Tefilat HaRamban LiParnasah — The Ramban’s Prayer for Livelihood
This prayer for livelihood and sustenance is attributed to Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, known as the Ramban or Nachmanides, one of the greatest medieval Jewish scholars (1194–1270). According to tradition, he would recite it three times each Rosh Chodesh, the first day of the Jewish month. It is commonly recited today before the Torah portion of the manna (Parashat HaMan). Whether you are Jewish or from any other background, this prayer's honest longing for dignified sustenance speaks to a universal human experience.
May it be Your will, Adonai our God and God of our forefathers,
that You bless all the work of my hands without limit,
that from Your full hand You satisfy me,
and from Your good treasury fill my home,
and make my ways and paths prosper,
and guard my steps and my journeys,
for all life is entrusted in Your hand.
May my sustenance be entrusted in Your hand and be sweet,
and may it not be in the hand of other people,
for theirs is bitter and hard as wormwood,
humiliating and shaming those who must seek it.
Therefore, in Your great mercy, grant me my sustenance from Your good and full hand,
and may it be whole,
[and may my work be for blessing and not for poverty, for life and not for death,
and grant me the merit that the Name of Heaven not be desecrated through me.
May I be among those who benefit and bring good to all people always,]
and guide me on the straight path before You,
and grant me grace, kindness, compassion, and favor in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who see me,
for You are a gracious and merciful God,
[and abounding in kindness to all who call upon You in truth.]
Yehi ratzon milfanecha, Adonai Eloheinu v'Elohei avoteinu,
shetevarech et kol ma'asei yadai ad bli dai,
umidcha hamele'ah tashbi'eni,
ume'otzarcha hatov temaleh et beiti,
vetatzliach derachai v'orchotai,
ushmor raglai un'tivotai,
ki veyadcha mesurim kol chayim.
Viyiyu mezonoti beyadcha mesurim umtukim,
velo yiheyu beyed bnei adam,
ki hem marim vekashim kela'anah,
boshet panim mechalimim.
Lachen berachamecha harabim tachon li mezonai miyadcha hatovah vehamele'ah,
viyiheyu shlemim,
[utehe melachti livrachah velo le'aniut,lechayim velo lamavet,
vetazkeni shelo yitchalel shem shamayim al yadi.
Ve'ehyeh min hamo'ilim vehamashpi'im tov lechol adam tamid,]
vetadricheni baderech hayesharah lefanecha,
vetitneni lechein lechesed velrachamim velratzon be'einecha uveinei chol ro'ai,
ki El chanun verachum atah,
[verav chesed lechol kore'echa be'emet.]
Common Questions
Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman (1194–1270), known by the acronym Ramban, was a towering figure in medieval Jewish life — a leading Talmudist, kabbalist, biblical commentator, and physician from Gerona, Catalonia. He is one of the most revered sages of the medieval period. This prayer bears his name because Jewish tradition attributes its authorship to him, though as with many attributed liturgical texts, independent historical verification of authorship can be difficult.
Parashat HaMan refers to the Torah passage in Exodus 16 describing the manna — the miraculous food God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness. Jewish tradition teaches that reciting this passage is a segulah, an auspicious spiritual practice, for sustaining one's livelihood, since the manna represents total dependence on divine provision. The Ramban's prayer, with its themes of sustenance coming directly from God's open hand rather than through human favor, pairs naturally with that reading. The additions in square brackets within the prayer text were inserted by the compiler of a work called Ashmoret HaBoker, who arranged this prayer to be recited alongside the manna passage.
The prayer draws a sharp contrast between sustenance that flows from God — described as sweet and full — and sustenance that depends on the goodwill of other human beings, which the prayer calls 'bitter and hard as wormwood, humiliating and shaming.' This reflects a deep strand in Jewish thought that values economic dignity and independence. The concern is not with human relationships themselves but with the vulnerability and loss of dignity that can come from financial dependence on others' charity or favor.
This phrase, drawn from the bracketed addition by the Ashmoret HaBoker compiler, refers to the concept of Chillul Hashem — the desecration of God's name — which in Jewish ethics means acting in a way that causes others to think poorly of God, the Torah, or the Jewish people. The worshipper prays not merely for personal success, but that their work and conduct in the world will bring honor rather than shame to the Divine. It reframes the prayer for livelihood as an act of spiritual responsibility, not just personal need.
Yes, a non-Jewish reader is welcome to recite or meditate on this prayer. The prayer's core themes — asking God for honest sustenance, for dignity in work, for guidance on a straight path, and for favor in the eyes of others — are human concerns that transcend any one tradition. The prayer does address 'Adonai our God and God of our forefathers,' language rooted in the Jewish covenant, and a non-Jewish reader may choose to engage with it as a window into Jewish spirituality, adapting the address to their own sense of the Divine. The website presents it in full authenticity so that readers of all backgrounds can encounter it honestly.
According to the tradition attached to this prayer, the Ramban recited it three times on each Rosh Chodesh, the new month in the Jewish calendar. In more recent popular practice, it has become widely associated with the recitation of Parashat HaMan, which some people recite on Tuesdays or during the week before Parashat Beshalach. It does not occupy a fixed place in the standard siddur, the Jewish prayer book, but is included in various supplementary collections and booklets devoted to prayers for sustenance and wellbeing.