavitch Educational Center in Florida, and Rabbi Shmuel Vaisfiche of Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim in Montreal for making this a reality.

Hadassa Pevsner of Beis Chaya Mushka in Crown Heights encouraged the chayolim under her command to say as much Tehillim as they could. They had the highest average per student of 34 Kapitalach.

Parents, we urge you to encourage your children to say as much Tehillim as possible this Shabbos Mevorchim, and bring back their mission sheets so that we can do even more this month.

One parent (who wishes to remain anonymous) said, “We are VERY proud to tell you that today was our daughter first time saying the ENTIRE Tehillim on Shabbos Mevorchim.  Despite the fact that she has Cystic Fibrosis and has to wake up earlier than usual to make sure she got her treatment done as well, she was able to get to Shul by 8 and said Tehillim throughout Shabbos until she got it done!! YAY!! and THANK YOU!!”

This past week on Chof Hey Shevat we read in Hayom Yom, “One should be careful to say Tehillim every day and to say the whole Tehillim on Shabbos Mevorchim. These things are important for every person, his children and grandchildren.”

“We are truly proud of the chayolim’s accomplishments,” said Rabbi Yerachmiel Benjaminson executive director of Tzivos Hashem. “We hope that the children will be a shining example to their parents and other adults around the world.”

There is an incredible story that Tzemach Tzedek related on Rosh Hashana 5603 (1842).

“The Rebbeim had a minhag not to speak during the meal on the first night of Rosh Hashana. However, on the first night of Rosh Hashana of the year 5569 (1808) the Alter Rebbe called over his son (the Mitteler Rebbe) and his grandson (the Tzemach Tzedek) and told them “I accomplished very much this year; this year I made this many ba’alei teshuva, this many tzadikim, and this many ovdim (the Alter Rebbe listed an actual number for each category!) and I therefore am deserving of great reward. In exchange for this reward, I demand from Hashem that so-and-so should have a child and so-and-so should have much parnosa, and so-and-so should have good health (the Alter Rebbe mentioned a specific name each time).” The Alter Rebbe concluded, “The Torah says that two witnesses give a matter authenticity; you are my witnesses!”

At the Yom Tov meal the second night of Rosh Hashana 5695 (1934), the Frierdiker Rebbe told over this story.

Our Rebbe asked the Frierdiker Rebbe; When the Tzemach Tzedek told this story, did he have the same thing in mind, to also arouse Hashem’s brocha?

The Frierdiker Rebbe didn’t answer, but (the Rebbe said) from the look on his face it was apparent that the answer was “yes.”

The Frierdiker Rebbe then proceeded to say, ”Already it is apparent for quite some time now that people have been saying Tehillim as a result of my takona; I could demand reward for this. I ask that Hashem should bentch His children this year with billions of pounds of gold!”

At a Farbrengen on Shabbos Bereishis 5717 (1957) the Rebbe said “In these dark times of golus, the worth of these words of Tehillim is far greater than ever before. I can demand much reward!

I don’t know if the reward of the billions of words of Tehillim that were said until that day in 5695 have been used up already. But even if they were, throughout the many years since then many more billion words of Tehillim were said and we deserve all the more reward. We therefore have the right to demand from Hashem: “Hashem, bentch us with everything we need!” All of us here are witnesses, and so it should be, amen!”

It is now 10 years since children around the world have been saying Tehillim as part of the World Wide Tehillim Club that was established by Reb Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin and his children. May the words of Tehillim said by all these children around the world bring him his complete redemption and much brocha to their family and Klal yisroel around the world.

6 Comments

  • The full story behind the development of the World Wide Tehillim Club.

    The full story behind the development of the World Wide Tehillim Club.
    As anyone who has ever learnt in London Yeshiva or anyone who lives in London will know that Rabbi Gordon the Mashpia puts a massive effort to get as many bochrim as possible to say Tehillim. As a result the whole community and younger schools are on a buzz every month when Shabbos Mevorachim comes around.
    During the summer, Rabbi Gordon for many years went as the camp Rov and continued the trend there as well, by offering campers who finished the whole Tehillim without a Hefsek a 6 pack of soda or 2 litre bottle of soda as a prize.
    A couple of councillors who were in that camp one year then came to learn in Montreal Yeshiva and started a Tehillim Minyan for the children on Shabbos Mevorchim, it grew from 20 boys to over 100 in a very short period of time.
    When these bochrim went on Shulichus to Australia they continued the Tehillim Minyan over there and then eventually when they arrived back to learn in 770 decided that it would be nice to make a similar thing happen in Crown Heights and maybe some other schools in NY.
    Shimmy Wienbaum was approached and as everyone who knows shimmy was not content in just doing for a few schools on a small scale declared that there must be a World Wide Tehillim Club.
    THUS WAS BORN THE WWTC.
    The article now picks up from here.
    Funded by Reb Shlomo Mordechai and run by one of his children who was then a 770 bochur the Tehillim club grew and now is where it is today.
    I would assume that until this day Rabbi Gordon does not even know that because of his inspiration all this transpired and continues on ever stronger.