Founder of the Largest Tehillim Gathering in Israel: "The Miracles Here Are Unbelievable"

"Have you ever been outside a soccer stadium when the crowd roars 'goal'? In our Tehillim gathering, the cries of 'Amen' are much stronger," describes Vered Halili, organizer of the largest Tehillim in Israel, about what happens every Shabbat at the 'Ohel Yosef' synagogue in Beitar Illit.

For the residents of Beitar Illit, just mentioning "Vered's Tehillim" is enough for them to know what it's about, as this Tehillim has been held regularly for many years, every Shabbat, without any change. But for those who are not familiar with this unique Tehillim, we reached out to Vered to hear the fascinating story behind it.

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The Largest Tehillim in Israel

"It all started when I was a 16-year-old girl," shares Vered. "We lived in the Pat neighborhood of Jerusalem, and I decided to organize 'Tehillim' for girls from the area. I would walk from house to house inviting girls, and every Shabbat, we would gather together and read chapters of Tehillim. Over time, I noticed the girls loved listening to stories, so each time before reading Tehillim, I would tell them short, empowering stories. Girls came from all over, from all styles and sectors, and they all sat captivated. To this day, I meet people from the neighborhood who tell me their whole family became stronger thanks to those chapters of Tehillim."

But as mentioned, this was just the beginning. "I'm a student of Rabbi Avraham Crispin," notes Vered, "and one day he asked me to organize Tehillim every Shabbat in a shelter near his synagogue. So I would go from synagogue to synagogue, organizing chapters of Tehillim for girls. I feel it's my greatest satisfaction, and I absolutely do not need anything in return."

Even after Vered got married, she was certain she would continue this practice, and as a resident of Beitar Illit, she invited girls to her home every Shabbat afternoon to read Tehillim. "But very quickly, there was no more room at home," she says, "so we moved to a very large synagogue where we hold Tehillim every Shabbat afternoon at a set time. It doesn't matter the weather or if it's close to a holiday or summer vacation. The Tehillim always takes place; nothing can cancel it."

Today, the Tehillim project she organizes is considered the largest in Israel. "About 200 girls come every Shabbat," notes Vered, "They don’t give up and read Tehillim with enthusiasm. It requires a lot from me because I make sure not to travel at all on Shabbat and pray at dawn. We eat our meal very early so I can leave my home on Hill B to the synagogue on Hill A, which is an hour’s walk. Every Friday, I deposit all the 'treasures' I’m going to distribute to the girls at Tehillim – lavish candies, gifts, and prizes that are raffled every Shabbat, and sometimes even small and cute souvenirs – with a dear woman who lives near the synagogue."

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Witnessing Miracles

What does your Tehillim reading ceremony look like?

"We always start with letters from the Ramban, then read the Tehillim chapters for Shabbat, all together, out loud. It is incredibly moving. Every time, tears of emotion fall when I hear these lovely girls. After Tehillim, I make sure to hold a blessing feast, handing each girl a bag with foods for each blessing type. At this stage, everyone falls silent, and each girl recites the blessings in order, and all respond 'Amen.' I know it sounds impossible, but despite the numerous girls and diverse ages, everything proceeds perfectly, everyone maintaining order and cleanliness. I think something about the uplifting atmosphere becomes infectious to everyone, and there are, of course, the prizes that are always on the table, and the girls are very eager to win them and know that only by being quiet and participating can they receive something. After the blessing feast, we perform 'Acceptance of the Kingdom of Heaven' and sing songs one after another. We always start with 'Hashem, we love you' and end with 'There is none beside Him.' Following this, we make general blessings and bless all of Israel, then personal blessings: I ask all the girls to close their eyes and silently ask what they wish for, and afterward, all respond Amen."

One of the moving things about Vered’s Tehillim is that it's often visited by older women. "Women come here simply to receive blessings and join the great merits," she explains. "We've had several truly moving stories where we witnessed miracles due to the chapters of Tehillim. For example, a woman who naturally couldn't have children pleaded for everyone to pray for her. With great excitement, everyone read Tehillim, genuinely feeling that the gates of heaven were opening. Recently, she came to visit us with a little baby, repeatedly saying that 'it's all thanks to the Tehillim'; another woman asked us to pray for her five children, all of whom were delayed in finding matches, with the eldest being 31. Not long ago, she informed me about her fifth child getting engaged in succession after the older four. True miracles occur here; one must simply come to witness it up close."

Vered also has a particularly personal and touching story: "One day, I was advised to take the holy names of the righteous and read them with the girls. I was told it’s very powerful, and I decided to do it to bring salvation to Israel. I printed the names of the righteous on laminated sheets, planned to distribute them to the girls and have them read together. I excitedly told them beforehand that we’d be doing something very special and powerful the following Shabbat, and they were really looking forward to it. But on Friday, before Shabbat, I caught myself: 'How can I do this without consulting my teacher, Rabbi Avraham Crispin?' I called the rabbi and asked his opinion on the practice. He replied, saying the honor of the righteous is in its place, but it’s not recommended to read the names of the righteous instead of Tehillim because Tehillim is foremost. Of course, I decided to forgo the plan, but I felt uncomfortable having to disappoint the girls. I decided to send my daughter in my place that Shabbat to substitute for me."

The continuation of this story was unexpectedly moving. "I went to sleep on Friday night," Vered recalls, "and in my dream, I saw King David asking me: 'Why don't you want to go to Tehillim?' I replied that I was embarrassed, but in the dream, King David reassured me: 'Go, and whatever you ask for on Shabbat, you’ll see supernatural miracles because I will elevate your prayers.' When I woke up in the morning, I had no doubt that I was going to Tehillim. I went there and told the girls the whole story. Then I asked them: 'Let's read Tehillim from the depths of our hearts and request what we need.' I believe those were the most moving chapters of Tehillim we’ve read since starting this project, and truly after that Shabbat, I heard up close about several very moving cases that experienced salvation."

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Opening the Gates

"I’m not an organization or a foundation, so I take on the financial burden and am supported by good people who donate," clarifies Vered. "Every week, I buy all the prizes and candies for the girls, and it’s important to me that they are the biggest prizes and the tastiest candies, so everyone knows this is the best Tehillim in the country. I also look for opportunities to reward the girls in a special way, and last Shabbat, for example, I celebrated my birthday and gave each girl a massive bag full of candies, along with a small Tehillim book and a magnet inscribed with 'May Hashem bless you and protect you.'

"Thank Hashem, I am glad I am able to give and share with the girls. These are my merits. When it's really tough and I can't buy expensive prizes, I take gifts from home, like utensils I received for Passover or small prizes my children didn’t open, and they happily donate them. The most moving thing was when my three-year-old daughter donated the twin stroller with two twin dolls she received as a gift. Surprisingly, she won it in the raffle, but she insisted she didn’t want it back and wanted to give it to someone else."

And what are your plans for Rosh Hashanah?

"On Rosh Hashanah, nearly 300 girls come to us. I distribute special keys to everyone, and all the girls raise their keys high as if to open the gates while we read Tehillim chapters and afterward respond Amen to the blessings. Mothers then approach me, thanking me for organizing Tehillim for their daughters, but I always thank them back, explaining that it’s truly my privilege and that I really believe the young ones have unimaginable power and strength. I am blessed to be a messenger for something so great, and may all the prayers be accepted favorably."