Seder Pidyon Nefesh — The Rite of Soul Redemption
The Seder Pidyon Nefesh — the Rite of Soul Redemption — is a Kabbalistic ritual prayer composed by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810), the great Chassidic master and great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov. It is recited while giving money to charity, with the intention of sweetening harsh divine judgments and redeeming the soul of a person in need. Whether you come from a Jewish background or are simply drawn to the power of intercessory prayer, you are welcome to sit with these words.
The Rite of Soul Redemption, composed by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov.
Money is given to charity, and the one who receives the money — the one performing the redemption — places his hands upon the money and says:
The coins, and all the wealth that follows in their wake.
Righteousness called him to its path at every step.
Righteousness — the holy kingdom.
The law of the kingdom is the law.
The root of all judgments is Binah — Divine Understanding.
I am Understanding; to me belongs Strength.
Judgment is sweetened only at its root.
Three hands are within Binah: the Great Hand, the Mighty Hand, the Raised Hand.
Three times 'Yad' (hand) — in gematria, the Name of Forty-Two.
The Forty-Two of Yetzirah — the Name of Ana Bekoach.
The Forty-Two of Beriah — twice the name Ehyeh.
The Forty-Two of Atzilut — the Name Havayah, simple and spelled out in full, with the filling of the filling.
May it be Your will that the judgments and harsh severities be sweetened from upon
[the name of the person, son or daughter of their mother: So-and-so son / daughter of So-and-so]
through the supernal wonder, which is great loving-kindness and complete and simple compassion in which there is no admixture of judgment at all. Amen.
Seder Pidyon Nefesh she-tikken Rabbi Nachman mi-Breslov.
Notenim kesef li-tzedakah, u-mekabbel ha-kesef, ha-oseh et ha-pidyon yani'ach et yadav al ha-kesef ve-yomar:
Ma'ot ve-et ha-yakum asher be-ragleihem.
Tzedek yikra'ehu le-raglo.
Tzedek malkhuta kadisha.
Dina de-malkhuta dina.
Shoresh ha-dinin Binah.
Ani Binah li Gevurah.
Ein ha-din nimtak ela be-shorshot.
Shloshah yadayim be-Binah: Yad ha-Gedolah, Yad ha-Chazakah, Yad ha-Ramah.
Gimel pe'amim Yad — gematria Shem shel Mem-Bet.
Mem-Bet she-bi-Yetzirah — Shem shel Ana Be-Cho'ach.
Mem-Bet she-bi-Veriah — shtei pe'amim Ehyeh.
Mem-Bet she-be-Atzilut — Havayah pashut be-milo'o u-milui de-milui.
Yehi ratzon milfanecha she-yimitku ha-dinim ve-ha-gevurot ha-kashot me-al
[shem ha-nitzrach o ha-nitzrechet le-fidyon ve-shem immo: Ploni / Plonit ben / bat Plonit]
al yedei pela elyon she-hu chasadim gedolim ve-rachamim gemurim u-feshutim she-ein bo ta'arvovet din klal. Amen.
Common Questions
Pidyon Nefesh literally means 'redemption of the soul.' The concept draws on the ancient Jewish idea that one can act as an advocate before God on behalf of a person facing spiritual or physical danger, using charity (tzedakah) as the vehicle of that advocacy. In Chassidic practice, a Pidyon Nefesh was often brought to a Rebbe — a spiritual leader — who would intercede on the petitioner's behalf. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov composed this specific ritual text to structure and sanctify that act.
The money given to tzedakah (charity) is not a payment or bribe to God — it is a spiritual act that embodies mercy and generosity, the very qualities being invoked in the prayer. The person performing the redemption places their hands on the coins or money while reciting the prayer, linking the physical act of giving with the spiritual intention of sweetening judgment. In Jewish mystical thought, acts of tzedakah have the power to transform the flow of divine energy from strict judgment to compassionate mercy.
In Kabbalistic theology, reality flows through divine attributes called Sefirot. The attribute of Gevurah (Strength or Severity) governs divine judgment and strictness, while Chesed (Loving-kindness) governs mercy and grace. When a person faces illness, danger, or spiritual crisis, it is understood in this framework as a moment when harsh judgment — Din — is active in their life. The prayer calls upon higher divine compassion, rooted in the attribute of Binah (Divine Understanding), to 'sweeten' that judgment — to transform it, not cancel it, through mercy.
The prayer includes a deliberate blank: the officiant recites the name of the person for whom the redemption is being performed, followed by their mother's name — a traditional Jewish custom in prayers for healing and protection. The text uses the Aramaic placeholder 'Ploni ben/bat Plonit,' meaning 'So-and-so son/daughter of So-and-so.' This personalizes the prayer, directing its intention toward a specific soul rather than a general petition.
The prayer is dense with Kabbalistic symbolism drawn from Lurianic Kabbalah. The 'Name of 42' (Shem shel Mem-Bet) refers to a sacred 42-letter divine name, most famously encoded in the prayer Ana Bekoach. The prayer also references the four Kabbalistic worlds — Atzilut (Emanation), Beriah (Creation), Yetzirah (Formation) — and the divine name Ehyeh (I Am), associated with Binah. These are not meant as magical formulas but as a map of divine reality, helping the one praying orient their intention toward the highest sources of compassion.
This prayer was composed within a specific Jewish mystical tradition and is deeply embedded in Kabbalistic concepts, Hebrew divine names, and Chassidic practice. A non-Jewish person can certainly read and contemplate it with respect, and its core yearning — that harsh judgment be transformed into mercy for a suffering soul — is universal and deeply human. However, the ritual as traditionally practiced involves a qualified Jewish officiant acting as an intercessor, so those outside the tradition may find it most meaningful as a window into Jewish spirituality rather than a personal liturgy to recite. You are warmly invited to be moved by it.