The Root of All Souls / Receiving Honor in This World with Holiness / Eating Properly / Insolent Leaders / Giving Charity / Overcoming Spiritual Enemies / Giving Birth to and Bringing Up Honor / Helping an Elder Who Has Forgotten His Torah Learning A person’s soul comes from a realm called “honor.” The dynamic of that realm appears on all levels of existence — including the expression of honor as we know it. When a person receives honor in this world, it is for one of two reasons. First, he might be about to die, and so honor has come to gather in his soul. Usually, however, this is not the case, since the universe functions on the principle that overall, good prevails. Thus, it is more likely that this honor is coming to bring this person to a new, higher level of soul. In either case, he must receive that honor with holiness — that is to say, solely for the sake of God. When a person eats improperly, he can lose a measure of honor. The reason for this is as follows. When a person eats properly — that is to say, when he has broken his lust for eating — he attains an elevated countenance. The table on which he eats stands before God and it, too, has a countenance of holiness. But if this person has a lust for food, his honor is damaged and consequently lacks a countenance of holiness. When honor is damaged, it falls to a level where insolent people can reach it and use it to gain power in the form of sovereignty without a crown. When these people gain honor, they become the leaders of the generation. The word tzedek (strict judgment) is related to the phenomenon of insolent people receiving honor. The first letter in the word tzedek is a tzadi. This letter is a combination of two letters: yod and nun, so arranged that the yod is turned away from the nun. The yod corresponds to the countenance of holiness. It turns away because at present it is hidden. The nun represents sovereignty. The second letter in the word tzedek is dalet. The word dal means “poor,” and so the dalet corresponds to an impoverished honor, one that falls to the Side of Evil. In that realm, insolent people imitate good people, like a monkey imitating a human being. The Hebrew word for monkey is kof. This is also the name of the last letter in the word tzedek, which is kuf. Just as the letter kuf has a long, descending leg, so too, the “feet” of honor now descend to death. Therefore, at present, when good Jews wish to protect the Jewish religion against attack, they must descend spiritually and seek the help of the gentile authorities. A person raises honor and sovereignty from insolent people when he gives charity — which, states the verse, “saves from death.” Then the word tzedek has the letter hei added to it. The letter hei has the numerical value of five, corresponding to the five times that the word tzedakah (charity) is mentioned in the Torah. This added hei turns tzedek into tzedekah. Then its feet are raised from death. The person who eats properly or gives charity and thus restores honor is a wise person. Unfortunately, demonic enemies cluster about him in order to derive energy from him. But this can actually help him, because these enemies siphon off his unholy consciousness, leaving him with a pure and holy consciousness. As mentioned above, usually when a person receives a new measure of honor, that serves as a container for a holy soul that he about to receive. That honor is comparable to a pregnant woman, and the new soul to the fetus within her. A person must make sure to give this soul an easy birth. Should the birth be difficult, both the mother (honor) and child (soul) may die, and then the person himself will die. And once the soul is born, the person must raise it as one raises a child. A person facilitates the birth of this soul, as well as the growth of holy honor and God’s sovereignty, by giving charity. In regard to this latter point, it is the custom to give charity at the section in the prayers that states, “You are sovereign over all.” When a person’s “honor” is dislocated from his soul, he may forget his wisdom and Torah learning, or he may grow weary. Sometimes an elder forgets his Torah learning because he has prayed without the intent of his heart. Prayer corresponds to honor, and the heart to the soul. Now that they are separated, the elder loses his wisdom. Similarly, it may be that a younger person has prayed without feeling, as a result of which his soul is far from its “mother,” honor. Consequently, his soul grows weary. To rectify this, he must give honor to the elder who forgot his Torah learning. By giving honor to that elder, he revitalizes his own soul. This is because he creates “thunder,” which causes “cool water” to revive and heal his soul. This idea is based on the following understanding of how thunder works. Hot vapor enters a cloud and explodes. That tears open the cloud in a burst of thunder. And as that thunder rips open the cloud, it causes the cloud to distribute rain wherever it is needed. The elder’s forgetting Torah is comparable to a cloud. Just as a cloud obscures the sun, so too, his forgetfulness obscures his ability to see — i.e., to access his knowledge. The honor that someone gives him is comparable to hot vapor entering a cloud. Then the elder’s mind and memory are restored. This is comparable to the cloud tearing open with a clap of thunder. Now the old man’s knowledge is distributed to everyone who needs it. This is comparable to the rain falling out of the cloud. When that “cool water” reaches the younger person who had prayed without the intent of his heart, it revives and rectifies his soul. It revives his bones that had previously been blemished. Then he can pray with all his bones. The same effect is brought about when a person hears Torah from a true Tzaddik, in contrast to learning Torah from a book. When one learns from a book, he does not know how much to learn in order to revive his soul. But when he hears Torah from the Tzaddik, the Tzaddik gives him exactly the amount of Torah — or “cool water” — that he needs. The Precious Souls of the Jewish People “May my soul be precious in Your eyes.”

HaShem, my God and God of my fathers, You are gracious and compassionate. You care for Jewish souls — souls more precious than gold and pearls, souls who were carved out from beneath Your throne of glory, holy souls who are absorbed into Your Name, who are called “a portion of Godliness above,” supernal souls in whom You took delight at the very beginning of Creation, souls who were the first to arise in Your thought, souls who are higher than all worlds, souls with whom You took counsel in order to create the universe.

Arouse Your compassion on behalf of these souls who came forth from You. They are Your beloved and pleasant children, “who are borne by You from the belly, carried by You from the womb,” whom You refer to with every term of endearment — “children, brothers, friends, beloved” — precious souls whom You have never ceased to love.

You have loved these souls of the Jewish people so much that You have called them “daughter,” “sister” and “mother.” As our sages said, “He loved her so much that He called her ‘My daughter,’ as in the verse, ‘Hear, daughter, and see, incline your ear and forget your nation and the house of your father.’ He loved her so much that He called her ‘My sister,’ as in the verse, ‘Open to me, my sister, my friend, my dove, my perfect one.’ And He loved her so much that He called her ‘My mother,’ as in the verse, ‘Listen to Me, My nation, and attend to Me, My mother.’”

Have compassion on our souls, which possess a lovely, precious, holy beauty at their supernal root. Only You know the source of our precious souls, which is beyond all worlds and all stages of holiness.

Help us attain every sort of strength so that we will guard our souls at every moment. May we bind ourselves to our own souls for the days and years to come with holiness, purity, alacrity, cleanliness, abstinence, humility, fear of sin and piety.

Honor Belongs to HaShem Help us flee from honor as much as possible. May we never have the slightest desire for any honor whatsoever. Every time You grant us honor, protect us so that we will not be enmeshed in it. May we not use it for our own purposes or receive any benefit from it whatsoever.

Instead, may we raise and restore all honor to You alone, the King of honor and glory, the only One to Whom all honor and glory are due.

From the greatest heights, guard us so that we will not damage the holiness of honor, but receive it with sanctity and purity for the sake of Your Name, with the sole intent of serving You without any blemished desires of our own.

Whenever You send us a new instance of honor, may it not result in our souls being removed from this world. May honor come to us only for good and not for evil.

Together with that honor, may we always receive a new spirit of holiness and purity, in the light of which our souls will expand and grow.

Always send us a new and precious spirit, so that for the days and years to come, we will learn Your Torah and serve You with awe.

Holy Eating and the Honor of God From this moment on, help us break our desire for eating and drinking. May we be satisfied with a little, and eat that with holiness. May we be so exacting with ourselves that we do not eat even the smallest amount beyond what we need to sustain our health. May our intention in eating be solely to maintain our well-being.

May we reduce our natural desires. May we be counted among the righteous who eat only to satisfy their holy souls — as in the verse, “The righteous man eats to satisfy his soul” — until You will raise Your countenance to us and be gracious to us, in keeping with the verse, “May HaShem raise His countenance to you and grant you peace.” And may we draw the illumination of Your countenance to holy honor.

Save us and Your entire nation, the House of Israel, from arrogant people. Remove the honor from their insolent countenances so that they will no longer have any glory, elevation or positions of leadership.

Have compassion on us and on Your entire nation, the House of Israel. Save us from false leaders — even if they are celebrated — who cause us so much grief, the extent of which You alone know.

Because of our many sins, holy honor has fallen to the depths. “Our honor is belittled by the nations, who abhor us as being repulsive.”

Honor has passed on to idolaters, to wicked people, liars and the insolent of the generation who distribute it among themselves, while the worthy and righteous of Your nation, the Jewish people, are insulted, disdained, scorned and ridiculed.

Redeeming Honor from Its Exile HaShem, You Who are filled with compassion, You Who are the King of honor, have mercy on Your great and holy honor.

Save our souls from the multitude of wicked people by removing honor from their midst. Raise it up so that it will no longer reside amid the “husks” of evil.

Have compassion on Your mighty Divine Presence, Whose honor and eminence has been cast down, reduced and cheapened.

Because of our many sins, You have hidden Your countenance from Your great honor. Thus, Your honor and sovereignty have been distanced from You, as it were. They have descended and fallen so low that all honor has been given to the idolaters, evildoers and insolent people of the generation.

“Israel has become exceedingly impoverished.” All honor has been turned over to strangers who have no portion in wisdom and the countenance of holiness. They are the insolent people of the generation, who imitate the righteous like a monkey imitating a human being.

We Redeem God’s Honor by Giving Charity Have compassion on Your great and holy honor by helping us raise it and return it to holiness.

Guide us to bring the light of Your countenance to Your honor by giving a great deal of charity to worthy poor people with joy and a good heart. May we do so perfectly, in accordance with Your beneficent will.

Bless all of us in the light of Your countenance and send us Your vast kindness, which is part of Your great Name. Shine upon us all of the kindness that is an expression of the five types of kindness, which correspond to the five times that “charity” is mentioned in Your holy Torah.

May we exemplify the verse, “I shall behold Your countenance in righteousness; when I arise, I shall be satisfied with Your image.”

May we raise Your honor and sovereignty from the relatively low state called “righteousness” to the higher state called “charity.”

Help us extract greatness and honor from insolent people, restoring these qualities to the people of our generation who understand holy knowledge, who are righteous and worthy, and who are justifiably called “the countenance of the generation.”

Overcoming Dispute Remove every sort of dispute from Your nation, the Jewish people, so that we will enjoy peace among ourselves forever.

May there be no jealousy, hatred, irritation, argument or dispute regarding any righteous and wise members of Your worthy nation of Israel who yearn to serve You — particularly at this time, when because of our many sins, dispute and dissension among Torah sages have increased.

“There is no peace for those who go out and for those who come in.” The entire world is filled with dispute, which damages our ability to serve You, as You well know.

This is particularly true regarding dispute that is instigated against those who were far from You and have returned to You in order to serve You. Without reason or justification, dispute has arisen against them, as well as against those who work to bring them back.

Being Delivered from Dispute HaShem, You Who are filled with compassion, You Who are the King and Master of peace, deliver us from argument and dispute. Grant us a consciousness that is lucid, calm, tranquil and unruffled.

May all of the impurities in our mind be removed until the hostile forces that derive sustenance from it cease to exist.

Our enemies persecute us for no reason and we do not know how to fight them. Our only intent is to please You, to serve You and return to You with complete repentance. We have no desire whatsoever to engage in any type of dispute.

You Who are filled with compassion, have mercy on us, the impoverished members of Your flock, a poor people who are pulled and torn apart.

Rescue us. Argument and dispute have deprived us of our strength. We have no one to rely on but You, our Father in Heaven. We cast our burden upon You alone, and we raise our eyes to You until You will be gracious to us.

Nurturing Holy Spirits Within Ourselves Master of compassion, help us and Your entire nation, the House of Israel, make use of “holy honor” to easily parent and raise holy spirits that are drawn into us. Let us do so without birth pangs and the difficulties associated with raising children.

Help us fear and love Your Name. In this way, draw onto us the power of the supernal, holy “strong hand” and “great hand.”

May we parent and raise these spirits with calmness and tranquility, without any difficulty in birth or hardship of raising children.

A Prayer on Behalf of Those Who Have Difficulty Raising Children HaShem, You know the suffering of Your nation, the Jewish people.

You have worsened their wounds by taking away the beloved of their eyes and the cherished of their souls: their sons and daughters, who are as precious as fine gold — beloved souls, babies and toddlers who never did wrong, schoolchildren whose sinless breath maintains the existence of the world.

Because of their fathers’ sins, You struck at them.

Master of the world, You know the suffering of these tender children, of their fathers and mothers and all their relatives, and of everyone who is touched by their evil, bitter and profound troubles.

They weep, and the tears run down their cheeks. God, You see the tears of these suffering people, “whose oppressors are empowered and who have no one to comfort them.”

Have mercy on their tears and sighs, and declare an end to their suffering.

Do not treat them in accordance with their transgressions, “for You, HaShem, are good, forgiving and exceedingly kind to all who call out to You.”

You maintain the world in Your kindness. There are so many non-Jews and wicked people whom You allow to raise their children, because You desire the world’s existence, not its destruction.

Have pity on the souls of Your nation, the Jewish people. Instruct the angel to lower his hand and return his sword to its sheath.

Arouse Your compassion and graciousness with love and pity for Your holy Jewish people. Shield them so that they will all be able to raise their sons and daughters in peace and tranquility, without any trouble at all, so that these children may learn Torah, marry and engage in good deeds for many years to come. You Who are the Source of life, send these children long life.¹

footnotes: ¹ If you wish at this point to pray on behalf of an individual, add here, “and in particular, [name], son/daughter of [father’s name].”

Have compassion on the Jewish people. Forgive their sins.

Save us, God of our salvation, so that we and Your entire nation, the House of Israel, will raise our sons and daughters in tranquility for a good, long and peaceful life.

Act for the sake of our fathers and for the sake of all the true Tzaddikim in every generation, including our own. Have pity and rescue the children of today and of tomorrow. Deliver them from epidemics, disease and pain.

Strengthen them, heal them and invigorate them.

Help their parents raise them in peace and educate them to serve You and fear You for good and long lives.

May these children grow to see their own children and grandchildren learning Torah and performing mitzvot, to the end of all generations. May Your nation, the House of Israel, increase “like the sand of the sea that cannot be measured or counted, because it is so much.”

Gracious and kind Father of mercy, save a mute dove as I am today.

Only Your great Name protects us at a time of trouble. Have mercy on us and on all the Jewish people. Do not pour Your wrath upon us, for we are called by Your Name. Do not leave us, abandon us or spurn us.

Arouse Your inner being and compassion on our behalf. Do not look at our evil. Do not hide Your countenance from us and our pleas.

In Your kindness, console us. Even before we call out to You, answer us. Even before we speak, take heed of us.

“Compassionate One Who answers the poor, answer us. Compassionate One Who answers those whose hearts are broken, answer us. Compassionate One Who answers those whose spirit is beaten, answer us. Compassionate One, answer us. Compassionate One, have mercy on us. Compassionate One, liberate us. Compassionate One, save us. Compassionate One, have compassion on us — now and at every moment to come.”

Raising Honor to Its Root Help us give much charity to the worthy poor, in accordance with Your beneficent will.

May we give charity during prayer when we recite the verse, “You rule over all,” ² prayers. until we will raise and extract power, honor, greatness and sovereignty from the “husk” of evil — the non-Jews, the wicked, and the insolent people of the generation — and restore all of that honor and sovereignty to holiness, to those who understand knowledge: the true Tzaddikim and sages of holiness.

footnotes: ² This verse is recited during the Pesukey de-Zimra

May we break our desire for eating and thereby draw Your countenance to Your honor.

Rescue us from all conflict and dispute.

Help us so that by means of holy honor, many new souls of holiness will come to us.

May we attain complete awe and love of You. As a result, may we bring into being and develop a new spirit within ourselves, without any pangs of birth or difficulties of childrearing.

Master of the world, God of honor, “Yours, HaShem, is the sovereignty, and You are exalted as the head above all. Wealth and honor are before You, and You rule over all. In Your hand are power and might, and You have the power to enhance and strengthen everything.”

Help us raise all honor to its root in holiness.

Praying with the Heart Have compassion on my tired spirit. Pour refreshing water upon me to revive my weary soul.

For years I have failed to bring the intent of my heart to my prayers. And because my heart is so far from my prayers, my spirit is exhausted.

In Your vast compassion, help me rectify this. Help me pray with the intent of my heart, so that my mouth and heart will be in alignment. Bring all of the intentions of my heart and mind into my words of prayer so that I will speak to You with great feeling.

May I never utter a single word without the intent of my heart, and may my soul never be distant from Your honor.

Honoring Old People and Rectifying Blemished Prayer Help us honor old people who have forgotten their learning.

As a result of our doing so, may we draw down the holy thunder that removes and shatters the clouds that cover our eyes, so that the holy consciousness of the elders will be revealed. Then a multitude of waters of knowledge will emerge so that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of HaShem as water covers the seabed.”

Draw onto us — to each individual on his level — the waters of knowledge of the elders of holiness.

May we convey the waters of knowledge from the mouths of the elders of holiness so that we will bring refreshing waters to our weary souls.

May we rectify blemished prayer. Help us always pray with the intent of our heart — with all our heart, soul and might — without any ulterior motives or foreign thoughts whatsoever, until we will feel all of the words of prayer in our bones. As the verse states, “All of my bones will proclaim, ‘HaShem, who is like You!’” May our bones be enriched as a result of our words of prayer that have been perfected by the true intent of our heart.

Restore My Soul Have mercy on me. “May my life be given to me at my petition and my nation at my request.”

“Be gracious to me, HaShem, for I am languishing away. Heal me, HaShem, for my bones are shuddering. My soul shudders greatly. And You, HaShem, how long? Return, HaShem, rescue my soul. Save me for the sake of Your kindness.”

“Restore my soul. Guide me on the paths of justice for the sake of Your Name.”

“My soul, return to your rest, for HaShem has dealt bountifully with you. HaShem, You have rescued my soul from death, my eye from tears, my foot from stumbling. I shall walk before HaShem in the lands of life.”

“Do not abandon my soul to the grave. Do not allow Your pious one to experience destruction,” but “redeem my soul from the power of the grave when You take me.”

Rock of worlds, Master of all creatures, God of all people! Restore, revive and heal my weary soul, which is so far from meaningful prayer.

Help me awaken, encourage and strengthen myself, so that from this moment on I will pray with fervor, with all my heart and soul.

“To You, HaShem, do I lift my soul.” “I lift my eyes to You Who sit in Heaven.” To You have I stretched out my hands. “I stretch out my hands all day long.”

“My soul turns to You like a tired land.”

“Give joy to the soul of Your servant because, HaShem, I lift my soul to You.”

Satiate me with Your goodness. Give joy to my soul with Your salvation and purify my heart to serve You in truth. “My soul will be joyous in HaShem, it will rejoice in His salvation. All of my bones will proclaim, ‘HaShem, Who is like You? You save the poor person from the one who is stronger than he, and the poor man and the impoverished man from the one who robs him.’”

“Why do You prostrate yourself, my soul, and moan within me? Hope in God. I will yet praise Him for the salvations that come from His countenance.”

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before You, HaShem, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Blessed is HaShem, God of Israel, Who alone does wonders. Blessed is the Name of His honor forever, and may His honor fill the entire land. Amen, amen!