Pray for Israel

Tefilah L’medinat Yisrael
Prayer for the State of Israel

Transliteration

Tzur Yisrael v’goalo barekh na et medinat Yisrael reyshit tz’mihat g’ulateynu. Hagen aleiha b’rov hasdekha u’fros aleiha sukkat shlomekha sh’lakh orkha va’amiteykha l’rasheha l’shofteha ul’nivhareha v’taknem b’eitzah tovah mil’fanekha l’ma’an yeilkhu b’derekh ha’tzedek ha’hofesh v’hayosher: hazek y’dey m’givney eretz kodsheynu v’hanhilem y’shuah v’haim v’natatah shalom ba’aretz v’simhat olam l’yosveyha: p’kod nah livrakha et aheynu beit Yisrael b’khol artzot p’zureyhem ta b’libam ahavat tzion u’mi vahem mikol ameynu y’hi elohav imo v’ya’al: ha’atzel meruhakha al kol yoshvey eretz kodsheynu haser mi’kirbam sinah v’eyvah kinah v’risut v’ta b’libam ahavah v’ahavah shalom v’reyut v’kayem bimheyrah hazon n’vi’eikha: lo yisah goy el goy herev v’lo yilm’du od milhamah v’nomar: amen.

Hebrew

 תְּפִלָּה לִמְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל

צוּר יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹאֲלוֹ בָּרֵךְ נָא אֶת מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל רֵאשִׁית צְמִיחַת גְאֻלָּתֵנוּ הָגֵן עָלֶיהָ בְּרֹב חַסְדֶךָ וּפְרֹשׂ עָלֶיהָ סֻכַּת שְלוֹמֶךָ שְׁלַח אוֹרְךָ וַאֳמִתְךָ לְרָאשֶׁיהָ לְשׁוֹפְטֶיהָ וּלְנִבְחָרֶיהָ וְתָקְנֵם בְּעֵצָה טוֹבָה מִלְּפָנֶיךָ לְמַעַן יֵלְכוּ בְּדֶרֶךְ הַצֶּדֶק הַחֹפֶשׁ וְהַיָּשָׁר: חַזֵּק יְדֵי מְגִנֵי אֶרֶץ קָדְשֵׁנוּ וְהַנחִילֵם יְשׁוּעָה וְחַיִּים וְנָתַתָּ שָׁלוֹם בָּאָרֶץ וְשִׂמְחַת עוֹלָם לְיוֹשְׁבֶיהָ: פְּקָד- נָא לִבְרָכָה אֶתְ אֲחֵינוּ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּכָל אַרְצוֹת פְּזוּרַיהֶם טַע בְּלִבָּם אַהֲבַת צִיּוֹן וּמִי בָהֶם מִכָּל עַמֵּנוּ יְהִי אֱלֹהָיו עִמּוֹ וְיַעַל: הַאֲצֵל מֵרוּחֲךְָ עַל כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי אֶרֶץ קָדשֵׁינוּ הָסֵר מִקִּרְבָּם שִׂנְאָה וְאֵיבָה קִנְאָה וְרִשְׁעוּת וְטַע בְּלִבָּם אַהֲבָה וְאַחֲוָה שְׁלוֹם שָׁלוֹם וְרֵעוּת וְקַיֵּם בִּמְהֵרָה חֲזוֹן נְבִיאֶךָ לֹא יִשָּׂא גּוֹי אֶל גּוֹי חָרֵב וְלֹא יִלְמְדוּ עוֹד מִלְחָמָה וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן

Translation

Rock and Champion of Israel, please bless the State of Israel, first fruit of the flourishing of the fruit of our redemption. Guard it in the abundance of your love. Spread over it the shelter of your peace. Send forth your light and truth to those who lead and judge it, and to those who hold elective office. Establish in them, through your presence, wise counsel, that they might walk in the way of justice, freedom and integrity. Strengthen the hands of those who guard our holy land. Let them inherit salvation and life. And give peace to the land, and perpetual joy to its inhabitants. Appoint for a blessing all our kindred of the house of Israel in all the lands of their dispersion. Plant in their hearts a love of Zion. And for all our people everywhere, may God be with them, and may they have the opportunity to go up to the land. Cause your spirit’s influence to emanate upon all dwellers of our holy land. Remove from their midst hatred and enmity, jealousy and wickedness.  Plant in their hearts love and kinship, peace and friendship. And soon fulfill the vision of your prophet Nathan: “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Let them no longer learn ways of war.”

And let us say: Amen.

Mi Sheberach
Jewish Prayer for the Sick

Transliteration

The transliterated text below presents the prayer with correct pronouns for male and female patients. The word before the slash is for males, the one after for females.

Mi Sheberach Avoteinu: Avraham, Yitzhak, v’Yaakov, v’Imoteinu: Sarah, Rivka, Rachel v’Leah, Hu yivarech virapei et hacholeh/hacholah _____________ ben/bat ______________.

HaKadosh Baruch Hu yimalei rachamim alav/aleha, l’hachalimo/l’hachlimah, u-l’rap’oto/u-l’rap’otah, l’hachaziko/l’hazikah, u-l’chay-oto/u-l’chay-otah. V’yishlach lo/lah bim-hera r’fuah shlemah, r’fu-at hanefesh u-r’fu-at hagoof, b’toch sh’ar cholei Yisrael v’cholei yoshvei tevel, hashta ba’agalah u-vizman kariv, v’no-mar, Amen!

Hebrew

מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב הוּא יְבָרֵךְ אֶת-כָּל-הַקָּהָל

 הַקָּדוֹשׁ הַזֶּה עִם כָּל-קְהִלּוֹת הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ. הֵם וּנְשֵׁיהֶם וּבְנֵיהֶם וּבְנוֹתֵיהֶם וְכָל אֲשֶׁר לָהֶם. וּמִי שֶׁמְּיַחֲדִים בָּתֵּי כְנֵסִיּוֹת לִתְפִלָּה. וּמִי שֶׁבָּאִים בְּתוֹכָם לְהִתְפַּלֵּל.

 וּמִי שֶׁנּוֹתְנִים נֵר לַמָּאוֹר וְיַֽיִן לְקִדּוּשׁ וּלְהַבְדָּלָה וּפַת לָאוֹרְ֒חִים וּצְדָקָה לָעֲנִיִּים. וְכָל מִי שֶׁעוֹסְ֒קִים בְּצָרְכֵי צִבּוּר בֶּאֱמוּנָה. הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יְשַׁלֵּם שְׂכָרָם וְיָסִיר מֵהֶם כָּל-מַחֲלָה וְיִרְפָּא לְכָל-גּוּפָם. וְיִסְלַח לְכָל-עֲוֹנָם. וְיִשְׁלַח בְּרָכָה וְהַצְלָחָה. בְּכָל מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם. עִם כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲחֵיהֶם.

 וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן:

Translation

May the One who blessed our ancestors — Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah — bless and heal the one who is ill: NAME son/daughter of MOTHERS NAME.

May the Holy Blessed One overflow with compassion upon him/her, to restore him/her, to heal him/her, to strengthen him/her, to enliven him/her. The One will send him/her, speedily, a complete healing — healing of the soul and healing of the body — along with all the ill, among the people of Israel and all humankind, soon, speedily, without delay, and let us all say:  Amen!

“I am for peace, and wish to negotiate, they are for war”
Psalm 120

The Chapter appears to be divided into three parts, all of which are related in one way or another to the human faculty of speech: Verse 1, Verses 2-4, and Verses 5-7.

In the first part, David is expressing the awesome power of “Tefila,” Prayer, and also the fact that it is possible for some human beings to assume the role of evil oppressors, and other human beings to assume the roles of innocent sheep. That HaShem is always on the side of the “underdog,” as it says in Kohelet (3:15), “And the L-rd will intervene in behalf of the oppressed.” And that HaShem has assigned tremendous power to the human being to invoke Divine aid, by means of prayer, as he says, (Tehilim 120:1), “When I was in distress, I cried out to G-d, and He answered me.”

In the second part, David, who understands that ultimately, (Tehilim 116,11), “…all men are liars,” nevertheless we should seek HaShem’s aid in keeping us away from lies and falsehood. A particular scourge is “lashon hara,” “evil speech” which is the utterance of words that will harm another, whether true or false. Tragically, it was this abuse of our power of speech that played a central causative role in the destruction of the Second Temple. These words are like “sharp arrows,” inflicting injury at a distance, allowing the one who shot the arrows to pretend, and even to believe, that he was only practicing archery. We ask HaShem to protect us from falsehood and from hurtful speech.

Finally, in the third part, we ask, with David, for HaShem to protect us from our enemies, especially the ones we are dealing with now, late in the time of our Exile; namely, the descendants of Yishmael, “who dwell in the tents of Kedar,” our present “peace partners.” For them, falsehood is reality. They wish only to destroy us, and even when “I am for peace, and wish to negotiate, they are for war” (Tehilim 120:7).