Tefillah le-Ishah al Ba’alah — A Wife’s Prayer for Her Husband
This is a traditional Jewish woman's prayer on behalf of her husband, drawn from the genre of techinot — personal supplication prayers historically recited by women in their vernacular or in Hebrew. It asks for her husband's protection, health, long life, and blessing, and prays that their home be filled with love, faithfulness, and children. The prayer is traditionally recited privately, often on Shabbat or holy days. Whether you are Jewish or from any other background, you are welcome to enter its words with an open heart.
May it be Your will, Adonai our God and God of our forefathers,
God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob,
that You guard and protect and shelter my husband
from all harm, from all evil, and from all illness.
Grant him a good life, a long life,
a life of prosperity and honor.
Grant us enduring offspring and worthy, righteous children,
and plant between us always love and brotherhood, peace and friendship.
Plant in our hearts Your love and Your awe,
to do Your will and to serve You with a whole heart, as upright Jews.
And to do tzedakah and chesed with Your people Israel.
And bless my husband with a complete blessing, with abundant strength and peace,
as it is said:
"May Adonai bless you and keep you.
May Adonai cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May Adonai lift His face toward you and grant you peace."
And it is said: "Adonai will guard him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed in the land."
Amen, so may it be His will.
Yehi ratzon milfanecha, Adonai Eloheinu ve-Elohei avoteinu,
Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitzchak ve-Elohei Ya'akov,
Shetishmor ve-tintsor ve-titar et ba'ali
mikol nezek u-mikol ra u-mikol choli.
Ve-titen lo chayyim tovim, chayyim arukim,
chayyim shel osher ve-chavod.
Ve-titen lanu zera shel kayama u-vanim hagunnim ve-tzaddikim,
Ve-tita beinenu tamid ahavah ve-achvah, shalom ve-re'ut.
Ve-tita be-libbenu ahavat'cha ve-yirat'cha,
La'asot retzoncha ve-le'ovdecha be-levav shalem ke-Yehudim kesherim.
Ule-asot tzedakah va-chesed im amcha Yisrael.
U-tevarech et ba'ali berachah shelemah be-rov oz ve-shalom,
Kidvar she-ne'emar:
"Yevarechecha Adonai ve-yishmerecha.
Ya'er Adonai panav elecha vichuneka.
Yissa Adonai panav elecha ve-yasem lecha shalom."
Ve-ne'emar: "Adonai yishmerenhu vi-chayyehu ve-ushar ba-aretz."
Amen, ken yehi ratzon.
Common Questions
Techinot (singular: techinah) are voluntary personal petitions, distinct from the fixed obligatory liturgy. Historically, Jewish women composed and recited techinot in their home language as a way to express heartfelt prayer outside the formal synagogue service. This prayer belongs to that tradition of intimate, personal supplication, addressing God directly about the most central relationship in a woman's life — her marriage.
This triple invocation is one of the most ancient formulas in Jewish prayer, appearing in the very first blessing of the Amidah, the central standing prayer. Jewish tradition understands the repetition — 'God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob' rather than 'God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob' — to teach that each patriarch encountered God personally and distinctly. Invoking them here roots a wife's private prayer in the deepest wellsprings of the Jewish covenant relationship with God.
The three verses beginning 'May Adonai bless you and keep you...' come from Numbers 6:24–26 and constitute the Birkat Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing — one of the oldest continuously used liturgical texts in the world. By weaving this ancient blessing into a private supplication, the prayer connects a wife's personal hope for her husband's well-being to the collective blessing God commanded the priests to bestow upon all Israel.
The Aramaic-inflected phrase zera shel kayama literally means 'offspring of permanence' or 'offspring that will endure.' It is a traditional phrase expressing the hope not merely for children, but for children who will live, thrive, and carry forward their family and their faith. The prayer pairs this with the hope that those children will be 'worthy and righteous,' reflecting the Jewish understanding that raising ethically grounded children is itself a sacred purpose.
A non-Jewish person is welcome to read, meditate on, and be moved by this prayer. However, several phrases are specifically rooted in the Jewish covenant — invoking the God of the Hebrew patriarchs, asking to serve God 'as upright Jews,' and praying to do tzedakah and chesed 'with Your people Israel.' These are not decorative; they are the prayer's spiritual heart. A non-Jewish reader might engage with it as a window into Jewish faith and devotion, or adapt its themes of protection, love, and blessing into their own prayer language, rather than reciting it word for word as their own.
The prayer was composed within a traditional framework in which a Jewish woman prays for her husband, and its specific language reflects that context. That said, its underlying themes — asking God to protect someone you love, to bless your household with peace and faithfulness, and to plant love and reverence for God in both your hearts — speak to any devoted partner. Many women today recite it as written; others find that its structure and spirit inspire their own personal prayers for the one they love.