Tefilat HaBoker — The Morning Prayer
This morning prayer, meant to be recited each day upon waking, is attributed to Rabbi Mordechai of Nadvorna, an 18th–19th century Hasidic master known for his deep piety. It is a personal plea for a pure heart, genuine humility, and the ability to serve God with undivided intention — asking that all Torah study, prayer, and good deeds be done solely for God's sake. Whether you come to this prayer as a lifelong Jew or as a curious newcomer, its longing for sincerity and wholeness speaks across every boundary.
A prayer to be said every day in the morning, found in the writings of the holy Rabbi Mordechai of Nadvorna, of blessed memory.
May it be Your will, Adonai my God — upon You my eyes are fixed —
that You incline my heart toward Your will and lead me in the path that is pleasing before You.
Remove from me the uncircumcised heart, and give me a heart of flesh and a pure heart,
to love You and to fear You and to do Your will with a whole heart.
May it be Your will that You place in my heart humility and meekness and awe of Heaven,
and willingness and knowledge and understanding and wisdom and discernment and memory,
so that I may be able to do Your will in all the ways of the world, solely for Your great Name.
And all the Torah that I study, and all the prayers that I pray,
and all the commandments and good deeds that I fulfill,
today and every single day of my life,
may they all be dedicated solely to Your great Name,
with no other motive whatsoever;
and all the thoughts that arise in my heart against this declaration,
may they all be annulled and rendered void,
as though they had never arisen in my heart,
for my intention and my will are nothing other than to do Your will alone,
that there may be contentment before You, my Creator,
and to bring about the unification of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and His Shekhinah.
My God, You know that it is not within my power to direct the unifications that are fitting to direct and to unify
in Torah study, in prayers, and in good deeds,
and You, in Your great mercy — may it be pleasing before You as though I had directed within them
all the intentions and unifications that are fitting to direct and to unify in them,
and may there be contentment before You.
Amen, so may it be Your will.
Tefilah le'omrah bechol yom baboker, nimtze'ah bichtevei harav hakadosh Rabbi Mordechai miNadvorna zatza"l
Yehi ratzon milfanecha Adonai Elohai, alecha einai teluyot,
shetate et levavi lirtzoncha utolicheini baderech asher ertze lefanecha.
Utasir mimeni lev ha'arel, utiten li lev basar velev tahor,
le'ahavah otcha uleyir'ah otcha ulasot retzoncha belevav shalem.
Vihi ratzon milfanecha shetiten belibi hachna'ah va'anavah veyir'at shamayim,
veratzon vada'at utevunah vechochmah usekhel vezikaron,
kedei she'uchal laasot retzoncha bechol ha'ofanim sheba'olam, rak leshimcha hagadol.
Vechol haTorah sheilmad, vechol hatefilot sheetpalel,
vechol hamitzvot uma'asim tovim she'akim,
hayom uvechol yom vayom miyamei chayai,
yiheyu kulam meyachadim rak leshimcha hagadol,
beli shum pniyah acheret;
vechol hamachshavot sheyalu bilevavi neged hadibur hazeh,
yiheyu kulam beteilim umevutalim,
kei'ilu lo alu al levavi,
ki ein da'ati veretzoni ki im laasot retzoncha bilvad,
sheyiheyeh nachat ruach lefanecha bori,
ulaasot yichud leKudsha Brich Hu uShechintei.
Elohai, atah yadata she'ein beyadi lechaven yichudin hare'uyim lechaven uleyached
belimud haTorah, batefilot uvama'asim tovim,
ve'atah berachamecha harabim, ye'erav lefanecha ke'ilu kavanti bahem
kol hakavanotim vehayichudin hare'uyim lechaven uleyached bahem,
viyiheyeh nachat ruach lefanecha.
Amen ken yehi ratzon.
Common Questions
Rabbi Mordechai of Nadvorna (also spelled Nadvirna) was a Hasidic rebbe who lived in Galicia, in what is now western Ukraine. He was a disciple of several prominent Hasidic masters and was revered for his fervent devotion and personal holiness. The Nadvorna Hasidic dynasty he founded continues to this day, with communities in Israel and around the world.
The phrase 'uncircumcised heart' (lev ha'arel) is drawn from the Hebrew Bible, where it describes a heart that is spiritually blocked or closed — unable to fully receive God's presence. The prayer asks God to remove this obstruction and replace it with a 'heart of flesh' and a 'pure heart,' echoing the language of Ezekiel 36:26. It is a powerful image of spiritual openness and transformation.
Yichud (literally 'unification') is a Kabbalistic concept referring to the mystical act of uniting different aspects of the Divine, believed to be accomplished through sincere prayer, Torah study, and the performance of mitzvot. The prayer acknowledges that the worshipper lacks the knowledge and spiritual capacity to perform these unifications properly on their own. It therefore asks God, in His great mercy, to receive the person's efforts as if they had been performed with perfect intention — a profound expression of humility before the Divine.
Jewish tradition places enormous weight on intention (kavanah) in prayer and religious life. By reciting this prayer each morning, the worshipper consciously dedicates the entire day ahead — every act of learning, praying, and doing good — to God's honor alone, rather than to personal glory or habit. The daily repetition is itself an act of renewal, acknowledging that sincerity must be re-chosen each day, not assumed.
This prayer contains specifically Jewish theological concepts — including yichud (Kabbalistic unification), the Shekhinah (God's indwelling presence), Torah study as a religious obligation, and the Aramaic phrase 'Kudsha Brich Hu' (the Holy One, Blessed be He) — and is rooted in the Hasidic tradition. A non-Jewish reader may find deep meaning in its universal themes of sincerity, humility, and wholehearted devotion. Those who feel spiritually drawn to its words are welcome to read it as a meditation or prayer in their own way, while recognizing that its particular language and framework are those of Jewish faith.
Unlike many familiar prayers that petition for health, sustenance, or forgiveness, this prayer asks almost exclusively for interior transformation — humility, reverence, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and memory. Its deepest request is that everything the worshipper does will be motivated purely by love of God rather than self-interest. This makes it an unusually introspective prayer, focused not on what God can give outwardly, but on what kind of person the worshipper hopes to become.