Tefillat Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol — The Prayer of Rabbi Yishmael the High Priest

Rabbi Yishmael said: Whoever recites this petition every day — his face will shine, and awe of him will rest upon all creatures; all his dreams will be fitting; his Torah will be preserved in his heart all the days of his life; the sins of his youth will be forgiven him; and he will be saved from the evil inclination and from evil speech and from evil encounter and from dangerous animals and from bandits and from serpents and from scorpions and from an evil spirit and from demons and from harmful forces and from all his enemies and all who hate him, and he will prosper in his business dealings.

And so Rabbi Yishmael said: I and Rabbi Akiva are guarantors that he will have a good share in the World to Come, as it is written: 'To grant those who love me an inheritance, and I will fill their storehouses.'

Please, Adonai, God of Israel, great and awesome King, Knower of mysteries, Revealer of hidden things, Declarer of secrets, Ruler over what is above and Sovereign over what is below,

near to all who call upon You, to all who call upon You in truth,

rescuing the poor from one stronger than he, and the needy and destitute from one who would rob him.

Turn toward the prayer of Your servant and toward his supplications, for I am poor and destitute.

May it be Your will, Adonai our God and God of our forefathers, that You guard me from all evil, for You are the Guardian of Israel,

and say 'Enough' to my troubles, and redeem me from every distress and anguish and from every evil report and from all shame and humiliation and from the insult of any person and from the contempt of any people,

and from every plague and every destructive force and epidemic and stumbling block and evil encounter and the evil eye and evil speech,

and save me from the evil inclination and from every destructive and harmful force, and from all wrath and harsh decrees in the world, and from every sin and transgression and from every iniquity and guilt and wickedness.

Amen, may this be Your will.

May it be Your will, Adonai our God and God of our forefathers, that You contend with those who contend against my soul by day, and with all who accuse my soul by night,

and take vengeance on them for me, and cut short their days, and fill their iniquities with evil,

and may they all perish in an instant, and swiftly and soon be cut off from the world,

and cast terror and great darkness and a deep stupor and dread and madness and blindness and confusion of heart

upon all my enemies and all who hate me, upon every adversary and accuser and prosecutor against me and against the people of my household,

whether human — man or woman — or a demon or harmful spirit or evil spirits and night-creatures,

as it is written: 'Let terror and dread fall upon them; by the greatness of Your arm let them be still as stone, as stone let them be still — by Your arm's greatness, and dread — terror upon them fall.'

And against all who rise against me for evil, swiftly frustrate their counsel and ruin their plans,

and let Your awe and Your fear be upon them so that they are silenced before me, should they look upon me with an evil eye — God forbid.

May it be Your will, Adonai our God and God of our forefathers, that their lips be made mute from speaking, and their eyes darkened from seeing, and their ears made deaf from hearing,

and their loins continually give way beneath them; let their sword enter their own hearts, and let their bows be broken —

let them be shamed, and I shall not be shamed; let them flee, and I shall not flee,

as it is written: 'Arise, Adonai, and let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You.'

Amen, may this be Your will.

May it be Your will, Adonai our God and God of our forefathers, that You cast awe and fear upon all creatures,

and decree upon them to do my will as my soul desires, and with a whole heart,

and fulfill in us what is written: 'And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of Adonai is proclaimed over you, and they shall be in awe of you,'

and it is also said: 'No man shall stand before you; the dread of you and the fear of you Adonai your God shall set upon all the land where you tread, as He promised you.'

Amen, may this be Your will.

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 open my heart to Your Torah and grant me knowledge and understanding and wisdom,

and have mercy on me and illuminate my eyes in wisdom through Your compassion, and teach me the qualities of Your wisdom,

and give me understanding of deep matters in Your Torah, and reveal to me sealed mysteries through Your help,

so that I shall not be ashamed before the sages of Your people, nor be disgraced among the devout of Your community.

Unify the intention of my heart and the readiness of my lips, and help me to learn and to teach, to observe, to do, and to fulfill all the words of the study of Your Torah in love.

Amen, may this be Your will.

May it be Your will, Adonai our God and God of our forefathers, God of the Divine Chariot,

that You save me from hunger and thirst and nakedness,

and provide me with my allotted bread each day, and sustain me with ease and not with pain, in permissibility and not in prohibition, in abundance and not in scarcity;

and fill me with the wealth of the gifts of Your hand, and send blessing and success in all my dealings and affairs and in all the work of my hands that shall be mine;

and grant me love, grace, kindness, and compassion in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who see me, know me, and recognize me.

Amen, may this be Your will.

May it be Your will before you, holy and pure ministering angels,

that you deal with me in great kindness, and with the people of my household,

and for the sake of the holiness of Adonai and for the sake of His holy and pure Torah and for the sake of your own holiness

stand before Adonai, God of Israel, the King who sits upon a throne of mercy,

in supplication and entreaty to bring my prayer and my plea to be heard,

so as to fulfill my request and petition each and every day,

and may He forgive me all my iniquities and my sins and my guilt that I have sinned and done wrong and transgressed before Him,

whether under compulsion or willingly, whether inadvertently or deliberately, whether in secret or in the open,

whether with intention or without intention, whether in speech or in action, whether in thought or in the heart's reflection,

from this time forth and forever. Amen, may this be Your will.

I beseech you, I implore you, holy and pure ministering angels who spread their wings in purity,

that you perform great grace, kindness, and compassion by virtue of the great Name

— pronounced in thought and not spoken aloud: Aktariel —

who dwells in the praises of Israel,

and by virtue of the seventy-two holy and pure Names:

take the keys, with the permission of the Holy Blessed One,

and open for me the gates of grace and kindness and compassion, and the gates of peace and the gates of tranquility,

and the gates of knowledge and understanding, wisdom and insight,

and the gates of wealth and honor, and the gates of repentance and the gates of salvation,

and may I find grace and kindness in your eyes and in the eyes of all who see me, know me, and recognize me,

and bring me success and help me in all my affairs for good,

and when I lie down I shall not be afraid, as it is written: 'If you lie down, you will not be afraid; you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet,'

that my life may be as sweet as honey and the finest honeycomb,

and be with me to help and to benefit and to save and to support

like the strength of the sun in Tammuz and the fullness of the moon.

Amen, may this be Your will.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before You, Adonai, my Rock and my Redeemer.

May it be Your will, Adonai our God and God of our forefathers,

that You save me from the evil inclination and from all distress and anguish,

and may the sound of weeping and crying not be heard in my home,

and bring me forth from peace into greater peace,

and may I find grace and kindness in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who see me,

and deal with me according to the measure of kindness and the measure of mercy,

and take pity upon me, and grant me to behold the light of the living,

deal with me in righteousness for the sake of Your name and for the sake of Your covenant, and for the sake of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel Your servants, and for the sake of Moses and Aaron and David and Solomon, and Elijah Your chosen one,

and for the sake of Your throne of glory and for the sake of Your Presence, and redeem me from all harsh and evil decrees.

Save me in Your abundant compassion from all distress and anguish,

and decree upon me good decrees and guard me from all evil,

and nullify all the plans of those who hate me, and frustrate all the counsel of my enemies, and fulfill all my desires for good,

as it is written: 'May He grant you the desire of your heart and fulfill all your counsel.'

Deliver me, Adonai, from an evil man; from a man of violence preserve me.

Hear me, Adonai, and be gracious to me; Adonai, be my helper,

that they may be with me to help and to benefit and to save and to rescue.

Return, Adonai — deliver my soul — save me for the sake of Your chesed,

and you shall have peace, and your household shall have peace, and all that is yours shall have peace.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before You, Adonai, my Rock and my Redeemer.