Tefillah le-Erev Rosh Chodesh — Prayer for the Eve of the New Month
This prayer is recited on the eve of Rosh Chodesh — the eve of the Jewish New Month — a day traditionally associated with renewal, reflection, and seeking forgiveness. It was composed by Sarah daughter of Rabbi Mordechai of Satanov, a remarkable woman whose authorship makes this one of the rare surviving liturgical texts written by a Jewish woman in the early modern period. The prayer is deeply personal, addressing themes of sin, sustenance, and the longing for redemption. Whoever you are, whatever your background, you are welcome to read and be moved by these words.
God who is good and does good, show us Your mighty deeds and help us,
as You promised to guide us to Your holy land.
You are truth, and Your word is truth and enduring.
Therefore we entreat Your presence and ask of You,
Merciful God, to hasten our redemption, speedily in our days.
Our Father, our King, when we sinned before You in the wilderness,
Moses our Teacher, peace be upon him, prayed on our behalf,
and this is how he pleaded in his prayer:
"Forgive the sin of Your people Israel which they have sinned,
for You have glorified Yourself through them and called them 'My firstborn son, Israel.'".
I know that Your attribute is 'abundant in mercy,'
Therefore hear my prayer,
just as You hearkened to the prayers of our righteous forebears when they implored You.
Turn Your ear today to listen to my prayer,
for You probe the innermost heart.
Therefore I ask of You:
Do not cast us away in old age from serving You with a whole heart.
And what I have sinned before You — forgive me,
And guard me from sinning again.
Let not my foes and enemies rejoice over me forever,
as Your servant David, peace be upon him, asked before You:
Seal the mouths of my enemies so they may do me no harm,
And may angels of mercy bring my prayer before You.
You are a merciful God — have mercy on me and vindicate me before You,
And deal with me in kindness and compassion,
With no anger at all, God forbid.
Merciful God, all is revealed before You,
for You know the thoughts of the heart.
Therefore I implore Your presence:
Look upon my affliction,
for You are called righteous and upright.
I know within my own soul
that what brings about my failings are my anxious thoughts about my livelihood and sustenance.
Therefore have mercy upon me and grant me grace.
El tov u-metiv, har-enu et gevurotecha ve-azrenu,
kemo she-hivtachtanu le-nahhalenu el artzecha ha-kedoshah,
ve-atah emet u-devarcha emet ve-kayam,
lachen mechalim anachnu panecha u-mevakshim mimcha,
El rachum, she-techish ge-ulatenu bi-mehera ve-yamenu.
Avinu Malkenu, ke-she-chatanu lefanecha ba-midbar,
hitpalel ba-adenu Moshe Rabbenu, alav ha-shalom,
ve-chach he-etir be-tefillato:
"Kafer le-amcha Yisrael chatatam asher chatu,
ki atah hit-pa-arta bahem ve-karatam 'bnei bechor Yisrael'".
Yoda-at ani, she-midatcha 'male rachamim',
lachen shema tefillati,
ke-shem she-shamata le-tefillot avotenu ha-tzadikim be-et hitchanenam lefanecha.
Hateh oznecha ha-yom le-ha-azin le-tefillati,
ki atah bochan kelayot.
Lachen avakesh mimcha:
Al tashlichenu le-et ziknah me-avdecha be-levav shalem,
U-ma she-chatati lefanecha, mechol li,
U-shomreni mi-lacheto od.
Ve-al yismechu son-ai ve-oyvai la-adi,
kemo she-bikesh milfanecha avdecha David, alav ha-shalom:
Setom pi son-ai le-val yare-u li,
U-mal-achei rachamim yavi-u tefillati lefanecha.
Atah El rachum, rachem alai ve-tzadkeni lefanecha,
Ve-titnaheg immi be-chesed u-ve-rachamim,
Be-li kol rogez, chas ve-shalom.
El rachum, lefanecha ha-kol galui,
ki atah yode-a machshavot,
lachen achalleh fanecha:
Re-eh na be-onyi,
ki chen nikarata tzaddik ve-yashar,
ki yoda-at ani be-nafshi,
she-ha-gormim le-chatat-ai hen machshevotai odot parnasati ve-chalkalati,
lachen rachem na alai ve-chaneni.
Common Questions
Rosh Chodesh is the first day of each month in the Jewish lunar calendar, marking the appearance of the new moon. The eve before it was observed by many Jewish communities as a minor day of reflection and penitence, sometimes called Yom Kippur Katan — a 'small Yom Kippur' — during which individuals would examine their conduct over the past month and seek divine forgiveness before the month's renewal.
The prayer is attributed to Sarah daughter of Rabbi Mordechai of Satanov (a town in present-day Ukraine). Her authorship is remarkable because most traditional Jewish liturgy was composed and transmitted by men; prayers authored by women were rarely preserved in written form. That this prayer survived with her name attached is itself a historical rarity, offering a window into the inner religious life of a Jewish woman from Eastern Europe.
The prayer draws on the Hebrew Bible's narrative of Israel in the wilderness, quoting Moses's intercession for the people's sins (echoing the book of Numbers) and referencing David's plea to silence his enemies (echoing the Psalms). These figures are invoked not merely as historical personalities but as models of prayer — people who spoke honestly to God about failure and need. 'Your people Israel' reflects the prayer's grounding in the specific covenant relationship between God and the Jewish people.
At its heart, the prayer asks for three things: forgiveness for past sins, protection from future wrongdoing, and relief from the anxiety of economic hardship — the worry about 'livelihood and sustenance' that the author identifies as a root cause of her failures. This combination of spiritual and material concern is characteristic of traditional Jewish prayer, which does not separate the soul's needs from the body's.
This phrase reflects a traditional Jewish belief, found in various rabbinic and mystical sources, that prayers are accompanied or carried by angels as they ascend before God. It is also a way of expressing the pray-er's sense of unworthiness — she does not assume her prayer will arrive on its own merit, but trusts in divine compassion to receive it. The image conveys both humility and hope.