Life Wisdom for Harmony, Wealth, and Success: Rabbi Emmanual Mizrachi Unveils His Secrets

"Rabbi, we have another request here, this time from Margalit, born on the 13th of Adar, seeking a blessing for a suitable match."

"Rabbi, Daniel, born on the 27th of Cheshvan, seeks a blessing for full recovery."

"We also have another inquiry – the newborn mother, Hannah, daughter of Esther, is in very serious condition after birth, and her family wants to know how they can spiritually strengthen themselves for her healing."

If you're among the tens of thousands of loyal viewers of the "With Blessings" show on Hidabroot Channel, these sentences and the diverse, intriguing blessings recommendations tailored precisely to each individual's character traits and personality are likely familiar to you.

At times, these are people who feel somewhat blocked or have had bad dreams. Some ask for a blessing for peace in the home, health, overcoming anxiety, or even success in a driving test. For all these cases, the rabbi manages to tailor a blessing that matches the personality of the seeker and also strives to offer additional recommendations along the way.

A Program with Divine Assistance

"This is a popular show on Hidabroot Channel, broadcast on YouTube, Facebook, and all Hidabroot platforms," says Akiva Ben-David, who hosts alongside Rabbi Emmanual Mizrachi. "We receive many inquiries during the show and try to bring as many as possible on-air, while the rest receive answers and recommendations through special software developed for this purpose."

On software development, he says: "This is a very special software that provides responses to everyone who contacts us, according to the blessing they request. The system is intelligent. For instance, someone requesting a blessing for abundance or good livelihood immediately receives the blessing via WhatsApp."

Akiva Ben-David with Rabbi Emmanual Mizrachi

"Incidentally," Akiva notes, "the development cost of the software is between 10,000 to 15,000 shekels. When I approached the programmer, he sent a quote of one thousand. I signed and approved it, but only after signing did I notice that a zero was mistakenly removed from the final price, so it was written 1,000 instead of 10,000. I returned to the programmer and pointed it out, but he told me: 'Yes, I noticed that, but let's leave it as it is, it'll be my public service merit.' It was moving to hear this, confirming my feeling that our program has special divine assistance."

"Personally," adds Akiva, "it excites me to see how much public merit emerges from this program. We manage to reach all audiences and bring great spiritual reinforcement to the people of Israel. The program has 11 full WhatsApp groups that receive a special weekly blessing from the rabbi, Shabbat entry and exit times, and if there is a special event or holiday in that month, related blessings are also sent. We know these blessings are circulated further in additional circles, creating significant reverberation."

Akiva also notes that recently they have begun visiting home circles across the country, meeting valued viewers face to face. There, in the presence of dozens of friends, the rabbi provides the most direct and personal guidance. During the evening, the rabbi delivers a general lecture on a chosen topic and then sits with the participants, advising each individually on a suitable blessing.

Only from Holy Books

So how did this unique show actually start? Where do all these blessings originate? How is it possible to tailor a blessing according to personality traits, and why do blessings sometimes seem ineffective?

"It began 16 years ago when all the rabbis at Hidabroot were asked to prepare various lectures to strengthen the people of Israel," begins Rabbi Mizrachi. "In those days, it was decided that I would focus on the blessings, and as part of that, I started collecting blessings from various sources. I want to emphasize that all the blessings I have brought from then until now are exclusively from authorized sources and holy books. I understand the great responsibility, so I ensure each time that behind the blessings stands a righteous and holy person, knowing with certainty that the blessing indeed has value. Unfortunately, many blessings have emerged over the years with no source, and those should be avoided."

In addition to blessings, Rabbi Mizrachi tries touching on other points that could help. "If, for instance, I understand there are peace issues at home, I strive to explain the great importance of encouragement and joy between spouses. The Gemara mentions that when a wife is strict with her husband, she unintentionally blocks her own livelihood. I highly recommend expressing less criticism, offering more compliments, and the main thing – not harboring resentment, as it blocks all success at home."

"Afterward, I go on to recommend the blessings, such as reading Psalm 139, which brings peace at home. I even recommend on Shabbat night, before Grace After Meals, to bring a beautiful red apple to the table, cut it in half, bless 'Creator of the fruit of the tree', and eat it as a dessert for the meal. This is a known blessing for peace at home."

"Even when there are financial troubles, I suggest examining the topic of peace at home. Sometimes I tell a woman: 'Perhaps unintentionally, you're obstructing your husband because you're blocking the livelihood.' It's mentioned in the Gemara that "a blessing resides in a person's home only because of his wife," and even Rabbi Nachman of Breslov says "the illumination of a woman's soul brings wealth to the home," explaining that if a wife doesn't find merit in her husband and views him unfavorably, it can block the livelihood."

"By the way, another highly recommended blessing for livelihood issues is during the first blessing of Birkat Hamazon, in the words 'You open Your hand', to raise hands to the heavens, intending that Hashem, who sustains the entire world, will also sustain and support me. Also, Psalm 24 is highly recommended for livelihood. It's a psalm traditionally recited on Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, but it's also recommended throughout the year as a special merit for livelihood."

Is there a special blessing for health?

"There are many famous blessings for health. One of the most renowned is one revealed about a thousand years ago by Rabbi Hai Gaon – reading Psalms chapters 6 and 30. It's also known that the Steipler would regularly say these for complete healing. Another blessing is associated with Rebbetzin Kanievsky, who would recommend reading the Psalms chapters 48, 35, and 91 to those dealing with illnesses. When combined, they form the words 'Disease, go away,' as the Rebbetzin taught us."

Tailoring Blessings to Personality

What about cases where people attempt blessings repeatedly, yet nothing seems to help?

"That's exactly one of the points that led us to tailor blessings according to a person's character traits. Over time, I discovered that when you accurately align a blessing with someone's personality, it can be very effective. "Of course, through the broadcast, it's not possible to diagnose deeply, but I ask for a full name and birth date, and if the person is married, also the spouse's full name and birth date. These details provide me with a significant basis for the person's character traits."

"Of course, there are deep topics that are difficult to address during a broadcast, but when we visit home circles or when people ask personally, I can say things like: 'The rift between you and your parents is blocking you,' or 'Before anything else, you need to think about how to stop the distress you're causing your wife at home,' because in cases where such obstacles exist, the blessings won't help."

Is there an instruction on how long one should perform a blessing?

"We ask during the broadcast to adhere to it for half a year or a year. But some blessings have different instructions. For instance, in the book 'Chovot HaLevavot', in the Gate of Trust, Rabbeinu Bachya wrote a thousand years ago to study the book throughout life, and it greatly helps people who feel stuck. Of course, there's also the value of study, but additionally, the blessing won't be beneficial without persistence. I always explain that even studying just a few minutes of the book every day will greatly benefit and save from challenging crises."

Can the Rabbi share rare and unknown blessings with us?

"There are many such blessings, and I'll share an interesting example: Rebbetzin Kanievsky recommended that if a child stammers, his mother should bake two challot in a slightly small tin so that the challot adhere during baking. Then she should open them above the child's head and say: 'As the challot opened, so shall my child's mouth open'."

How many blessings does the Rabbi have up his sleeve?

"There are hundreds of different blessings. Before each show, I prepare a large repository of blessings and strive very hard to innovate. I know there's a large audience that has been following us for years, so I try not to repeat myself too much."

"By the way, every person of Israel has a Psalm suited to their character traits, and it's highly recommended to read it daily, as King David wrote the Book of Psalms for all of us. So I try at the end of each conversation to tell the person who contacted me what their Psalm is, and simply bless them."

For All Audiences, All Shades

"We have many viewers who are not observant," says the Rabbi. "The special thing is that often, through the blessings, those people also come to know the spiritual side of observing mitzvahs because almost every blessing is directly connected to performing a commandment, like many blessings recited specifically after the morning blessings. For instance, saying 17 times the name of King David's mother – Nitzevet bat Ada'al after the blessings, then asking for what they want, and the gates will open. There are also many blessings specifically after Grace After Meals. Some time ago, someone told me he heard about the blessing of eating the fourth meal on Saturday night and started adopting it. After a while, he suddenly asked himself – 'What, I'm eating the fourth meal when I don't even observe Shabbat?' And so he slowly began to draw near and observe Shabbat, all thanks to the blessing."

And we can't finish without asking if there's a blessing for complete healing and protection during these times of COVID-19...

"There are many blessings that could be beneficial. I would recommend, before vaccination, testing, or taking medicine, to say the prayer written in the Mishnah Berurah and recommended by the Torah sage, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky: 'This endeavor shall be for me a complete healing, for you are a healer without cost.' Additionally, there's a blessing published by Rabbi Shach in the name of the Chofetz Chaim – reciting Psalm 20 three times consecutively – "May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble," with the intent of safeguarding the entire family, and then offering something for charity, as charity saves from death. I recommend every family father do this every morning."

Finally, the Rabbi wishes to convey the message: "A blessing is not like the laws given to Moses at Sinai, nor is it a magic trick. It's more like auxiliary wheels for our daily efforts. When it is added to prayer and our endeavors, we can always see significant and profound divine assistance."

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