When a Person is Close to God, Place Has No Meaning for Him / One Should Not Say that a Particular Place is Not Good for Him When a person has Godliness in his heart, he is close to God, and just as “[God] is the Place of the world, but the world is not His place” (Rashi on Exodus 33:21), so too, place has no meaning for this person. Thus, a person who has a Jewish heart should not say that a particular place is not good for him, since he is the place of the world, and the world is not his place. Making Our Heart a Tabernacle for HaShem’s Glory “Whom do I have in Heaven? Besides You, I have desired no one on earth. My flesh and my heart yearn; God is the Rock of my heart and my Portion forever.”
May my heart be a sanctuary for Your glory. May the Presence of Your great and holy glory that dwells in the heart of every Jew, Your holy people, be drawn into my heart.
As the verse states, “I will dwell in their midst” — and our sages explained that this teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, brings His Presence to rest within every Jew.
Have compassion on me and help me so that my heart will be filled with Your Godliness, until no place in the world will be able to distract or prevent me from serving You and fearing You.
Help me truly be absorbed into You with all my heart until I, too, will be on the level of the “place of the world,” so that the world is not my place.
Finding God in Every Place May every place in the world be completely nullified and eradicated. May no place have the power to distract me, Heaven forbid, from any holy matter.
Constantly guide me and teach me how to act in regard to all movements and travels, so that everything will truly be in accordance with Your will. In accordance with the word of HaShem, may I camp in my house, and in accordance with the word of HaShem, may I travel on every journey.
May every detail of the management of each journey and encampment — overall, in detail, and in the smallest detail — all truly be in accordance with Your will.
May I truly find Your Godliness in every place that I come to as I camp and travel, in accordance with Your will. May I truly come close to You and cling to You.
May no place in the world distract me from serving You and fearing You. Rather, may I be truly near and close to You, clinging to You in every place in the world, on every level.
Have compassion on me for the sake of Your Name and compassionately fulfill the requests of my heart for the good, because my needs are many and my awareness is too abbreviated to explain even a thousandth or a ten-thousandth of them.
Compassionate One, You Who are filled with compassion, purify my heart to truly serve You. “Unite my heart to fear Your Name.” “God, create within me a pure heart, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
[עַל־פִּי תּוֹרָה נ"ו - כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ לְהָאָדָם לֵב, אֵין שַׁיָּךְ אֶצְלוֹ מָקוֹם כְּלָל]
מִי לִי בַשָּׁמָיִם וְעִמְּךָ לֹא חָפַצְתִּי בָאָרֶץ. כָּלָה שְׁאֵרִי וּלְבָבִי צוּר לְבָבִי וְחֶלְקִי אֱלֹהִים לְעוֹלָם.
When a Person is Close to God, Place Has No Meaning for Him / One Should Not Say that a Particular Place is Not Good for Him
When a person has Godliness in his heart, he is close to God, and just as “[God] is the Place of the world, but the world is not His place” (Rashi on Exodus 33:21), so too, place has no meaning for this person.
Thus, a person who has a Jewish heart should not say that a particular place is not good for him, since he is the place of the world, and the world is not his place.
Making Our Heart a Tabernacle for HaShem’s Glory
“Whom do I have in Heaven? Besides You, I have desired no one on earth. My flesh and my heart yearn; God is the Rock of my heart and my Portion forever.”
רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, אֲדוֹן כֹּל, אֲשֶׁר בְּכָל מְקוֹמוֹת מֶמְשַׁלְתֶּךָ, כִּי אַתָּה מְקוֹמוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם וְאֵין הָעוֹלָם מְקוֹמֶךָ.
Master of the world, Master of everything, Your governance prevails everywhere, for You are the Place of the world and the world is not Your place.
רַחֵם עָלַי לְמַעַן שְׁמֶךָ, וְתֵן לִי בֶּאֱמֶת לֵב כָּשֵׁר וְטָהוֹר לַעֲבוֹדָתֶךָ וּלְיִרְאָתֶךָ,
Have compassion on me for the sake of Your Name. Truly give me a worthy and pure heart, a true Jewish heart, to serve You and fear You.
לֵב יִשְׂרְאֵלִי בֶּאֱמֶת, עַד שֶׁאֶזְכֶּה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לִבִּי מִשְׁכַּן כְּבוֹדְךָ, שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נִמְשָׁךְ לְתוֹךְ לִבִּי שְׁכִינַת כְּבוֹדְךָ הַגָּדוֹל וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ הַשּׁוֹכֵן בְּתוֹךְ לְבָבוֹת שֶׁל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל עַמְּךָ הַקָּדוֹשׁ,
May my heart be a sanctuary for Your glory. May the Presence of Your great and holy glory that dwells in the heart of every Jew, Your holy people, be drawn into my heart.
כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם, וְדָרְשׁוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַשְׁרֶה שְׁכִינָתוֹ בְּתוֹךְ כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל.
As the verse states, “I will dwell in their midst” — and our sages explained that this teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, brings His Presence to rest within every Jew.
וְעִקָּר הָאֱלָהוּת הוּא בָּלֵב כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, צוּר לְבָבִי וְחֶלְקִי אֱלֹהִים לְעוֹלָם.
The essence of Godliness is in the heart. As the verse states, “God is the Rock of my heart and my Portion forever.”
רַחֵם עָלַי וְעָזְרֵנִי וְזַכֵּנִי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לִבִּי מָלֵא מֵאֱלָהוּתְךָ עַד שֶׁלֹּא יוּכַל שׁוּם מָקוֹם בָּעוֹלָם לְבַלְבֵּל וְלִמְנוֹעַ אוֹתִי מֵעֲבוֹדָתֶךָ וּמִיִּרְאָתֶךָ,
Have compassion on me and help me so that my heart will be filled with Your Godliness, until no place in the world will be able to distract or prevent me from serving You and fearing You.
רַק אֶזְכֶּה לְהַכִּיר אוֹתְךָ וְלִמְצוֹא אוֹתְךָ בְּכָל הַמְּקוֹמוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם וּבְכָל דַּרְגָא וְדַרְגָא שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם, כִּי לֵית אֲתַר פָּנוּי מִנָּךְ.
May I recognize You and find You in all places in the world and on every level in the world, because there is no place that is empty of You.
זַכֵּנִי לִהְיוֹת נִכְלַל בְּךָ בְּכָל לְבָבִי בֶּאֱמֶת עַד שֶׁאֶהְיֶה גַּם־כֵּן בִּבְחִינַת מְקוֹמוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם וְאֵין הָעוֹלָם מְקוֹמוֹ,
Help me truly be absorbed into You with all my heart until I, too, will be on the level of the “place of the world,” so that the world is not my place.
עַד שֶׁכָּל הַמְּקוֹמוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם יִהְיוּ בְּטֵלִין וּמְבֻטָּלִין נֶגְדִּי בְּתַכְלִית הַבִּטּוּל, וְלֹא יִהְיֶה לָהֶם שׁוּם כֹּחַ לְבַלְבֵּל אוֹתִי חַס וְשָׁלוֹם מִשּׁוּם דָּבָר שֶׁבִּקְדֻשָּׁה,
Finding God in Every Place
May every place in the world be completely nullified and eradicated. May no place have the power to distract me, Heaven forbid, from any holy matter.
רַק אוּכַל לְהַשִּׂיג אוֹתְךָ וְלִמְצוֹא אוֹתְךָ וּלְהִתְדַּבֵּק בְּךָ בֶּאֱמֶת בְּכָל הַמְּקוֹמוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם.
Instead, may I truly come to You, find You and cling to You in all places in the world.
וְתוֹרֵנִי וּתְלַמְּדֵנִי בְּכָל עֵת וָעֵת אֵיךְ לְהִתְנַהֵג בְּעִנְיָן כָּל הַטִּלְטוּלִים וּנְסִיעוֹת לִדְרָכִים שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַכֹּל עַל־פִּי רְצוֹנְךָ בֶּאֱמֶת, עַל־פִּי יְהֹוָה אֶחֱנֶה בְּבֵיתִי, וְעַל־פִּי יְהֹוָה אֶסַּע כָּל נְסִיעָה וּנְסִיעָה.
Constantly guide me and teach me how to act in regard to all movements and travels, so that everything will truly be in accordance with Your will. In accordance with the word of HaShem, may I camp in my house, and in accordance with the word of HaShem, may I travel on every journey.
וְכָל סֵדֶר הַנְהָגַת הַנְּסִיעָה וְהַחֲנִיָּה בִּכְלָלִיּוּת וּבִפְרָטִיּוּת וּבִפְרָטֵי פְרָטִיּוּת יִהְיֶה הַכֹּל כִּרְצוֹנְךָ בֶּאֱמֶת, וּבְכָל מָקוֹם וּמָקוֹם שֶׁאָבוֹא לְשָׁם בַּחֲנִיָּה וּבַנְּסִיעָה כְּפִי רְצוֹנְךָ,
May every detail of the management of each journey and encampment — overall, in detail, and in the smallest detail — all truly be in accordance with Your will.
אֶזְכֶּה לִמְצוֹא שָׁם אֱלָהוּתְךָ בֶּאֱמֶת וּלְהִתְקָרֵב אֵלֶיךָ וּלְהִתְדַבֵּק בְּךָ בֶּאֱמֶת,
May I truly find Your Godliness in every place that I come to as I camp and travel, in accordance with Your will. May I truly come close to You and cling to You.
וְאַל יְבַלְבֵּל אוֹתִי שׁוּם מָקוֹם שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם מֵעֲבוֹדָתֶךָ וּמִיִּרְאָתֶךָ, רַק אֶהְיֶה סָמוּךְ וְקָרוֹב וְדָבוּק אֵלֶיךָ בֶּאֱמֶת בְּכָל הַמְּקוֹמוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם בְּכָל דַּרְגָא וְדַרְגָא שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם.
May no place in the world distract me from serving You and fearing You. Rather, may I be truly near and close to You, clinging to You in every place in the world, on every level.
רַחֵם עָלַי לְמַעַן שְׁמֶךָ וּמַלֵּא מִשְׁאֲלוֹת לִבִּי לְטוֹבָה בְּרַחֲמִים, כִּי צְרָכַי מְרֻבִּים מְאֹד וְדַעְתִּי קְצָרָה מְאֹד לְבָאֵר חֵלֶק אֶלֶף וּרְבָבָה מֵהֶם.
Have compassion on me for the sake of Your Name and compassionately fulfill the requests of my heart for the good, because my needs are many and my awareness is too abbreviated to explain even a thousandth or a ten-thousandth of them.
רַחֲמָן מָלֵא רַחֲמִים, טַהֵר לִבִּי לְעָבְדְּךָ בֶּאֱמֶת, יַחֵד לְבָבִי לְיִרְאָה שְׁמֶךָ, לֵב טָהוֹר בְּרָא לִי אֱלֹהִים וְרוּחַ נָכוֹן חַדֵּשׁ בְּקִרְבִּי,
Compassionate One, You Who are filled with compassion, purify my heart to truly serve You. “Unite my heart to fear Your Name.” “God, create within me a pure heart, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן אִמְרֵי־פִי וְהֶגְיוֹן לִבִּי לְפָנֶיךָ יְהֹוָה צוּרִי וְגוֹאֲלִי, אָמֵן:
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing before You, HaShem, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Amen.