When the Battle Is Not Physical but Spiritual
Something feels off — not in the physical world, but deeper, in a place you cannot quite name. Doors are closing that should be open. Conflicts are erupting out of nowhere. Your davening feels like it is hitting a wall, your learning is foggy, and underneath it all is a heaviness that does not match anything happening on the outside. You do not know exactly what is going on, but you know this: something is fighting you, and you are losing ground.
We know this struggle well. It is the battle against the yetzer hara and the spiritual forces that try to pull a person away from Hashem. Dovid HaMelech knew this battle intimately. Kapitel 35 of Tehillim is his urgent plea to Hashem to fight a battle he cannot win alone. “Rivo Hashem es y’rivai,” Dovid says in the opening passuk. “Fight those who fight me.” In its plain meaning, the kapitel speaks of enemies and opposition that rose against him. At the same time, its words can also be used for the invisible war that every Jew fights, the war for the neshamah itself.
Before You Say This Kapitel
You do not need to understand exactly what is happening before you begin. You just need to say: Hashem, my davening is blocked and my mind is not my own. I am asking You to fight for me. Then recite this tefillah, composed for one who feels the battle closing in:
Master of the Universe, contend with those who contend with me — for I feel forces of impurity fighting against me. Prayer is hard, learning is blocked, and the yetzer is driving me mad. You are my yeshuah, please rise up in my defense. God of Meir, answer me.
If giving tzedakah, add:
In the merit of the tzedakah I give in the merit of Rabbi Meir, may You help me conquer. Ribbono Shel Olam, I care for Your children — please care for me.
Tehillim Kapitel 35: The Full Kapitel
[rmbh_prayer_tabs]Kapitel 35 is one of the rawest cries in all of Tehillim. Dovid wrote it in response to people who had turned against him — people for whom he had fasted and prayed when they were sick, and who repaid him with cruelty. The kapitel speaks directly about human persecutors, and it can also be read as speaking to the spiritual obstacles that attack a person from within. For anyone who feels that their avodas Hashem is being sabotaged — that davening is blocked, that learning is clouded, that the yetzer hara has gained an upper hand — these are words Dovid composed to call on Hashem as a warrior.
What These Words Mean for You
Rivo Hashem es y’rivai — “Fight those who fight me”
Fight, Hashem, those who fight me; battle those who battle me
The shoresh is ר-י-ב — to contend, to fight on someone’s behalf. Dovid does not ask Hashem to help him fight.
He asks Hashem to do the fighting. The passuk itself moves from contention to combat: first “riv,” then “lechem.” Dovid is asking Hashem to take up his battle on every level. When you feel spiritually under attack, this opening passuk teaches the first lesson: you do not need to win this battle yourself. You need to hand it to Hashem. Acknowledging that you cannot win alone is not weakness; it is the first step to letting Hashem fight for you.
Hochazeik mogein v’tzinnoh — “Take hold of shield and buckler”
Take hold of shield and buckler, and come to my defense
The shoresh of hochazeik is ח-ז-ק — to strengthen, to seize firmly. Dovid is asking Hashem to arm Himself — to pick up a shield (mogein, a small defensive shield) and a tzinnoh (a large body shield).
These terms are commonly understood as two different kinds of protection: a smaller shield and a larger, fuller body shield. When you feel spiritually attacked from multiple directions — davening blocked, relationships strained, your mind racing with negativity — this passuk is your plea for total coverage. You are asking Hashem to protect not just one part of your life but all of it, to stand between you and every force that seeks to pull you away.
V’nafshi togil ba’Hashem — “Then shall my soul exult in Hashem”
Then shall my soul exult in Hashem, rejoice in His deliverance
The shoresh of togil is ג-י-ל — to rejoice, to exult. In the middle of the battle, the kapitel already speaks in the language of joy and deliverance.
The passuk looks ahead to the moment when the soul will no longer feel crushed but will rejoice before Hashem. When your davening feels blocked and your learning is foggy, hold onto this passuk: your soul will exult in Hashem. The battle is real, but the yeshuah is real too.
Ro’isoh Hashem al techerash — “You have seen it, Hashem — do not be silent”
You have seen it, Hashem — do not be silent. My Master, be not far from me
The shoresh of techerash is ח-ר-שׁ — to be silent, to be deaf. This is one of the boldest lines in all of Tehillim.
Dovid cries out: You see what is happening to me. Do not be silent. Do not be far from me. The power of this passuk is that it speaks to a person who feels unseen and yet still turns to Hashem with trust. When you feel spiritually attacked and wonder whether Hashem sees your struggle, this passuk gives you the words to cry out: You have seen. Please act. A closely related tefillah is the prayer before entering a dangerous situation.
How to Say This Kapitel
Kapitel 35 is a kapitel of asking Hashem to contend with those who contend with you. It can be especially fitting when a person feels blocked in avodas Hashem, when obstacles keep arising, or when the struggle with the yetzer hara feels unusually strong. Chazal teach that even when the gates of prayer are closed, the gates of tears are not closed. You do not need to cry to say this kapitel. But if tears come, they too can be part of the tefillah.
Find a place where you can say these words out loud, even quietly. Before you begin, say to Hashem in your own words: I feel under attack. I do not know exactly what is happening, but I know that something is trying to separate me from You, and I am asking You to fight for me. Then begin with the opening words: “Rivah Hashem et yerivai” — “Hashem, contend with those who contend with me.” Let Dovid HaMelech’s words carry your tefillah
A related tefillah that speaks to this same yearning is the Jewish prayer for a missing person.
Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness
The Gemara (Avodah Zarah 18a-18b) tells the story of Bruria’s sister, who was taken captive by the Roman authorities. Rabbi Meir went to the guard with a bribe and taught him to say “Eloka d’Meir aneni!” (“God of Meir, answer me!”). He proved its power when man-eating dogs turned away after he threw a clod of earth at them and called out those words. The guard was convinced and released her, ultimately using these words to save his life.
After you finish the kapitel, give tzedakah in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness. Rabbi Meir was known for his ability to overcome the forces of darkness — his very name means “one who gives light.” You are asking Hashem, in the merit of a tzaddik who conquered the yetzer hara and illuminated even the darkest places, to do the same for you.
Elokah d’Meir aneni!
[rmbh_faq]A Blessing for the One in the Battle
May the One who sees every hidden struggle take up shield and buckler on your behalf. May the fog lift from your learning, the wall fall from before your tefillah, and the heaviness on your heart dissolve like chaff before the wind. And may the day come soon when your soul exults in Hashem, when you look back at this season and say: He fought for me. He never left me alone.
You can submit a prayer request to the scholars at the kever of Rabbi Meir in Tiberias at no cost — they will daven for your spiritual protection by name through Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities. And if you would like to give tzedakah in Rabbi Meir’s zechus as well, your kindness will rise together with your prayer.
Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities was founded in 1799 to help support the needy in Israel. For more than two centuries, the charity has sustained Torah scholars and the poor in Eretz Yisrael — providing for talmidei chachamim whose learning itself pushes back spiritual darkness, and supporting families in need with dignity and care. When you give tzedakah in Rabbi Meir’s zechus while reciting Kapitel 35, you are arming yourself with a double weapon: the words of Dovid and the merit of giving. Together, they create a spiritual shield that rises before Hashem on your behalf.
Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness
