kvitelach
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:''This article refers to the prayer note; for the card game see
Kvitlech :''This article refers to the card game; for the prayer note see Kvitel.'' Kvitlech ( yi, קוויטלעך, translation=notes', 'slips) is a card game similar to Twenty-One (card game), Twenty-One played in some Ashkenazi Jewish homes during the H ...
. Kvitel or Kvitl ( yi, קוויטל ''kvitl'', "little note"; plural: קוויטלעך ''kvitlekh'', kvitels, kvitelech, kvitelach / kvitls, kvitlech, kvitlach) refers to a practice developed by
Hasidic Judaism Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Judaism, Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory ...
in which a Hasid (a follower of Hasidic Judaism) writes a note with a petitionary prayer and gives it to a
Rebbe A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritua ...
(Hasidic Jewish leader) in order to receive the latter's blessing. This prayer may be a general request for health, livelihood, or success, or a specific request such as recovery from illness, the ability to bear children, a wedding match, etc. The writing, giving and reading of a ''kvitel'' is treated very seriously by Hasid and Rebbe alike, and is executed according to specific protocols. Because of their inherent sanctity, kvitelach may not be thrown away after use; they are either burned or buried. The practice of giving ''kvitelach'' continues today in all the Hasidic courts. ''Kvitelach'' are also placed on the graves of Rebbes and ''
tzadik Tzadik ( he, צַדִּיק , "righteous ne, also ''zadik'', ''ṣaddîq'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadiqim'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The ...
im'' (plural of "tzadik," or Jewish holy man) with the hope that the soul of the deceased will intercede for the petitioner in Heaven. It is a centuries-old custom for Jews to place ''kvitelach'' containing personal prayers to God between the stones of the Western Wall in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. This practice has been also adopted by Christian pilgrims and foreign dignitaries as well. More than a million prayer notes are placed in the
Western Wall The Western Wall ( he, הַכּוֹתֶל הַמַּעֲרָבִי, HaKotel HaMa'aravi, the western wall, often shortened to the Kotel or Kosel), known in the West as the Wailing Wall, and in Islam as the Buraq Wall (Arabic: حَائِط ...
each year.


Origin

It is unclear when the practice of writing and giving ''kvitelach'' began. This practice is not mentioned in the writings of the early
kabbalists Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "receiver"). The def ...
, nor in the works of the school of
Isaac Luria Isaac ben Solomon Luria Ashkenazi (1534 Fine 2003, p24/ref> – July 25, 1572) ( he, יִצְחָק בן שלמה לוּרְיָא אשכנזי ''Yitzhak Ben Sh'lomo Lurya Ashkenazi''), commonly known in Jewish religious circles as "Ha'ARI" (mea ...
(1534–1572), the father of modern Kabbalah. The first time it is mentioned is during the time of the
Baal Shem Tov Israel ben Eliezer (1698 – 22 May 1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov ( he, בעל שם טוב, ) or as the Besht, was a Jewish mystic and healer who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism. "Besht" is the acronym for Baal Shem Tov, which ...
(1698–1762), founder of Hasidism. Some scholars have suggested that the practice is based on Biblical commentator
Nahmanides Moses ben Nachman ( he, מֹשֶׁה בֶּן־נָחְמָן ''Mōše ben-Nāḥmān'', "Moses son of Nachman"; 1194–1270), commonly known as Nachmanides (; el, Ναχμανίδης ''Nakhmanídēs''), and also referred to by the acronym Ra ...
's (1194–1270) interpretation of the scriptural verse "And all those that were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers' houses, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel" (). In his commentary on the
Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...
(the Five Books of Moses), Nahmanides contends that Moses asked each Jew to come before him to be counted. This personal appearance of the Jew before Moses, the ''tzadik'' (Jewish holy man), foreshadowed the ceremony of the giving of a ''kvitel'' by the Hasid to his Rebbe.


Procedure


Writing the kvitel

In Hasidic courts, the ''kvitel'' is inscribed with the names of the petitioner and his family members, along with their specific requests. The form of the name is the person's full Hebrew name and his mother's Hebrew name (e.g. ''Shmuel ben Chana'', "Shmuel the son of Chana"), even if the Rebbe already knows who he is. It is customary to write the ''kvitel'' on a blank, unlined piece of paper. Customs differ as to who writes the ''kvitel''. In some courts, the Rebbe's attendant writes the ''kvitel'' on behalf of the petitioner; in others, a specific person is paid to write the ''kvitelach''. Alternately, the petitioner himself writes the ''kvitel''. Various customs arose around the writing of a ''kvitel''. It is considered a bad omen if a ''kvitel'' falls on the ground, or if sand is placed on it. (Sand was commonly used as a drying agent for ink on paper.) Care is taken to write the ''kvitel'' without any mistakes, as Hasidic Jews believe that ''kvitelach'' contain deep secrets.


Giving the kvitel

The ''kvitel'' is either sent to the Rebbe by messenger or mail, or given personally by the Hasid during his private audience with the Rebbe. The ''kvitel'' is usually given together with a sum of money known as a ''pidyon'' (redemption), which is used by the Rebbe for the upkeep of his court or for distribution to charity. Some Rebbes requested from the Hasid a sum of money equal to twice the
numerical value A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The original examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers can ...
of the Hebrew word '' Chai'' (life), which equals 18. Others took an amount of money equal to the numerical value of the letters of the Hebrew names of the Hasid or his wife. Women are also welcome to visit a Rebbe and present their ''kvitelach'' to him. However, the Rebbe does not look at the woman directly while giving his blessing. The giving of the first ''kvitel'' cements the status of a newly appointed Hasidic Rebbe. In Belz tradition, the first ''kvitel'' to a new Rebbe is proffered by a follower of the Ropshitz Hasidic dynasty. Thus, when Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach assumed the mantle of leadership in 1894 after the death of his father, Rabbi
Yehoshua Rokeach Rabbi Yehoshua Rokeach (1825 – February 3, 1894), known as the ''Mitteler Ruv'', was the second Rebbe of the Belz Hasidic dynasty. He combined Torah scholarship with practical common sense to guide thousands of Hasidim and to fight the Haskal ...
, he was given his first ''kvitel'' by Rabbi Yissachar Dov of Bisk, a follower of the Ropshitz dynasty. Thirty-three years later, following the funeral of Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach, Rokeach's son and successor, Rabbi
Aharon Rokeach Aharon Rokeach (19 December 1880Israel, Yosef (2005). "Rescuing the Rebbe of Belz". NY:Mesorah Publications, Ltd. . – 18 August 1957) was the fourth Rebbe of the Belz Hasidic dynasty. He led the movement from 1926 until his death in 1957. ...
, received his first ''kvitelach'' from Rabbi Yissachar Dov of Bisk and two other followers of the Ropshitz dynasty. The followers of the Ger Hasidic dynasty have in their possession the ''Kotzer Kvitel'', a long note written by an elderly Hasid who had attended the courts of Rabbi
Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter ( he, יהודה אריה ליב אלתר, 15 April 1847 – 11 January 1905), also known by the title of his main work, the ''Sfas Emes'' (Ashkenazic Pronunciation) or ''Sefat Emet'' (Modern Hebrew), was a Hasidic rabbi ...
(the ''Sefas Emes''), Rabbi Chanoch Henoch of Alexander, Rabbi
Yitzchak Meir Alter Yitzchak Meir Rotenberg-Alter ( yi, יצחק מאיר אלטער, pl, Icchak Meir Rothenberg Alter, he, יצחק מאיר אלתר) (1799 – 10 March 1866), was the first Rebbe of the Ger Hasidic dynasty, which he founded in the town of G ...
(the ''Chiddushei Harim'') and Rabbi
Menachem Mendel of Kotzk Menachem Mendel Morgensztern of Kotzk, better known as the Kotzker Rebbe and the Kotzker (1787–1859) was a Hasidic rabbi and leader. Life Born to a non-Hasidic family in Goraj near Lublin, Poland, he became attracted to Hasidic philosophy in hi ...
. This Hasid presented the ''kvitel'', containing his memories of these former Rebbes of the Ger dynasty, to Rabbi
Avraham Mordechai Alter Avraham Mordechai Alter ( pl, Abraham Mordekhaj Alter, he, אברהם מרדכי אלתר; 25 December 1865 – 3 June 1948), also known as the ''Imrei Emes'' after the works he authored, was the fourth Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a po ...
(the ''Imrei Emes'') upon the latter's appointment as Rebbe of the Ger dynasty.


Reading the kvitel

If the ''kvitel'' is delivered by mail or messenger, the Rebbe's attendant reads it to the Rebbe. If the Hasid is present, the Rebbe reads the ''kvitel'' during their audience. Afterwards, the Rebbe blesses the petitioner. Rebbes traditionally devote their utmost attention to reading ''kvitelach''. It was said of the Bohusher Rebbe, Rabbi Yitzchok Friedman, that when he read a ''kvitel'', he put his whole being into the piece of paper before bestowing his blessing. The
Satmar Satmar (Yiddish: סאַטמאַר, Hebrew: סאטמר) is a Hasidic group founded in 1905 by Grand Rebbe Joel Teitelbaum, in the city of Szatmárnémeti, Hungary (now Satu Mare in Romania). The group is an offshoot of the Sighet Hasidic dynasty ...
Rebbe, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, was known to scrutinize each ''kvitel'' and point out errors in the writing of names of people he had never met. Stories are told about Rebbes who were able to read into a ''kvitel'' the situations of those who were named in it. Once a bride-to-be and her mother visited the Bohusher Rebbe, Rabbi Yitzchok Friedman, for a blessing. The Rebbe's attendant wrote the ''kvitel'' hastily, noting next to the mother's name that she was about to marry. The Rebbe glanced at the ''kvitel'' and said, "She is already married." When Rabbi Aharon Rokeach, the Belzer Rebbe, was hiding from the
Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...
in the
Kraków Ghetto The Kraków Ghetto was one of five major metropolitan Nazi ghettos created by Germany in the new General Government territory during the German occupation of Poland in World War II. It was established for the purpose of exploitation, terror, and ...
in 1942, he accepted a ''kvitel'' from one of the men who was assigned to protect him. As the names of the man's children were read aloud, the Rebbe continually stopped the reader when he reached a certain child's name and asked him to begin reading the ''kvitel'' again. This happened several times. Later the man learned that this son had died suddenly during the war, but the rest of his family survived. It was said of "great Rebbes" that in their presence, petitioners would be struck with awe and would accidentally hand over a blank piece of paper instead of the ''kvitel''. The Rebbe would read the blank page and understand exactly what the person wanted. In the court of Vizhnitz, it was known that if the Rebbe asked for a cigarette to smoke in the middle of reading a ''kvitel'', it was a sign that the petitioner's request had been accepted. Rabbi Eliezer Dovid Friedman, a follower of the fourth Vizhnitzer Rebbe, Rabbi Chaim Meir Hager, witnessed this in 1965 when he delivered a ''kvitel'' to the Rebbe on behalf of a
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
Jew stricken with
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
and the Rebbe asked for a cigarette while reading the ''kvitel''. The man recovered completely. However, in 1972, immediately after the death of the Rebbe, the Melbourne Jew fell ill with the same disease and succumbed to it.


At a grave

It is a common practice for Hasidic Jews to place ''kvitelach'' on the gravesite of a Rebbe or ''tzadik'' with the belief that the soul of the deceased will pray for them in Heaven. The visitor usually sits beside the grave to write his ''kvitel'' and meditate on his request, and then tears the ''kvitel'' and throws it on top of the grave. Many graves of Jewish holy men are constructed with special apertures for the insertion of ''kvitelach''.


At the Western Wall

The ''kvitelach'' placed in the Western Wall differ from the ''kvitelach'' given in Hasidic courts, as they contain prayers, requests or messages written directly to God. These prayer notes are folded and wedged into the cracks and crevices of the Wall. The rationale for this practice has been traced to the
Midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''.
he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...
ic teaching that the
Divine Presence Divine presence, presence of God, Inner God, or simply presence is a concept in religion, spirituality, and theology that deals with the ability of God to be " present" with human beings. According to some types of monotheism God is omnipresen ...
has never moved from the Western Wall, and the Kabbalistic teaching that all prayers ascend to Heaven through the
Temple Mount The Temple Mount ( hbo, הַר הַבַּיִת, translit=Har haBayīt, label=Hebrew, lit=Mount of the House f the Holy}), also known as al-Ḥaram al-Sharīf (Arabic: الحرم الشريف, lit. 'The Noble Sanctuary'), al-Aqsa Mosque compou ...
, which the Western Wall abuts. More than a million prayer notes are placed in the Western Wall each year. The practice of placing prayer notes in the Western Wall has also been adopted by Christian pilgrims and people of other faiths. Foreign dignitaries who have publicly placed a ''kvitel'' in the Western Wall include
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
in 2000, U.S. Senator
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
in 2005,
Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...
in 2008, U.S. presidential candidate
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
in 2008, and U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife Ann in 2012.
Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
inserted a handwritten
Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a global language with more than 500 million native speakers, mainly in th ...
text of the
Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...
in the Wall during his visit in 2014. On May 22, 2017,
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
became the first sitting U.S. President to visit the Wall; he also inserted a note. Based on the 11th century French rabbi Rabbeinu Gershom's ban against reading another person's mail, Jewish law forbids the reading of notes that have been inserted in the Western Wall.


Disposal

''Kvitelach'' may not be thrown away; there is a difference of opinion as to whether they should be burned or buried. According to Rabbi
Shmuel Rabinovitch Shmuel Rabinovitch, also spelled Rabinowitz ( he, שמואל רבינוביץ) (born 4 April 1970, Jerusalem) is an Orthodox rabbi and Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites of Israel. In his duties as Rabbi of the Wall in the Old City of J ...
, Rabbi of the Western Wall and author of ''Minhagei HaKotel'', a book of
laws Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...
regarding the Western Wall, burning is a "pure" way to deal with the notes, but burying them is more honorable. Twice a year, Rabbi Rabinovitch and his assistants collect the hundreds of thousands of ''kvitelach'' left in the Wall and bury them in the Jewish cemetery on the
Mount of Olives The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet ( he, הַר הַזֵּיתִים, Har ha-Zeitim; ar, جبل الزيتون, Jabal az-Zaytūn; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jeru ...
. ''Kvitelach'' left at gravesites are traditionally burned. The gravesite of the sixth and seventh
Lubavitcher Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic grou ...
Rebbes, Rabbi
Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn Yosef Yitzchak (Joseph Isaac) Schneersohn ( yi, יוסף יצחק שניאורסאהן; 21 June 1880 – 28 January 1950) was an Orthodox rabbi and the sixth Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch Chasidic movement. He is also known ...
and Rabbi
Menachem Mendel Schneerson Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Modern Hebrew: מנחם מענדל שניאורסון; old-fashioned spelling: מנחם מענדל שניאורסאהן; April 5, 1902 OS – June 12, 1994; AM 11 Nissan 5662 – 3 Tammuz 5754), known to man ...
, includes a
fax Fax (short for facsimile), sometimes called telecopying or telefax (the latter short for telefacsimile), is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material (both text and images), normally to a telephone number connected to a printer o ...
machine which receives over 700 faxes a day, and a computer which receives 400
emails Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" mean ...
daily. These ''kvitelach'' are all printed and then taken to the graves, where they are torn into shreds and placed atop the graves. When the pile grows too high, the shredded notes are burned.


Electronic versions

In today's electronic age, many online services offer petitioners the chance to send their ''kvitel'' to the Western Wall via email, fax,
text messaging Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile devices, desktops/laptops, or another type of compatible comput ...
and
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
; the ''kvitel'' is then printed out and inserted in the cracks of the Wall. The "Send a Kvitel Service" of kevarim.com receives ''kvitelach'' via Internet and then dispatches them to the gravesites of ''tzadikim'' in North America with people who travel to these gravesites. The Nikolsburger Rebbe himself accepts ''kvitelach'' and ''pidyonos'' via Internet. Sending ''kvitelach'' to the grave of a Rebbe or ''tzadik'' has also become a fund-raising tool. Mosdos Kever Rachel (Kever Rachel Foundation) encourages donors to send messages and prayers which will be read out at Rachel's Tomb. Similarly, the
Breslov Research Institute Breslov Research Institute is a publisher of classic and contemporary Breslov texts in English. Established in 1979, BRI has produced the first English translation of all the works of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810) and selected works of Re ...
website offers donors the opportunity to send a "digital ''kvitel''" to be read by the grave of Rebbe
Nachman of Breslov Nachman of Breslov ( he, רַבִּי נַחְמָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב ''Rabbī'' ''Naḥmān mīBreslev''), also known as Reb Nachman of Bratslav, Reb Nachman Breslover ( yi, רבי נחמן ברעסלאווער ''Rebe Nakhmen Breslover'' ...
in
Uman, Ukraine Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the historical region of the eastern Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River ...
.


References


External links


"Ask the Rabbi: Writing on the Wall"
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