Everything has a purpose, and this purpose itself serves a higher purpose. The ultimate purpose of everything is the bliss of the World to Come: it was to attain this that the entire universe was created. The only ones who can grasp this purpose are the Tzaddikim. To the extent that each individual Jew is rooted in the soul of the Tzaddik, he can receive from him and attain his ultimate destiny, but only on condition that he breaks his own anger. We must not allow anger to make us act cruelly. We must show love instead. Anger is in effect self-worship, and causes Divine “anger” — the withholding of Divine favor. One of the ways this expresses itself in the world is that the true Tzaddikim feel the need to conceal themselves. But when we break our anger, God responds by causing the Tzaddikim to reveal themselves and accept responsibility for leading the Jewish People. In his humility, the Tzaddik truly loves the Jewish People, as opposed to false leaders, who may purport to be altruistic but are in fact intent on enjoying power and glory. Master of the worlds! Source of all good! You who are good to all:
You created Your universe for a good purpose, in accordance with Your primordial plan. Your ultimate purpose was for our good, that we should thereby be able to fulfil our true destiny and come to the ultimate good. This true good is the ultimate goal of everything — all other goals must ultimately lead to this. It was for this that You created all the worlds with such amazing wisdom, from the source of Atzilut to the very end of Asiyah, this World of Action. Through our labor in this world, which came last in the actual work of creation, we can become merged and united with that which arose first in thought: the ultimate goal of eternal good.
HaShem, my God and God of my fathers, God of compassion: Help me fulfil Your purpose and attain the good You want to give me. Let me serve You at all times, genuinely and whole-heartedly. Let me turn away from all evil and always do what is good in Your eyes, so as to come to my true destiny. In every action I take in this world and everything I become involved in, let my only purpose be to attain the ultimate goal, so that eventually this action or involvement will lead me to my true destiny. Don't let me do anything, say anything or become involved in anything that is not bound up with attaining this ultimate purpose. Let me fulfil the verse: “Know Him in all your ways, and He will straighten your paths.” Let all my actions be for the sake of Heaven.
Master of the Universe: You know how far I am from my ultimate purpose. Not only have I failed to take care not to do anything that isn't bound up with attaining my destiny. On the contrary, I've done the very opposite. My involvements have taken me far, far away from my goal. I've done so much wrong. I'm as far away as I could possibly be from my true purpose. Heavenly Father: what point is there in a life of pain and bitterness like this? Is this called life? Wouldn't a thousand deaths be better than this bitter life, seeing as my life is not bringing me to my true purpose?
Master of the World! Master of the entire Universe, who lovingly gives life to the dead! Source of all life! Give me life! Let me live and not die! Give me true life, eternal life, good, long life, a life of awe of Heaven — a life in which I will use every single moment to come nearer to the true, ultimate goal for which You created all the worlds and for which we came down from the supreme heights of the highest world into this lowly world.
Have pity on me! Give me hope! Don't destroy me! Strengthen me and fill me with determination. Help me take pity on myself and keep myself well away from all evil. Let me never again do anything which does not take me closer to the ultimate purpose. Have pity on Your handiwork. Bring me to turn to You with all my heart, so that I will attain the true goal of life, raising and elevating this world, the last to be created, so as to join it and unite it with what arose first in thought.
HaShem, my God and God of my fathers! Good and loving God: Help me! Guard and protect me from all anger, temper and resentment. Even if I do start to become angry at times, have pity on me and keep me from doing anything vicious out of anger. Help me break my anger, and instead show love and kindness. Help me control my impulses and break my temper, and turn anger into love. Let me make a point of acting kindly where I might have wanted to show anger. Don't let me have a strange god inside me, and don't let me worship idols — because this injunction applies to someone who becomes angry: he is considered as if he worshipped idols.
Master of the Universe: You know how hard it is to break this evil trait of anger and resentment. Once my anger starts to burn, I'm just not in my right mind. It is so hard to put out the fire of anger and suppress it. Take pity on me for Your Name's sake, and You help me! Guard me and protect me at all times. Help me break this trait and totally remove all anger and resentment from within me. Let me never ever become angry or resentful. Let me always be good to everyone, from now on and for ever.
And through this, let me arouse Your true kindness and tender love for our poor nation, destitute as we are today. We have been so despised and pushed around. We are scattered on all the mountains like a dispersed flock without a shepherd and with no-one to gather us in. Stop being angry with us. Set aside Your burning fury, and replace it with sweetness. Let Your compassion take the upper hand, and show us favor. Have mercy on us and send us true Tzaddikim, holy leaders, who will lovingly guide us and put into our hearts and minds an understanding of our true goal and purpose in life. With their help, let us spend all our days in pursuit of the true goal, throwing all our worldly appetites behind our back. Let our whole aim, desire, effort and struggle be only for the true, ultimate purpose, in accordance with Your will.
Master of the Universe: You alone know the true depths of our plight in this generation — the desperate plight of the Jewish People as a whole and of every single Jew individually. We are all hungry, yearning, longing, hoping and waiting to come truly close to You. Everyone who knows the wounds of his heart is longing and waiting for the true healer and leader who will bring us closer and heal the sickness and pain of his soul. We have no one to stand up for us, because You have taken away from us the joy of our eyes — the true Tzaddikim, the true leaders. We have no true leader who can guide us and bring us genuinely close to Your service.
Master of the whole world: You know our pains. You have heard our cries in the face of our oppressors. Arise and come to our aid at this time of trouble, as we stand on the threshold of Mashiach at the peak of this bitter exile of soul and body. We lack any skill and understanding that could enable us to elicit Your favor and call out to You to shine Your face on us again.
Father in Heaven: have compassion on us. Father in Heaven: don't hide Your face from us. Controller of everything, King of all the earth: send us a true holy leader and ruler with the power to guide us lovingly the way a nurse carries a suckling baby, so as to bring us genuinely close to Your service. Give us a true leader like Moshe Rabenu, may he rest in peace. In Egypt the Jewish People were sunk in the forty-nine gates of impurity and it was impossible for them to get out of there except through Moshe. You had pity on them and decreed that Moshe should go there.. Moshe should redeem them... even though Moshe Rabenu, in his great humility, wanted to hide his face. He did not want to take on the role of leader. Even so, You had mercy on Your people Israel and ordered him to go against his will. And You were with him constantly until he was able to redeem them.
Today, because of our sins, we are sunk in an exile deeper than that in Egypt. You know that only a true leader on the level of Moshe Rabenu can help us. Have pity on us for Your Name's sake. Put aside Your anger against us, and inspire the heart of the true leader with pity, so that he will have compassion on us, turn his face to us, and take on the responsibility of leadership so as to guide us lovingly to Your service.
Loving God: bring us to perfect, holy faith. Bring us to believe in You and Your true Tzaddikim with genuine and complete faith. Save us from false and nonsensical beliefs. Keep us from all false beliefs, and let us never put our trust in any form of superstition. Let us never follow any kind of superstitious practices or even pay the least attention to such primitive lies and nonsense. Let our hearts be filled only with holy Emunah, and bring us to pure, clear, wholehearted faith in You, HaShem our God, and in the true Tzaddikim, in the Holy Torah — both the written and oral Torah — and in the entire holy Jewish People.
Loving God: protect us from false, cruel leaders and administrators who lord it over the community not for the sake of Heaven but because they want honor for their own enjoyment. Save us from those who present themselves as if seeking the good of the community, as if their desire to run people's affairs is motivated by altruism, when in fact they are far from this and cannot even run their own lives, let alone other people's. They've not been given greatness from Heaven at all. Loving God, protect us from all of them: break their power and remove their influence from the world.
Kindly help me and save me, my children and descendants and all of the Jewish People from this evil desire to be powerful and run things. Protect me from ever feeling even the slightest desire for positions of power, leadership and pre-eminence or even having the merest thought about striving for them. Let me never ever chase after honor.
Loving God: for Your sake, help me turn to You and come to complete repentance with all my heart. Put into my heart the desire to do what You want. Bend my will into submission to You. Give me holy strength and power to conquer my will, break my evil desires and draw myself only towards the true purpose of life. Help me put my self and my life in order, and influence many others to lead a good life, come close to You, and enter the realm of the holy. Let me guide them to the life of Torah and Godly service You want us to have.
Loving God: help me cherish the true sages and give them every kind of respect and honor, and sacrifice myself for them. Give me the power to silence all the liars who hold them in contempt and abuse them. Help me overcome such people and bring them down to the dust.
Have pity on me and help me attain everything I have asked of You very soon. Bring me quickly and easily to my true destiny — the ultimate goal of eternal good. From now on help me never to do anything that does not lead to the true purpose. Let me spend all my days and years coming ever closer to the true, ultimate purpose. Let me attain it in this lifetime in this body, before I leave this world. Save me from having to be reincarnated in another body, God forbid, in order to attain this purpose. Let me myself attain it during my life in this world. Loving and merciful God: do it for Your sake and that of the true Tzaddikim, not for my sake. Grant me the life of the world to come without having to suffer any pain in Gehinnom or in the judgment of the grave. Kindly and lovingly grace me with a good, long life — eternal life in the world of total, everlasting goodness.
“Give me life in accordance with Your kindness and I will observe Your spoken testament. Let me know the path of the life of satisfaction and joy in the light of Your countenance, the pleasantness of Your merciful right hand for ever. Let the words of my lips and the meditation of my heart find favor before You, HaShem, my Rock and Redeemer.”
[עַל־פִּי תּוֹרָה י"ח - רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מִשְׁתָּעֵי קַרְטָלִיתָא]
רִבּוֹן עָלְמִין, טוֹב וּמֵטִיב לַכֹּל,
Everything has a purpose, and this purpose itself serves a higher purpose. The ultimate purpose of everything is the bliss of the World to Come: it was to attain this that the entire universe was created. The only ones who can grasp this purpose are the Tzaddikim. To the extent that each individual Jew is rooted in the soul of the Tzaddik, he can receive from him and attain his ultimate destiny, but only on condition that he breaks his own anger.
We must not allow anger to make us act cruelly. We must show love instead. Anger is in effect self-worship, and causes Divine “anger” — the withholding of Divine favor. One of the ways this expresses itself in the world is that the true Tzaddikim feel the need to conceal themselves. But when we break our anger, God responds by causing the Tzaddikim to reveal themselves and accept responsibility for leading the Jewish People. In his humility, the Tzaddik truly loves the Jewish People, as opposed to false leaders, who may purport to be altruistic but are in fact intent on enjoying power and glory.
Master of the worlds! Source of all good! You who are good to all:
אַתָּה בָּרָאתָ עוֹלָמְךָ בִּרְצוֹנְךָ הַטּוֹב כְּפִי מַה שֶּׁעָלָה בְּמַחֲשַׁבְתְּךָ הַקְּדוּמָה, וְתַכְלִית כַּוָּנָתְךָ הַטּוֹבָה הָיְתָה לְטוֹבָתֵינוּ, כְּדֵי שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה לְהַשִּׂיג הַתַּכְלִית הַטּוֹב, תַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי, תַּכְלִית הַטּוֹב שֶׁל כָּל הַתַּכְלִיתִין. וּבִשְׁבִיל זֶה בָּרָאתָ כָּל הָעוֹלָמוֹת כֻּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה נִפְלָאָה, מֵרֵאשִׁית הָאֲצִילוּת עַד סוֹף הָעֲשִׂיָּה, כְּדֵי שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה מִסּוֹף הַמַּעֲשֶׂה, לָבוֹא וּלְהִכָּלֵל בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה תְּחִלָּה, לְהַשִּׂיג הַתַּכְלִית הָאַחֲרוֹן, טוֹב הַנִּצְחִי:
You created Your universe for a good purpose, in accordance with Your primordial plan. Your ultimate purpose was for our good, that we should thereby be able to fulfil our true destiny and come to the ultimate good. This true good is the ultimate goal of everything — all other goals must ultimately lead to this. It was for this that You created all the worlds with such amazing wisdom, from the source of Atzilut to the very end of Asiyah, this World of Action. Through our labor in this world, which came last in the actual work of creation, we can become merged and united with that which arose first in thought: the ultimate goal of eternal good.
וּבְכֵן יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁתַּעַזְרֵנוּ בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים, שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה לְמַלֹּאת רְצוֹנְךָ הַטּוֹב, וְנִזְכֶּה לַעֲסֹק בַּעֲבוֹדָתְךָ תָּמִיד בֶּאֱמֶת וּבְלֵב שָׁלֵם. וְנִזְכֶּה לָסוּר מֵרָע לְגַמְרֵי בֶּאֱמֶת וְלַעֲשׂוֹת הַטּוֹב בְּעֵינֶיךָ תָּמִיד, לְמַעַן נִזְכֶּה עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה לְהַשִּׂיג הַתַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי. וּבְכָל עֲשִׂיָּתֵנוּ וַעֲסָקֵנוּ שֶׁנַּעֲשֶׂה וְנַעֲסֹק בְּזֶה הָעוֹלָם, בְּכֻלָּם יִהְיוּ כַּוָּנָתֵנוּ רַק בִּשְׁבִיל תַּכְלִית הַטּוֹב הָאַחֲרוֹן, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְגַּלְגֵּל מִזֶּה הַדָּבָר הַשָּׂגַת תַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי, וְלֹא נַעֲשֶׂה שׁוּם דָּבָר, וְלֹא נַעֲסֹק בְּשׁוּם עֵסֶק, וְלֹא נְדַבֵּר שׁוּם דִּבּוּר, שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם הַשָּׂגַת הַתַּכְלִית הָאַחֲרוֹן, וְנִזְכֶּה לְקַיֵּים מִקְרָא שֶׁכָּתוּב, בְּכָל דְּרָכֶיךָ דָּעֵהוּ וְהוּא יְיַשֵּׁר אוֹרְחוֹתֶיךָ, וְכָל מַעֲשֵׂינוּ יִהְיוּ לְשֵׁם שָׁמָיִם:
HaShem, my God and God of my fathers, God of compassion: Help me fulfil Your purpose and attain the good You want to give me. Let me serve You at all times, genuinely and whole-heartedly. Let me turn away from all evil and always do what is good in Your eyes, so as to come to my true destiny. In every action I take in this world and everything I become involved in, let my only purpose be to attain the ultimate goal, so that eventually this action or involvement will lead me to my true destiny. Don't let me do anything, say anything or become involved in anything that is not bound up with attaining this ultimate purpose. Let me fulfil the verse: “Know Him in all your ways, and He will straighten your paths.” Let all my actions be for the sake of Heaven.
רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ כַּמָּה אֲנִי רָחוֹק מִתַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי, וְלֹא דַי שֶׁלֹּא נִזְהַרְתִּי בְּכָל מַעֲשַׂי שֶׁלֹּא לַעֲשׂוֹת דָּבָר שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ הַשָּׂגַת הַתַּכְלִית הָאַחֲרוֹן, אַף גַּם עָשִׂיתִי מֵהֵפֶךְ אֶל הֵפֶךְ, וְעָשִׂיתִי מַעֲשִׂים הַגּוֹרְמִים לְהִתְרַחֵק מְאֹד חַס וְשָׁלוֹם מִן הַתַּכְלִית, וּפָגַמְתִּי הַרְבֵּה וְנִתְרַחַקְתִּי מִן הַתַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי בְּתַכְלִית הָרִחוּק. וְעַתָּה, אָבִי שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, לָמָּה לִּי חַיִּים כָּאֵלֶּה, חַיֵּי צַעַר כָּאֵלֶּה, חַיִּים מָרִים וּמְרוּרִים כָּאֵלֶּה, הַאִם זֶה נִקְרָא חַיִּים, הֲלֹא אֶלֶף מִיתוֹת טוֹבִים מֵחַיִּים מָרִים כָּאֵלֶּה, מֵאַחַר שֶׁאֵינִי זוֹכֶה בַּחַיִּים הָאֵלֶּה לְהַשָּׂגַת הַתַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי:
Master of the Universe: You know how far I am from my ultimate purpose. Not only have I failed to take care not to do anything that isn't bound up with attaining my destiny. On the contrary, I've done the very opposite. My involvements have taken me far, far away from my goal. I've done so much wrong. I'm as far away as I could possibly be from my true purpose. Heavenly Father: what point is there in a life of pain and bitterness like this? Is this called life? Wouldn't a thousand deaths be better than this bitter life, seeing as my life is not bringing me to my true purpose?
רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, מָרָא דְעָלְמָא כֹּלָא, מְחַיֶּה מֵתִים בְּרַחֲמִים רַבִּים, חַי הַחַיִּים, תֶּן לִי חַיִּים וְאֶחְיֶה וְלֹא אָמוּת, תֶּן לִי חַיִּים אֲמִתִּיִּים חַיִּים נִצְחִיִּים חַיִּים טוֹבִים חַיִּים אֲרֻכִּים חַיִּים שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶם יִרְאַת שָׁמַיִם, חַיִּים שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה עַל יָדָם בְּכָל עֵת וּבְכָל רֶגַע לְהַשָּׂגַת הַתַּכְלִית הָאַחֲרוֹן הָאֲמִתִּי אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁבִיל זֶה בָּרָאתָ כָּל הָעוֹלָמוֹת כֻּלָּם, וּבִשְׁבִיל זֶה בָּאנוּ מֵעוֹלָם הָעֶלְיוֹן מֵרוּם הַמַּעֲלוֹת לָעוֹלָם הַשָּׁפָל הַזֶּה,
Master of the World! Master of the entire Universe, who lovingly gives life to the dead! Source of all life! Give me life! Let me live and not die! Give me true life, eternal life, good, long life, a life of awe of Heaven — a life in which I will use every single moment to come nearer to the true, ultimate goal for which You created all the worlds and for which we came down from the supreme heights of the highest world into this lowly world.
חוּס וַחֲמֹל עָלַי וְתֵן לִי תִקְוָה וְלֹא אוֹבַד, וְחַזְּקֵנִי וְאַמְּצֵנִי שֶׁאֶזְכֶּה מֵעַתָּה לְרַחֵם עָלַי, לְהִתְרַחֵק וְלָסוּר מֵרָע לְגַמְרֵי, וְלֹא אֶעֱשֶׂה עוֹד שׁוּם דָּבָר שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ הַשָּׂגַת הַתַּכְלִית הָאַחֲרוֹן הָאֲמִתִּי. חֲמֹל עַל מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ וְזַכֵּנִי לָשׁוּב אֵלֶיךָ בֶּאֱמֶת, עַד שֶׁאֶזְכֶּה אֶל הַתַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי, לְהָרִים וּלְהַגְבִּיהַּ וּלְהַכְלִל סוֹף הַמַּעֲשֶׂה בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה תְּחִלָּה:
Have pity on me! Give me hope! Don't destroy me! Strengthen me and fill me with determination. Help me take pity on myself and keep myself well away from all evil. Let me never again do anything which does not take me closer to the ultimate purpose. Have pity on Your handiwork. Bring me to turn to You with all my heart, so that I will attain the true goal of life, raising and elevating this world, the last to be created, so as to join it and unite it with what arose first in thought.
וּבְכֵן יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, מָלֵא טוֹב מָלֵא רַחֲמִים מָלֵא רָצוֹן, שֶׁתִּהְיֶה בְּעֶזְרִי וְתִשְׁמְרֵנִי וְתַצִּילֵנִי מִן הַכַּעַס וּמִן הָרֹגֶז וּמִכָּל מִינֵי קְפֵּידוֹת, וְתָגֵן עָלַי בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ וְתִשְׁמְרֵנִי תָמִיד. וַאֲפִלּוּ בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁיָּבוֹא חַס וְשָׁלוֹם לְיָדִי אֵיזֶה כַּעַס, תַּחְמוֹל עָלַי בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ וְתִשְׁמְרֵנִי וְתַצִּילֵנִי שֶׁלֹּא אֶפְעוֹל בְּכַעֲסִי שׁוּם אַכְזָרִיּוּת כְּלָל, רַק אֶזְכֶּה לְשַׁבֵּר וּלְהָפֵר הַכַּעַס בְּרַחֲמָנוּת. וְאֶזְכֶּה לְהִתְגַּבֵּר עַל יִצְרִי לְשַׁבֵּר הַכַּעַס וְלַהֲפֹךְ הַכַּעַס לְרַחֲמָנוּת, לְרַחֵם דַּיְיקָא בְּרַחֲמָנוּת גְּדוֹלָה בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁהָיִיתִי רוֹצֶה לִכְעֹס חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, וְלֹא יִהְיֶה בִּי אֵל זָר וְלֹא אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לְאֵל נֵכָר, שֶׁזֶּה נֶאֱמַר עַל הַכּוֹעֵס שֶׁנֶּחְשָׁב כְּאִלּוּ עוֹבֵד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה.
HaShem, my God and God of my fathers! Good and loving God: Help me! Guard and protect me from all anger, temper and resentment. Even if I do start to become angry at times, have pity on me and keep me from doing anything vicious out of anger. Help me break my anger, and instead show love and kindness. Help me control my impulses and break my temper, and turn anger into love. Let me make a point of acting kindly where I might have wanted to show anger. Don't let me have a strange god inside me, and don't let me worship idols — because this injunction applies to someone who becomes angry: he is considered as if he worshipped idols.
רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ כַּמָּה קָשֶׁה לָנוּ לְשַׁבֵּר וּלְבַטֵּל מִדָּה רָעָה זוּ שֶׁל כַּעַס וּקְפֵּידוֹת, כִּי כְּשֶׁמַּתְחִיל הַכַּעַס לִבְעֹר בָּנוּ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, כִּמְעַט אֵין אָנוּ בְּדַעְתֵּנוּ וְקָשֶׁה עָלֵינוּ לְכַבּוֹת אֵשׁ הַכַּעַס וּלְכוֹבְשׁוֹ, עַל כֵּן רַחֵם עָלֵינוּ לְמַעַן שְׁמֶךָ, וֶהְיֵה בְּעֶזְרֵנוּ וְשָׁמְרֵנוּ וְהַצִּילֵנוּ תָמִיד בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ וַחֲסָדֶיךָ הַגְּדוֹלִים, וְעָזְרֵנוּ לְשַׁבֵּר וּלְבַטֵּל מִדַּת הַכַּעַס וּקְפֵּידוּת מֵעָלֵינוּ וּמֵעַל גְּבוּלֵנוּ, וְלֹא נִכְעֹס לְעוֹלָם וְלֹא אֶהְיֶה שׁוּם קַפְּדָּן כְּלָל, רַק אֶזְכֶּה לִהְיוֹת טוֹב לַכֹּל תָּמִיד מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם:
Master of the Universe: You know how hard it is to break this evil trait of anger and resentment. Once my anger starts to burn, I'm just not in my right mind. It is so hard to put out the fire of anger and suppress it. Take pity on me for Your Name's sake, and You help me! Guard me and protect me at all times. Help me break this trait and totally remove all anger and resentment from within me. Let me never ever become angry or resentful. Let me always be good to everyone, from now on and for ever.
וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה נִזְכֶּה לְעוֹרֵר רַחֲמֶיךָ וַחֲסָדֶיךָ הָאֲמִתִּיִּים עָלֵינוּ, עַל עַם עָנִי וְאֶבְיוֹן כָּמוֹנוּ הַיּוֹם, עַל עַם מְמֻשָּׁךְ וּמְמֹרָט, הַנְּפוֹצִים עַל הֶהָרִים כַּצֹּאן אֲשֶׁר אֵין לָהֶם רוֹעֶה, צֹאן נִדָּח וְאֵין מְקַבֵּץ. וְתָפֵר כַּעַסְךָ מֵעִמָּנוּ, וְתַמְתִּיק וּתְבַטֵּל חֲרוֹן אַפְּךָ מֵעָלֵינוּ, וְיִגּוֹלוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ עַל מִדּוֹתֶיךָ וְתָשִׁיב פָּנֶיךָ אֵלֵינוּ. וְתַחֲמֹל עָלֵינוּ בְּחֶמְלָתְךָ הַגְּדוֹלָה, וְתִשְׁלַח לָנוּ צַדִּיקֵי אֱמֶת מַנְהִיגִים אֲמִתִּיִּים דִּקְדֻשָּׁה, שֶׁיַּנְהִיגוּ אוֹתָנוּ בְּרַחֲמִים, וְיַכְנִיסוּ הַשָּׂגַת הַתַּכְלִית הָאַחֲרוֹן בְּלִבֵּנוּ וּבְשִׂכְלֵנוּ, עַד שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה עַל יָדָם לִרְדֹּף וְלָרוּץ כָּל יָמֵינוּ לְהַשִּׂיג הַתַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי, וְנַשְׁלִיךְ כָּל תַּאֲווֹת עוֹלָם הַזֶּה אַחֲרֵי גֵוֵינוּ, וְנָשִׂים כָּל מְגַמּוֹתֵינוּ וְכָל חֶפְצֵנוּ וְכָל תְּשׁוּקָתֵנוּ וְכָל יְגִיעוֹתֵינוּ וְכָל טִרְחוֹתֵינוּ רַק בִּשְׁבִיל הַתַּכְלִית הָאַחֲרוֹן הָאֲמִתִּי, כִּרְצוֹנְךָ הַטּוֹב בֶּאֱמֶת:
And through this, let me arouse Your true kindness and tender love for our poor nation, destitute as we are today. We have been so despised and pushed around. We are scattered on all the mountains like a dispersed flock without a shepherd and with no-one to gather us in. Stop being angry with us. Set aside Your burning fury, and replace it with sweetness. Let Your compassion take the upper hand, and show us favor. Have mercy on us and send us true Tzaddikim, holy leaders, who will lovingly guide us and put into our hearts and minds an understanding of our true goal and purpose in life. With their help, let us spend all our days in pursuit of the true goal, throwing all our worldly appetites behind our back. Let our whole aim, desire, effort and struggle be only for the true, ultimate purpose, in accordance with Your will.
לְז' אֲדָר הִילּוּלָא דְּמֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ ע"ה
רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, אַתָּה לְבַד יָדַעְתָּ עֹצֶם הָרַחֲמָנוּת שֶׁיֵּשׁ עָלֵינוּ עַכְשָׁיו בַּדּוֹר הַזֶּה, עַל כָּל עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּכְלָלִיּוּת וּבִפְרָטִיּוּת, עַל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, כִּי הַכֹּל חֲפֵצִים לְיִרְאָה אֶת שְׁמֶךָ, וְהַכֹּל תְּאֵבִים וּמִשְׁתּוֹקְקִים וּמְצַפִּים וּמְחַכִּים לְהִתְקָרֵב אֵלֶיךָ בֶּאֱמֶת. וְכָל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יוֹדֵעַ אֶת נִגְעֵי לְבָבוֹ, מְצַפֶּה וּמְחַכֶּה לְרוֹפֵא נֶאֱמָן, מַנְהִיג אֲמִתִּי, שֶׁיְּקָרֵב אוֹתוֹ וִירַפֵּא תַּחֲלוּאֵי נַפְשׁוֹ וּמַכְאוֹבָיו. וְאֵין מִי שֶׁיַּעֲמֹד בַּעֲדֵנוּ, כִּי לָקַחְתָּ מִמֶּנּוּ מַחְמַד עֵינֵינוּ, כָּל הַצַּדִּיקֵי אֱמֶת וּמַנְהִיגִים אֲמִתִּיִּים. וְהִסְתַּרְתָּ פָּנֶיךָ מִמֶּנּוּ, וְאֵין לָנוּ לֹא מַנְהִיג וְלֹא מְנַהֵל אֲמִתִּי, שֶׁיּוּכַל לְהַנְהִיג אוֹתָנוּ לְקָרְבֵנוּ לַעֲבוֹדָתֶךָ בֶּאֱמֶת.
Master of the Universe: You alone know the true depths of our plight in this generation — the desperate plight of the Jewish People as a whole and of every single Jew individually. We are all hungry, yearning, longing, hoping and waiting to come truly close to You. Everyone who knows the wounds of his heart is longing and waiting for the true healer and leader who will bring us closer and heal the sickness and pain of his soul. We have no one to stand up for us, because You have taken away from us the joy of our eyes — the true Tzaddikim, the true leaders. We have no true leader who can guide us and bring us genuinely close to Your service.
מָרֵיהּ דְּעָלְמָא כֹּלָּא, אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ אֶת מַכְאוֹבֵנוּ, וְאֶת צַעֲקָתֵנוּ שָׁמַעְתָּ מִפְּנֵי נוֹגְשֵׂינוּ. קוּמָה בְּעֶזְרָתֵנוּ בְּעֵת צָרָה הַזֹּאת, בְּעוּקְבָא דִּמְשִׁיחָא, בְּתֹקֶף מְרִירוּת גָּלוּת הַנֶּפֶשׁ וְהַגּוּף, כִּי אֵין לָנוּ שׁוּם שֵׂכֶל וָדַעַת אֵיךְ לְרַצּוֹת וּלְפַיֵּיס אוֹתְךָ, וְאֵיךְ לִקְרֹא אוֹתְךָ שֶׁתָּשִׁיב פָּנֶיךָ אֵלֵינוּ.
Master of the whole world: You know our pains. You have heard our cries in the face of our oppressors. Arise and come to our aid at this time of trouble, as we stand on the threshold of Mashiach at the peak of this bitter exile of soul and body. We lack any skill and understanding that could enable us to elicit Your favor and call out to You to shine Your face on us again.
אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם חֲמֹל עָלֵינוּ, אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם אַל תַּסְתֵּר פָּנֶיךָ מִמֶּנּוּ, מוֹשֵׁל בַּכֹּל מֶלֶךְ עַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ, שְׁלַח לָנוּ מַנְהִיג וּמוֹשֵׁל אֲמִתִּי דִּקְדֻשָּׁה, שֶׁיּוּכַל לְהַנְהִיג אוֹתָנוּ בְּרַחֲמִים, כַּאֲשֶׁר יִשָּׂא הָאוֹמֵן אֶת הַיּוֹנֵק לְקָרְבֵנוּ לַעֲבוֹדָתֶךָ בֶּאֱמֶת. תֶּן לָנוּ מַנְהִיג אֲמִתִּי כְּמוֹ מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם, כִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיוּ שְׁקוּעִים בְּמִצְרַיִם בְּמ"ט (בְּאַרְבָּעִים וְתִשְׁעָה) שַׁעֲרֵי טֻמְאָה, וְלֹא הָיָה אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיֵּצְאוּ מִשָּׁם כִּי אִם עַל־יְדֵי מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ. וְחָמַלְתָּ עֲלֵיהֶם, וְגָזַרְתָּ עַל מֹשֶׁה שֶׁיֵּלֵךְ מֹשֶׁה וְיִגְאָלֵם, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמֹּשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ מִגֹּדֶל עַנְוְתָנוּתוֹ הָיָה מַסְתִּיר פָּנָיו, וְלֹא רָצָה לְקַבֵּל הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה וְהַמַּנְהִיגוּת. אֲבָל אַתָּה חָמַלְתָּ עַל עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגָזַרְתָּ שֶׁיֵּלֵךְ בְּעַל כָּרְחוֹ, וְהָיִיתָ עִמּוֹ תָמִיד עַד שֶׁזָּכָה לְגָאֳלָם.
Father in Heaven: have compassion on us. Father in Heaven: don't hide Your face from us. Controller of everything, King of all the earth: send us a true holy leader and ruler with the power to guide us lovingly the way a nurse carries a suckling baby, so as to bring us genuinely close to Your service. Give us a true leader like Moshe Rabenu, may he rest in peace. In Egypt the Jewish People were sunk in the forty-nine gates of impurity and it was impossible for them to get out of there except through Moshe. You had pity on them and decreed that Moshe should go there.. Moshe should redeem them... even though Moshe Rabenu, in his great humility, wanted to hide his face. He did not want to take on the role of leader. Even so, You had mercy on Your people Israel and ordered him to go against his will. And You were with him constantly until he was able to redeem them.
וְהִנֵּה עַכְשָׁיו בַּעֲווֹנוֹתֵינוּ אָנוּ שְׁקוּעִים בַּגָּלוּת יוֹתֵר מִגָּלוּת מִצְרַיִם, וְאַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁאֵין מִי שֶׁיּוּכַל לַעֲזֹר אוֹתָנוּ, כִּי אִם מַנְהִיג אֲמִתִּי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בִּבְחִינַת מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם. עַל כֵּן רַחֵם עָלֵינוּ לְמַעַן שְׁמֶךָ, וּשְׁבוֹר וְהָפֵר כַּעַסְךָ מֵעָלֵינוּ, וּשְׁלַח רַחֲמָנוּת בְּלֵב הַמַּנְהִיג הָאֱמֶת שֶׁיַּחֲמֹל עָלֵינוּ וְיָשִׁיב פָּנָיו אֵלֵינוּ, וִיקַבֵּל הַמַּנְהִיגוּת וְהַמֶּמְשָׁלָה, וְיַנְהִיג אוֹתָנוּ בְּרַחֲמָיו, וִיקָרְבֵנוּ לַעֲבוֹדָתְךָ בֶּאֱמֶת:
Today, because of our sins, we are sunk in an exile deeper than that in Egypt. You know that only a true leader on the level of Moshe Rabenu can help us. Have pity on us for Your Name's sake. Put aside Your anger against us, and inspire the heart of the true leader with pity, so that he will have compassion on us, turn his face to us, and take on the responsibility of leadership so as to guide us lovingly to Your service.
וְזַכֵּנוּ בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים לֶאֱמוּנָה שְׁלֵמָה בֶּאֱמֶת, לָאֱמוּנָה הַקְּדוֹשָׁה, לְהַאֲמִין בְּךָ וּבְצַדִּיקֶיךָ הָאֲמִתִּיִּים, בֶּאֱמוּנָה שְׁלֵמָה בֶּאֱמֶת, וְתַצִּילֵנוּ בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים מֵאֱמוּנוֹת כָּזְבִיּוֹת מֵאֱמוּנוֹת שֶׁל שְׁטוּת וָהֶבֶל, וְלֹא יִהְיֶה לָנוּ שׁוּם אֱמוּנָה כָּזְבִיִּית, וְלֹא נַאֲמִין בְּשׁוּם דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא מִדַּרְכֵי הָאֱמוֹרִי, וְלֹא נֵלֵךְ בְּדַרְכֵיהֶם וְחֻקּוֹתֵיהֶם, וְלֹא נַטֶּה לְבָבֵנוּ אַחַר שְׁטוּתֵיהֶם וְשִׁקְרֵיהֶם, רַק נִזְכֶּה לֶאֱמוּנָה דִקְדֻשָּׁה בִּשְׁלֵמוּת, לֶאֱמוּנָה זַכָּה וּנְקִיָּה בְּךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ, וּבְצַדִּיקֶיךָ הָאֲמִתִּיִּים, וּבְתוֹרָתְךָ הַקְּדוֹשָׁה, בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב וְתוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל־פֶּה, וּבִכְלָלִיּוּת עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל הַקָּדוֹשׁ, בֶּאֱמֶת וּבְלֵב שָׁלֵם:
Loving God: bring us to perfect, holy faith. Bring us to believe in You and Your true Tzaddikim with genuine and complete faith. Save us from false and nonsensical beliefs. Keep us from all false beliefs, and let us never put our trust in any form of superstition. Let us never follow any kind of superstitious practices or even pay the least attention to such primitive lies and nonsense. Let our hearts be filled only with holy Emunah, and bring us to pure, clear, wholehearted faith in You, HaShem our God, and in the true Tzaddikim, in the Holy Torah — both the written and oral Torah — and in the entire holy Jewish People.
וּבְכֵן רַחֵם עָלֵינוּ וְשָׁמְרֵנוּ וְהַצִּילֵנוּ בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים מִמַּנְהִיגֵי שֶׁקֶר, מִמַּנְהִיגִים אַכְזָרִים, מִפַּרְנָסִים הַמִּתְגָּאִים עַל הַצִּבּוּר שֶׁלֹּא לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, הָרוֹדְפִים אַחַר הַכָּבוֹד לַהֲנָּאָתָם וְתוֹלִין רְדִיפָתָם בְּרַחֲמָנוּת, כְּאִלּוּ הֵם רוֹצִים לְרַחֵם עַל הָעוֹלָם לְהַנְהִיגָם, אֲשֶׁר בֶּאֱמֶת הֵם רְחוֹקִים מִזֶּה, וְאֵינָם יְכוֹלִים לְהַנְהִיג אֶת עַצְמָן מִכָּל שֶׁכֵּן אֲחֵרִים, וְלֹא נִתַּן לָהֶם הַגְּדֻלָּה מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם כְּלָל. רַחֵם עָלֵינוּ בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים וְהַצִּילֵנוּ מֵהֶם וּמֵהֲמוֹנָם, וּתְבַטֵּל וּתְשַׁבֵּר וְתַכְנִיעַ גְּדֻלָּתָם וּמֶמְשַׁלְתָּם מִן הָעוֹלָם:
Loving God: protect us from false, cruel leaders and administrators who lord it over the community not for the sake of Heaven but because they want honor for their own enjoyment. Save us from those who present themselves as if seeking the good of the community, as if their desire to run people's affairs is motivated by altruism, when in fact they are far from this and cannot even run their own lives, let alone other people's. They've not been given greatness from Heaven at all. Loving God, protect us from all of them: break their power and remove their influence from the world.
וְעָזְרֵנוּ בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים. וְהַצֵּל אוֹתִי וְאֶת זַרְעִי וְכָל עַמְּךָ בֵּית־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִתַּאֲוָה רָעָה הַזֹּאת שֶׁל פַּרְנָסוּת וּמַנְהִיגוּת. שָׁמְרֵנִי וְהַצִּילֵנִי וּמַלְּטֵנִי שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲלֶה עַל לִבִּי שׁוּם תַּאֲוָה וְחֶמְדָּה, וְשׁוּם מַחֲשָׁבָה כְּלָל שֶׁל פַּרְנָסוּת וּמַנְהִיגוּת וְרָאשׁוּת וְהִתְנַשְּׂאוּת, וְלֹא אֶרְדֹּף אַחַר הַכָּבוֹד לְעוֹלָם.
Kindly help me and save me, my children and descendants and all of the Jewish People from this evil desire to be powerful and run things. Protect me from ever feeling even the slightest desire for positions of power, leadership and pre-eminence or even having the merest thought about striving for them. Let me never ever chase after honor.
וְעָזְרֵנִי בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים לְמַעַנְךָ, וְזַכֵּנִי לָשׁוּב בִּתְשׁוּבָה שְׁלֵמָה לְפָנֶיךָ מְהֵרָה בֶּאֱמֶת וּבְלֵב שָׁלֵם. וְתֵן בְּלִבִּי לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ, וְכוֹף אֶת יִצְרִי לְהִשְׁתַּעְבֶּד לָךְ, וְתִתֶּן לִי כֹּחַ וּגְבוּרָה דִקְדֻשָּׁה לִכְבֹּשׁ אֶת יִצְרִי וּלְשַׁבֵּר תַּאֲווֹתַי הָרָעוֹת, וּלְהַמְשִׁיךְ עַצְמִי רַק אֶל הַתַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי, וְאֶזְכֶּה לְקַשֵּׁט עַצְמִי וּלְקַשֵּׁט אֲחֵרִים הַרְבֵּה, לְקָרְבָם וּלְהַכְנִיסָם לְתוֹךְ הַקְּדֻשָּׁה, לְקָרְבָם אֶל הַתּוֹרָה וְאֶל הָעֲבוֹדָה הָאֲמִתִּית כִּרְצוֹנְךָ הַטּוֹב.
Loving God: for Your sake, help me turn to You and come to complete repentance with all my heart. Put into my heart the desire to do what You want. Bend my will into submission to You. Give me holy strength and power to conquer my will, break my evil desires and draw myself only towards the true purpose of life. Help me put my self and my life in order, and influence many others to lead a good life, come close to You, and enter the realm of the holy. Let me guide them to the life of Torah and Godly service You want us to have.
וְזַכֵּנִי בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים לְאַהֲבַת־חֲכָמִים אֲמִתִּיִּים, וְאֶזְכֶּה לְכַבֵּד אוֹתָם בְּכָל מִינֵי כָּבוֹד וּפְאֵר, וְלִמְסוֹר נַפְשִׁי עֲבוּרָם. וְתִתֶּן לִי כֹּחַ לִסְכֹר פִּי כָל דּוֹבְרֵי שָׁקֶר, הַמְבַזִּים וּמְחָרְפִים אוֹתָם, וְתַעַזְרֵנִי לְהִתְגַּבֵּר עֲלֵיהֶם לְנַצְּחָם וּלְשַׁבְּרָם וּלְהַשְׁפִּילָם וּלְהַכְנִיעָם עַד עָפָר.
Loving God: help me cherish the true sages and give them every kind of respect and honor, and sacrifice myself for them. Give me the power to silence all the liars who hold them in contempt and abuse them. Help me overcome such people and bring them down to the dust.
חוּס וַחֲמֹל עָלַי וְזַכֵּנִי לָבוֹא מְהֵרָה לְכָל מַה שֶׁבִּקַּשְׁתִּי מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, וְאֶזְכֶּה לָבוֹא חִישׁ קַל מְהֵרָה אֶל הַתַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי, לְתַכְלִית הַטּוֹב הַנִּצְחִי. וּמֵעַתָּה תִהְיֶה בְּעֶזְרִי, שֶׁלֹּא אֶעֱשֶׂה עוֹד שׁוּם דָּבָר שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ הַשָּׂגַת הַתַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי, וַאֲבַלֶּה כָּל יָמַי וּשְׁנוֹתַי רַק בִּשְׁבִיל הַשָּׂגַת הַתַּכְלִית הָאַחֲרוֹן הָאֲמִתִּי. וּתְזַכֵּנִי לְהַשִּׂיגוֹ בֶּאֱמֶת, בַּחַיִּים חַיּוּתִי בְּגוּפִי הַזֶּה, קֹדֶם שֶׁאֶסְתַּלֵּק מִן הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. וְתַצִּילֵנִי שֶׁלֹּא אֶצְטָּרֵךְ לְהִתְגַּלְגֵּל חַס וְשָׁלוֹם בְּגוּף אַחֵר בִּשְׁבִיל הַשָּׂגַת הַתַּכְלִית הַזֶּה, רַק אֶזְכֶּה לְהַשִּׂיגוֹ בְּעַצְמִי בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה בַּחַיִּים חַיּוּתִי, בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים וּבַחֲסָדֶיךָ הַגְּדוֹלִים לְמַעַנְךָ וּלְמַעַן הַצַּדִּיקִים הָאֲמִתִּיִּים, וְלֹא לְמַעֲנִי כְּלָל. וְאֶזְכֶּה בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ לְחַיֵּי עוֹלָם הַבָּא, בְּלִי שׁוּם צַעַר גֵּהִינָּם וְחִבּוּט הַקֶּבֶר.
Have pity on me and help me attain everything I have asked of You very soon. Bring me quickly and easily to my true destiny — the ultimate goal of eternal good. From now on help me never to do anything that does not lead to the true purpose. Let me spend all my days and years coming ever closer to the true, ultimate purpose. Let me attain it in this lifetime in this body, before I leave this world. Save me from having to be reincarnated in another body, God forbid, in order to attain this purpose. Let me myself attain it during my life in this world. Loving and merciful God: do it for Your sake and that of the true Tzaddikim, not for my sake. Grant me the life of the world to come without having to suffer any pain in Gehinnom or in the judgment of the grave. Kindly and lovingly grace me with a good, long life — eternal life in the world of total, everlasting goodness.
וּתְחָנֵּנִי בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ לְחַיִּים טוֹבִים וַאֲרֻכִּים לְחַיִּים נִצְחִיִּים, לְעוֹלָם שֶׁכֻּלּוֹ טוֹב וְכֻלּוֹ אָרוֹךְ. כְּחַסְדְּךָ חַיֵּנִי וְאֶשְׁמְרָה עֵדוּת פִּיךָ. תּוֹדִיעֵנִי אֹרַח חַיִּים שֹׂבַע שְׂמָחוֹת אֶת פָּנֶיךָ נְעִימוֹת בִּימִינְךָ נֶצַח. יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן אִמְרֵי פִי וְהֶגְיוֹן לִבִּי לְפָנֶיךָ יְהֹוָה צוּרִי וְגוֹאֲלִי:
“Give me life in accordance with Your kindness and I will observe Your spoken testament. Let me know the path of the life of satisfaction and joy in the light of Your countenance, the pleasantness of Your merciful right hand for ever. Let the words of my lips and the meditation of my heart find favor before You, HaShem, my Rock and Redeemer.”