Prayers for Various Occasions

Kavannah in unity with the State of Israel

By Rabbi David Wolpe, Sinai Temple, Los Angeles, CA

El Maleh Rachamim — Compassionate God,
We pray not to wipe out haters but to banish hatred.
Not to destroy sinners but to lessen sin.
Our prayers are not for a perfect world but a better one
Where parents are not bereaved by the savagery of sudden attacks
Or children orphaned by blades glinting in a noonday sun.
Help us dear God, to have the courage to remain strong, to stand fast.
Spread your light on the dark hearts of the slayers
And your comfort to the bereaved hearts of families of the slain.
Let calm return Your city Jerusalem, and to Israel, Your blessed land.
We grieve with those wounded in body and spirit,
Pray for the fortitude of our sisters and brothers,
And ask you to awaken the world to our struggle and help us bring peace.

for the People of Ukraine

by Rabbi Naomi Levy

God, Our hearts are with all the people of Ukraine,
Its president, Volodymyr Zelensky,
And with our Jewish brothers and sisters in Ukraine
200,000 souls
Who crouch in fear
As the sound of sirens and bombs pierces the air.
Synagogues once filled with songs of celebration
Have become makeshift shelters.
Echos of the Holocaust reverberate,
The memory of the one and a half million
Martyred Ukrainian Jews.
God, we pray that the panic in the streets of Ukraine
Will give way to the sound of children playing,
And the sound of sirens will give way to songs of hope.
We pray that the world community will unite
And cause the Russian army to retreat.
We pray for no more violence
Or bloodshed
And we pray that diplomacy
Will be the path to peace.
Hear our prayers, God,
Hear the prayers of the mothers and fathers,
the prayers of the children
longing for safety.
God, our Shelter,
Bring peace.
Let it rain down from the heavens like a mighty storm.
Let it wash away all hatred and bloodshed.
Peace, God. Please, God. Amen.

Prayer as Israel is under missile attack

CLICK HERE

More prayers in the spirit of Psalm 122:

שאלו שלום ירושלם ישליו אהביך
Seek the peace of Jerusalem; may who love you enjoy tranquillity,

יהי שלום בחילך שלוה בארמנותיך
may there be peace on your ramparts, tranquillity in your palaces.

למען אחי ורעי אדברה־נא שלום בך
For the sake of my siblings and my friends, I shall pray for peace within you.

לְ֭מַעַן בֵּית־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ אֲבַקְשָׁ֖ה ט֣וֹב לָֽךְ׃
For the sake of the house of the Holy One our God, may I shall seek your good.

Before & After

This prayer contains various elements including an affirmation that one is performing a mitzvah, an expression of gratitude for the wisdom of scientists, a prayer for healing, and the blessing of gratitude traditionally recited each day for the magnificent workings of the human body. Elements are taken from various prayers by other authors.

:לפני החיסון 

a.הִנְנִי מוּכָן וּמְזֻמָּן לְקַיֵּם מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁל  ֹשְמִירַת הַגּוּף כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה “וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּם מְאֹד לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם”

a.מודִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ ה’ אֱלהֵינוּ וֵאלהֵי אֲבותֵינוּ אֱלהֵי כָל בָּשָׂר. בּוֹרֵא רְפוּאוֹת. שאַתָּה חונֵן לְאָדָם דַּעַת וּמְלַמֵּד לֶאֱנושׁ בִּינָה לִמְצֹא וּלְהַמְצִיא חִסּוּן לַמַּגֵּפָה

a.יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ שֶׁהַחִסּוּן הַזֶּה יַגֵּן עָלָי [וְעַל הַמְּטֻפָּלִים שֶׁלִּי / וְעַל הַמִּשְׁפָּחָה שֶׁלִּי / וְעַל הַתַּלְמִידִים שֶׁלִּי]  וְיַצִּיל חַיִּים שֶׁל אַלְפֵי רְבָבוֹת בָּעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ

:אחרי החיסון

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר יָצַר אֶת־הָאָדָם בְּחָכְמָה וּבָֽרָא בוֹ נְקָבִים נְקָבִים חֲלוּלִים חֲלוּלִים גָּלוּי וְיָדֽוּעַ לִפְנֵי כִסֵּא כְבוֹדֶֽךָ שֶׁאִם יִפָּתֵֽחַ אֶחָד מֵהֶם אוֹ יִסָּתֵם אֶחָד מֵהֶם אִי אֶפְשַׁר a:לְהִתְקַיֵּם וְלַעֲמֹד לְפָנֶֽיךָ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה רוֹפֵא כָל־בָּשָׂר וּמַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת

Before the vaccination:  

I am ready to fulfill the positive commandment of my Creator to protect the human body, as it is written in the Torah: “You shall be most careful with yourselves.” (Deuteronomy 4:15)

We thank You, Adonai our God and God of our ancestors, God of all flesh, creator of healing, who has granted knowledge and wisdom to human beings to discover and develop this vaccine to guard against the plague of disease. May it be Your will that this vaccination protect me [“and my family,” “and my patients,” “and my clients,” “and my students,”] and all those with whom I come in contact. May it save the lives of millions of people across the world.

After the vaccination: 

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, who has created the human body with wisdom, creating cells, tissues and organs – it is known and revealed to You that when they do not function correctly it is not possible to exist and stand before You. Blessed are You, Adonai, healer of all flesh, who does wondrous deeds.

Being Vaccinated

God who answers in times of distress and saves, “Healer of broken hearts who binds their wounds” (Psalm 147), who shares divine wisdom with flesh and blood and has given us understanding, science and discernment to create this vaccine:

May it be Your will that through the power of this human effort aided by God who graciously grants humans knowledge and teaches mortals understanding, science and discernment that I merit health and resilience so that these verses may be fulfilled for us: “I have removed illness from your midst” “for I the ETERNAL am your healer” (Exodus 23; 15). “Let them praise the ETERNAL for God’s steadfast love and wondrous deeds for humanity” (Psalm 107).

Praised are You who brings healing to all flesh and does wonders.

Receiving the Covid-19 Vaccine

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה׳ אֱלֹקַי שֶׁיְּהֵא עֵסֶק זֶה לִי לִרְפוּאָה, וּתְרַפְּאֵנִי.

כִּי אֵל רוֹפֵא נֶאֱמָן אָתָּה וּרְפוּאָתְךָ אֱמֶת.

May it be Your will, Heavenly Healer, that this endeavor be for healing and may You grant healing to me, to my loved ones, to my nation, and to all who are in need. Fill me with a sense of gratitude for all who create, distribute, and deliver this vaccine, and for all those who work for the health of individuals and our communities. Empower me to care in good health ever more deeply for others. Blessed are You, Holy One, Healer of all flesh, sustaining our bodies in wondrous ways. (based on BT Brachot 60a and Birkot HaShachar)

Let us dream
Wildly unimaginable blessings…
Blessings so unexpected,
Blessings so beyond our hopes for this world,
Blessings so unbelievable in this era,
That their very existence
Uplifts our vision of creation,
Our relationships to each other, And our yearning for life itself.
Let us dream
Wildly unimaginable blessings…
A complete healing of mind, body, and spirit,
A complete healing for all,
The end of suffering and strife,
The end of plague and disease,
When kindness flows from the river of love,
When goodness flows from the river of grace,
Awakened in the spirit of all beings,
When G-d’s light,
Radiating holiness,
Is seen by everyone.
Let us pray —
With all our hearts —
For wildly unimaginable blessings,
So that G-d will hear the call
To open the gates of the Garden,
Seeing that we haven’t waited,
That we’ve already begun to repair the world,
In testimony to our faith in life,
Our faith in each other,
And our faith in the Holy One,
Blessed be G-d’s Name.

G-d of time and space,
Hand of rhythm and grace,
You’ve granted me moments and breaths,
Lifelike a river
Rapids and flats,
Deep narrow canyons
And bright open skies,
Thundering, churning waters
And calm gentle flows.
A life of beauty and wonder
Beyond my understanding,
Beyond my wildest dreams.
And yet,
And still, Heavenly Redeemer,
You also give me choices,
To live in grief or joy,
Fear or awe,
Tears or laughter.
To lift my life in glory and radiance,
A shining light of kindness and love.
G-d of all being,
May the New Year bring us closer to You
And each other,
Guided by justice and mercy.
A joyous celebration of life in its fullness.
Grant us wisdom and compassion as we witness
Births and deaths.
Marriages and divorces,
Monumental joy and crushing loss.
Help me stay awake and open,
Embracing each new moment with dignity, vitality and charity,
So that I may be of gentle service to those in need.
In gratitude for Your gifts, Holy One,
Bless this New Year with health and happiness,
Family and friendship,
Prosperity and peace.

“For the New Year” by Alden Solovy © 2017 CCAR Press from This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers