My Master,¹ it means “my Master”, i.e., it is a personal declaration of the person uttering it. When it is spelled Yud-Hey-Vov-Hey, it indicates God as the Creator of all.—Avudraham open my lips,

footnotes: ¹ When God's name is spelled Alef-Daled-Nun-Yud

and my mouth will declare Your praise.²

footnotes: ² Psalms 51:17.

THE VIRTUE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

Blessed³ contains eighteen expressions of praise which parallel the Eighteen Benedictions. are You, Adonoy,

footnotes: ³ The first blessing of Shemoneh Esrei

our God, and God of our fathers,

God of Abraham, God of Isaac,

and God of Jacob,

the Almighty,

the Great, the Powerful, the Awesome,

most high Almighty,

Who bestows beneficent kindness,

Who possesses everything,

Who remembers the piety of the Patriarchs,

and Who brings a redeemer

to their children's children,

for the sake of His Name, with love.

Remember us for life

King, Who desires life;

and inscribe us in the Book of Life,

for Your sake, Living God.)⁴

footnotes: ⁴ We ask God for life so that we can fulfill His purpose in creating us, i.e., to observe and fulfill His commandments.

King, Helper, and Deliverer and Shield.⁵ in all the fortunes of life by giving us the necessary energy and talents to succeed. He delivers us from both moral and physical suffering, and He shields us by keeping tragedy and evil influences from us.

footnotes: ⁵ God is a helper

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Shield of Abraham.⁶ called “Avos” (Patriarchs). And here too we bend our knees and bow when saying, “Blessed are You.” The major theme of this section is to praise God as “the Great”, as manifested in the Divine protection and providence He gave to the Patriarchs, of whom Abraham was the first.—Vilna Gaon

footnotes: ⁶ These words complete the first blessing of Shemoneh Esrei

DIVINE MIGHT

You are mighty forever,⁷ my Master;

footnotes: ⁷ God's rule of the world is permanent and perpetual.—Kuzari

You are the Resurrector of the dead⁸

footnotes: ⁸ This is the emphatic expression of our belief in the immortality of the soul.—Kuzari

the Powerful One⁹ called “Gevuros” (Might) and its major theme is to praise God as “the Mighty One.” Who alone restores man to life, health, freedom, and well-being.—Vilna Gaon to deliver us.

footnotes: ⁹ This passage begins the section of Shemoneh Esrei

He causes the dew to descend.

Causer of the wind to blow

and of the rain to fall.¹⁰ 7a) declares in the name of Rabbi Avohu: “The day when rain falls is greater than the day of the resurrection of the dead.” Rabbi Yochanan said, (Ibid, 2a): “There are three ׳keys’ which God retains in His own hands and does not entrust to any emissary: the key to rain, the key to childbirth, and the key to the resurrection of the dead.”

footnotes: ¹⁰ God's might is as much manifested in causing the rain as it is in reviving the dead. In fact the Talmud (Maseches Taanis

Sustainer of the living with kindliness,

Resurrector of the dead¹¹ writes that the three following praises represent various examples of how God restores life to those who arc near death. When a person falls (either physically or morally) he is often near death; thus, when God supports the fallen he restores their lives. When a person is sick, he often faces death, so when God heals the sick He restores their lives. A person who is imprisoned—i.e., confined—is like dead; thus when God releases the imprisoned He restores their lives. with great mercy,

footnotes: ¹¹ The most extraordinary manifestation of God's might—to our perception—is when He restores the dead to life. Avudraham

Supporter of the fallen,

and Healer of the sick,

and Releaser of the imprisoned,

and Fulfiller of His faithfulness

to those who sleep in the dust.¹²

footnotes: ¹² Just as God shows His faithfulness to the living, so too will He keep faith with the dead who lie in the dust. Others say that “Those who sleep in the dust” refers to the Patriarchs; God will remember the oath He made to them and keep His promises to them.—Avudraham

Who is like You, Master of mighty deeds,

and who can be compared to You?

King Who causes death and restores life,

and causes deliverance to sprout forth.¹³

footnotes: ¹³ Deliverance will “grow” in stages rather than all at once.

Who is like You merciful Father,

Who remembers His creatures for life,

in His mercy)

And You are faithful¹⁴ says the blessing of “Resurrector of the dead,” the Jew responds, “Amein” even though he has not seen God restore the dead to life; when the Chazzan says the blessing “Redeemer of Israel,” he responds “Amein”, even though he has not yet been delivered; and when the Chazzan says the blessing “Builder of Jerusalem,” he responds “Amein” even though Jerusalem has not yet been rebuilt.—Midrash Tanchuma

footnotes: ¹⁴ How remarkable is the Jew's conviction of God's faithfulness. When the Chazzan

to restore the dead to life.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Resurrector of the dead.

Kedushah

We will hallow and revere You

as [with] the sweet words

of the company of the holy Seraphim¹⁵

footnotes: ¹⁵ The Angels.

who thrice repeat "holy" unto You,

as is written by the hand of Your prophet,¹⁶

footnotes: ¹⁶ Isaiah 6:3.

And they called one to another, and said:

‘Holy, holy, holy,

is Adonoy of Hosts,

the fullness of all the earth is His glory.'"

Those facing them say "Boruch..."

Blessed is the glory of Adonoy

from its place¹⁷

footnotes: ¹⁷ Ezekiel 3:12.

And in Your Holy Words it is written:

Adonoy will reign forever;

Your God, Zion, throughout all generations!

Praise God.¹⁸

footnotes: ¹⁸ Psalms 146:10.

DIVINE SANCTIFICATION

You are holy and Your Name is holy

and holy beings

praise You every day, forever.

For a great and Almighty King—

great and holy—are You.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

the Almighty, the Holy One.¹⁹ called Kedushah (Holiness) which emphasizes that God is indeed awesome.

footnotes: ¹⁹ This blessing completes the section of Shemoneh Esrei

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

the King, the Holy One.

PRAYER FOR UNDERSTANDING

You favor man with perception²⁰ The first six petitions (blessings 4-9) are for our individual needs and well-being: understanding, repentance, forgiveness of sins, deliverance from trouble, from illness, and from want. Though these six petitions are of a personal nature, they voice the needs of all mankind. Note that the worshipper prays for his spiritual needs—knowledge, repentance, and forgiveness before he prays for his physical wants.

footnotes: ²⁰ The blessing “You favor man with perception” begins the group of thirteen petitions which make up the “intermediate” section of Shemoneh Esrei.

and teach mankind understanding.

Grant us from Your

wisdom, understanding and knowledge.²¹

footnotes: ²¹ Wisdom is essential to spiritual development, and we pray that God grant us understanding in order to fulfill the duties incumbent on us as Jews.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Grantor of perception.

PRAYER FOR PENITENCE

Cause us to return,²² our Father,

footnotes: ²² The goal of wisdom is the realization of man's true relationship to his Maker. Wisdom should be used for Torah study and Divine service.

to Your Torah

and bring us near, our King, to Your service;

and bring us back

in whole-hearted repentance²³ 2:10), and every day may be our last, we petition God daily for Divine guidance in repenting. before You

footnotes: ²³ Since the Sages say, “Repent the day before you die” (Maseches Avos

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Who desires penitence.²⁴ 38b) declares, הבא ליטהר מסיעין אותו. God desires penitence as it is written, “I do not desire the death of the wicked: but (rather) that the wicked return from his way and live” (Ezekiel 33:11).

footnotes: ²⁴ Repentance in Judaism implies regret for past misconduct and firm resolve for correct conduct in the future. God holds out His hand to the erring sinner and leads him back to righteousness, as the Talmud (Maseches Yoma

PRAYER FOR PARDON

Pardon²⁵ us, our Father, for we have sinned,

footnotes: ²⁵ Sin can only be pardoned after repentance. Hence, the order of these two petitions. Even if a person was the worst of sinners, his supplication (after repentance) makes him fit to receive Divine mercy and helps him attain it—R’ Yosef Albo

forgive us, our King,

for we have transgressed;²⁶

footnotes: ²⁶ Error, חטא, is the result of carelessness, ignorance, or weakness; sin, פשע, is a deliberate disregard of moral or religious duty.

for you are a good and forgiving almighty.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Gracious One, Who pardons abundantly.²⁷

footnotes: ²⁷ “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the man of iniquity, his thoughts. Let him return to Adonoy and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God for He abundantly pardons” (Isaiah 55:7).

PRAYER FOR REDEMPTION

Look, please, upon our affliction,

and defend our cause:

and redeem us

speedily²⁸ with complete redemption

footnotes: ²⁸ As an outgrowth of our penitence and our forgiveness we pray that we may be deemed worthy of Divine redemption.—Kuzari

for the sake of Your Name;

because You are a Mighty Redeemer.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Redeemer of Israel.

PRAYER FOR HEALING

Heal us,²⁹ Adonoy, and we will be healed,

footnotes: ²⁹ After the petitions for our spiritual needs we pray for earthly blessings—for health of body and soul, and for food to maintain our strength.—Kuzari

deliver us and we will be delivered;

for You are our praise.

Grant a cure and healing

to all our sickness

and to all our pain

and to all our affliction

May it be Your will,

Adonoy, our God, and the God of our fathers,

that You send, quickly,

a complete recovery from the heavens,

healing for the soul,

and healing for the body,

for the ailing

(name)

son/daughter of

(mother's name)

among the ailing of Israel.

because You are the Almighty, King,

Who is a faithful and merciful Healer.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Healer of the sick of His people Israel.

PRAYER FOR PROSPERITY

Bless for us, Adonoy our God,

this year

and all the varieties of its produce

for good;

and bestow

blessing

dew and rain for a blessing*

upon the face of the earth;

satisfy us from Your bounty³⁰ bounty”, referring to the bounty of Eretz Yisroel.

footnotes: ³⁰ According to the Gaon of Vilna, the petition here reads מטובה, “Satisfy us from its

for you are generous Almighty

who bestows goodness

and blesses the years.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Blesser of the years.

PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE

Sound the great shofar for our liberty,³¹

footnotes: ³¹ The following six benedictions, beginning with this one, are prayers for the restoration of the spiritual-national life of the Jewish People. This tenth benediction is an impassioned prayer for the fulfillment of the prophecy, “And it will come to pass on that day, the great Shofar will be sounded; and those who were lost in the land of Assyria shall come and those who were dispersed in the land of Egypt; and they will worship Adonoy on the Holy Mountain at Jerusalem (Isaiah 27:13).—Avudraham

and raise a banner to gather our exiles,

and gather us together quickly

from the four corners of the earth.

into our Land.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Gatherer

of the dispersed of His people Israel.

PRAYER FOR RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT

Restore our judges³² as before

footnotes: ³² We pray for the restoration of God's reign of justice, as the prophet said, “And I will restore your judges as in former times, and your advisors as the beginning; afterward you (Jerusalem) will be called the city of righteousness, faithful city” (Isaiah 1:26). This will be manifested with the restoration of the Sanhedrin and their system of halachic justice.

and our counselors as at first.

Remove from us sorrow and sighing,³³

footnotes: ³³ Few evils are the source of deeper grief and suffering than the absence of justice. With the restoration of justice, our sorrow and sighing will change to joy and gladness.—Avudraham

and reign over us quickly

You, Adonoy, alone

with kindness and compassion;

and make us righteous

with righteousness and justice,

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

King, Lover of righteousness and justice.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

the King of Justice.

PRAYER FOR DIVINE RETRIBUTION

For informers let there be no hope³⁴ in Yavneh, according to the text of Shmuel HaKattan, its author (Maseches Berachos 28:b). It is directed against the early Christians who informed against Jews to the Roman authorities after the destruction of the Second Temple, causing them to be put to an excruciatingly painful death.

footnotes: ³⁴ This petition was added to the original Eighteen Benedictions. It was ordained by Rabban Gamliel and his Bais Din

and may all wickedness³⁵,” but “wickedness.” This particular prayer is based on the Talmudic interpretation of the verse, “Let sins be terminated on earth and the wicked will be no more” (Psalms 104:36). instantly perish

footnotes: ³⁵ Not the “wicked

may all Your enemies³⁶ be swiftly cut off,

footnotes: ³⁶ God's enemies are the enemies of His people (see Rashi to Numbers 31:3). The internal enemies of the Jews, against whom this prayer was originally directed, disappeared within a short time.

and the insolent

may You quickly uproot, crush, rout,

disgrace and humbled

and subdue speedily in our days.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Crusher of enemies

and Subduer of the insolent.

PRAYER FOR THE RIGHTEOUS SCHOLARS

Upon the righteous³⁷ 17b, upon the pious,

footnotes: ³⁷ The prayer for the righteous follows the prayer against the wicked, following the same sequence of the Psalmist's verse, “And all the pride of the wicked, I shall cut down; exalted will be the pride of the righteous” (75:11).—Talmud, Maseches Megillah

upon the elders of Your people

the House of Israel,

upon the remnant of their scholars,

upon the true proselytes, and upon us,

may Your mercy be aroused,

Adonoy our God.

Grant bountiful reward

to all who trust in Your Name in truth;³⁸Your Name will trust in You” (Psalms 9:11). These men who perceive God's ways with undistorted clarity are of the highest caliber. They see God's hand guiding the world and they know with certainty that He directs all.—Avudraham, Malbim

footnotes: ³⁸ As King David said, “Those knowing

and place our lot among them,

and may we never be put to shame,³⁹

footnotes: ³⁹ The worshiper begs to be saved from the inner catastrophe of feeling that his trust in God has been in vain.—Pesher Dovor

for in You we have put our trust.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Support and Trust of the righteous.

PRAYER FOR JERUSALEM

And to Jerusalem,⁴⁰ 17b Your city,

footnotes: ⁴⁰ The “pride of the righteous will be exalted” in the restored city of Jerusalem. Hence in this blessing we plead for the reconstruction of Jerusalem, as it is stated, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may they who love You have peace” (Psalms 122:6)—Maseches Megillah

return in mercy,

and dwell therein as You have spoken;

and rebuild it soon, in our days,

as an everlasting structure,

and the throne of David, Your servant

may You speedily establish therein.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Builder of Jerusalem.

PRAYER FOR SALVATION

The sprout of David,⁴¹ 18a Your servant,

footnotes: ⁴¹ The prayer for the Messiah, descendant of David, follows the prayer for Jerusalem, following the sequence of Hosea's prophecy (3:5), “Afterward, the Children of Israel will return to Jerusalem and seek Adonoy their God, and David their King “—Masechcs Megillah

speedily cause to flourish

and exalt his power with Your deliverance,

For Your deliverance we hope all day.

and watch for Your deliverance.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Who causes to sprout

the power of salvation.

PRAYER FOR ACCEPTANCE

Merciful Father

Hear our voice, Adonoy, our God;⁴²

footnotes: ⁴² The last of the intermediate benedictions petitions God to answer all our preceding prayers.

spare us and have compassion on us,

and accept

our prayers compassionately and willingly,

for You are Almighty

Who hears prayers and supplications;

and from Your Presence, our King,

do not turn us away empty-handed,⁴³

footnotes: ⁴³ At this point, the worshiper may add any private petition, and ask God's help for himself, for his household, or for his community.

be gracious and answer us

and hear our prayer*

for You hear the prayers of every mouth

of Your people, Israel, with compassion.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Who hears prayers.

PRAYER FOR RETURN OF DIVINE SERVICE

Be pleased,⁴⁴ Adonoy, our God,

footnotes: ⁴⁴ The three concluding benedictions are known as the benedictions of thanksgiving. They consist of prayers for the re-establishment of God's service at Jerusalem; thanksgiving for God's daily wonders in our behalf; and a prayer for peace and prosperity.

with Your people Israel

and pay need to their prayer;⁴⁵

footnotes: ⁴⁵ In the previous blessings the first person was used: “Heal us,” “Have mercy on us,” whereas here the third person is used: “Their prayer,” “Accept their prayer.” In order to achieve a level in which we will be a source of pleasure to God, we must possess greater merit than what we as individuals can claim. We therefore ask God to take pleasure in the entire people of Israel among whom there are pious and righteous individuals who possess great merit, and we ask Him to accept “their prayer” with love and satisfaction.—Siach Yitzchok

and restore the service

to the Holy of Holies in Your abode,

and the fire-offerings⁴⁶ (priests) every day following the morning fire-offering.—Maseches Berachos 11b of Israel;

footnotes: ⁴⁶ The prayer “Be pleased” in a different form was recited by the Kohanim

and accept their prayer, lovingly

and willingly.

And may You always find pleasure

with the service of Your people, Israel.

Our God and God of our fathers,

may there ascend, come, and reach,

appear, be desired, and heard,

counted and recalled

our remembrance and reckoning;

the remembrance of our fathers;

the remembrance of the Messiah

the son of David, Your servant;

the remembrance of Jerusalem,

city of Your Sanctuary;

and the remembrance of Your entire people,

the House of Israel, before You

for survival, for well-being,

for favor, kindliness, compassion,

for good life and peace

on this day of:

Rosh Chodesh

the Festival of Matzos

the Festival of Sukkos

Remember us Adonoy, our God,

on this day for well-being;

be mindful of us on this day for blessing,

and deliver us for good life.

In accord with the promise of deliverance

and compassion,

spare us and favor us,

have compassion on us and deliver us;

for to You our eyes are directed

because You are the Almighty

Who is King, Gracious, and Merciful.

And may our eyes behold⁴⁷

footnotes: ⁴⁷ We pray for the privilege of witnessing the visible revelation of the Divine Presence as it appeared to the prophets, to the pious, and to all who were delivered from Egypt.—Kuzari

Your merciful return to Zion.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Who returns His Divine Presence to Zion.

THANKSGIVING

We are thankful to You⁴⁸

footnotes: ⁴⁸ Here you should bow in gratitude, as if standing before the Divine Presence, and say, “We are thankful to You.” The Jews always bowed when they perceived the Divine Presence..—Kuzari

that You Adonoy are our God

and the God of our fathers forever;

Rock of our lives,

the Shield of our deliverance,

You are in every generation.

We will give thanks to You

and recount Your praise,

for our lives

which are committed into Your hand,

and for our souls

which are entrusted to You,⁴⁹

footnotes: ⁴⁹ Here we thank God for returning our souls each morning, after having “entrusted” them to Him all night.—Eitz Yosef

and for Your miracles of every day with us,

and for Your wonders and benefactions

at all times—

evening, morning and noon.⁵⁰

footnotes: ⁵⁰ This phrase concludes the earlier declaration, “We will give thanks to You and recount Your praise ... evening, morning, and noon .”—Iyun Tefillalh

(You are) The Beneficent One—

for Your compassion is never withheld;

And (You are) the Merciful One—

for Your kindliness never ceases;

for we have always placed our hope in You.

We are thankful to You,

that You Adonoy are our God,

and God of our fathers,

God of all flesh,

Our Creator, Creator of the Beginning.

Blessings and thanksgivings

to Your great and holy Name

for keeping us alive, and sustaining us;

so may You always keep us alive

and sustain us,

and gather our exiles

to the Courtyards of Your Sanctuary

to observe Your statutes,

and to do Your will,

and to serve You wholeheartedly,

for we are thankful to You.

Blessed is the Almighty

to Whom all thanks are due.

[We thank You] for the miracles

for the redemption, for the mighty deeds,

for the deliverances, for the wonders

for the consolations and for the wars

that You performed for our fathers

in those days at this season.

In the days of Matisyahu,

son of Yochanan the High Priest,

the Hasmonean and his sons,

when the evil Greek kingdom rose up

against Your people Israel

to make them forget Your Torah⁵²

footnotes: ⁵² This refers to rationally conceived laws. S.R. Hirsch comments: The Greeks knew that the key to the Jewish religion is the Torah. If Torah were forgotten, the decline of ritual observance would be inevitable and rapid. Thus, they concentrated first on causing Torah to be forgotten, knowing that the deterioration of religious observance would swiftly follow.

and to turn them away

from the statutes of Your will—

You, in Your abundant mercy,

stood by them in their time of distress,

You defended their cause,

You judged their grievances,

You avenged them.

You delivered the mighty

into the hands of the weak,

many into the hands of the few,

defiled people into the hands of the undefiled,

the wicked into the hands of the righteous,

and insolent [sinners] into the hands of

diligent students of Your Torah.

And You made Yourself

a great and sanctified name in Your world.

And for Your people, Israel,

You performed a great deliverance

and redemption unto this very day.

Afterwards, Your sons entered

the Holy of Holies of Your Abode,

cleaned Your Temple,

purified Your Sanctuary,

and kindled lights

in the Courtyards of Your Sanctuary,

and designated these eight days of Chanukah

to thank and praise Your great Name.

In the days of Mordechai and Esther

in Shushan the Capital [of Persia],

when the evil Haman rose up against them,

he sought to destroy, to kill,

and to annihilate all the Jews,

young and old, infants and women,

in one day, the thirteenth day

of the twelfth month,

which is the month of Adar,

and to plunder their wealth⁵³—

footnotes: ⁵³ The usual procedure of those times was that all the wealth of executed people reverted to the monarch. In contrast to the norm, Haman decreed that Jewish possessions would be free for all to enjoy. He did this to provide added incentive to the populace who might have hesitated to kill Jews if they had nothing to gain.

And You, in Your abundant mercy,

annulled his counsel,

frustrated his intention,

and brought his evil plan upon his own head,

and they hanged him and his sons

upon the gallows.

And for all the foregoing

blessed, exalted and extolled

your Name, our King

constantly, forever and ever.

Inscribe for a good life

all the children of Your covenant.

And all the living shall thank You forever

and praise and bless

Your great Name with sincerity forever;

for You are goodness—

the Almighty, Who is our deliverance

and our help forever—

the benevolent Almighty.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

The Beneficent is Your Name

and You it is fitting to praise.

Birkas Kohanim⁵⁴ uttered the priestly blessing after performing the Temple Service. In our days, on the occasions when the kohanim recite the priestly blessings, they do so immediately after the “We are thankful” prayer which terminates the Avodah (Service) section of the Shemoneh Esrei. When Kohanim do not recite the blessings, the blessings are mentioned by the Chazzan in his repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei.—Avudraham

footnotes: ⁵⁴ In Leviticus 9:22, we find that after he completed the Divine offering, Aaron lifted up his hands and blessed the people. In a like manner, his descendants, the Kohanim,

Our God, and God of our fathers, bless us

with the threefold blessing of the Torah,

written by the hand of Moses, Your servant,

pronounced from the mouth of Aaron

and his sons, the kohanim, Your holy people;

as it is said:

Adonoy bless you and guard you.

Adonoy shine His countenance upon you

and be gracious unto you.

Adonoy turn His countenance toward you

and grant you peace.⁵⁵ paraphrases this blessing with the words יכבש כעסו, “May He withhold His anger.”

footnotes: ⁵⁵ Rashi

Mighty One on high who dwells in might,

You are peace and Your Name is peace.

May it be Your will that You grant us

and all of Your people, the House of Israel

life and blessing

for a safeguard to peace.

PRAYER FOR PEACE

Grant peace,⁵⁶ concludes with a blessing for peace, this concluding blessing is a restatement of the last benediction in the form of a congregational prayer.—Pesher Dovor goodness, and blessing,

footnotes: ⁵⁶ Since the Birkas Kohanim

life favor, kindness and compassion

upon us and upon all Israel, Your people.

Bless us, our Father, all of us as one

with the light of Your countenance.

For by the light of Your countenance

You gave us Adonoy our God,

a Torah of life and the love of kindliness,⁵⁷ of the “Torah of Life” is the mitzvah of doing kindness. But it is incomplete unless there is a love of kindliness in the heart which precedes the act of kindliness.—Pesher Dovor

footnotes: ⁵⁷ One of the most important mitzvos

righteousness, blessing, compassion,

life, and peace.

And may it be good in Your sight

to bless us

and to bless Your people Israel,

at all times and at every moment

with Your peace

(with much strength and peace).

In the book of life, blessing, peace

and abundant maintenance,

good decrees, salvations and condolences,

may we be remembered and inscribed

before You;

we and all Your people, the House of Israel

for a good life and peace.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Who blesses His people Israel

with peace.

May they be acceptable

the words of my mouth

and the thoughts of my heart, before You

Adonoy, my Rock and my Redeemer.

My God, guard my tongue from evil⁵⁸ 17a), and it is therefore expressed in the singular. The Jew prays that his mouth, his tongue, and his lips, which have just served as the instruments for his communion with God, will not forfeit any of their moral purity in his dealings with his fellow men*—Yaavetz*

footnotes: ⁵⁸ This prayer was the personal meditation of Mar the son of Ravina, which he recited after he completed his prayers (Maseches Berachos

and my lips from speaking deceitfully.

To those who curse me,

may my soul be unresponsive;

and let my soul be like dust to all.

Open my heart to Your Torah

and let my soul pursue Your commandments.⁵⁹ let my soul know no indifference, indolence, or passivity. Let me demonstrate zealous and vigorous endeavor in all things pertaining to Your mitzvos.—Etz Yosef; S.R. Hirsch

footnotes: ⁵⁹ May I have an open, receptive and understanding mind and spirit in the study of Torah. When it comes to mitzvos,

And all who plan evil against me,

quickly annul their counsel

and frustrate their intention.

(May it it be Your will

Adonoy, my God and God of my fathers,

that no person be envious of me

and that I not be envious of others,

that I not be brought to anger this day,

and that I not cause Your anger;

and save me from the evil inclination,

and help me be humble and any modest.

Our King and our Father,

unify Your Name in Your world,

rebuild Your city, establish Your house

and perfect your sanctuary.

Gather our exiles,

redeem Your people, rejoice Your congregation).

Act for the sake of Your Name.

Act for the sake of Your right hand.

Act for the sake of Your Torah.

Act for the sake of Your holiness.

In order that Your loved ones be released,

deliver [with] Your right hand and answer me.

May they be acceptable

the words of my mouth

and the thoughts of my heart, before You

Adonoy, my Rock and my Redeemer.

He Who makes peace in His high heavens

may He make peace

upon us and upon all Israel

and say Amein.

May it be Your will,

Adonoy, our God, and the God of our Fathers

that the Holy Temple be rebuilt

speedily in our days,

and grant us our share in Your Torah.

And there we will serve You reverently

as in the days of old,

and in earlier years.

And let Adonoy be pleased

with the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem

as in the days of old and in earlier years.