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| Source (Hebrew) | Transliteration (Romanized Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|---|
אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, אֲדוֹן כָּל הַמַּעֲשִׂים, רִבּוֹן כָּל הָעוֹלָמִים רַחֵם עַל כָּל אֵלֶּה הַסּוֹבְלִים מִן הַמַּיִם הַגּוֹעֲשִׁים, וְהַגַּלִּים הָרוֹעֲשִׁים חֲמֹל עַל מַעֲשֶׂיךָ — הַבִּיטָהּ יְיָ וּרְאֵה צָרָתָם, הֶאֱזִינָה אֱלֹהִים וּשְׁמַע צַעֲקָתָם. |
Avinu SheBaShamayim, Adon Kol HaMa’asim, Ribon Kol HaOlamim, Raḥeim Al Kol Eileh HaSovlim Min HaMayim HaGo’ashim VeHeGalim HaRo’ashim. Ḥamol al Ma’asekha – Habitah Adonai, URe’ei Tsaratam; Ha’azinah, Elohim, UShema Tsa’akatam. |
[Our Parent that is in the Heavens,] Ruler of Creation, Master of the world: Have mercy on all those who are suffering from the raging waters and the storming waves. Have compassion on Your creatures – Look, O Lord, and see their distress; Listen, God, and hear their cries. |
חָזֵק אֶת יְדֵי הַמַּצִּילִים, נַחֵם אֶת הָאֲבֵלִים, רְפָא נָא לַפְּצוּעִים. |
Ḥazeik et Yedei HaMatzilim, Naḥeim et Ha-Aveilim, Refa Na LaPetsuim. |
Strengthen the hands of those who would bring relief, comfort the mourners, Heal, please, the wounded. |
חָנֵּנוּ בִּינָה וְהַשְׂכֵּל לֵדַע אֶת חוֹבוֹתֵינוּ, וּפֶתַח אֶת לִבֵּינוּ לְמַעַן נוֹשִׁיט יָד אֶל הַנִּדְכָּאִים. בָּרְכֵּנוּ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְנֵלֵךְ בְּדָרְכֶיךָ, רַחְמָנִים בְּנֵי רַחְמָנִים. |
Ḥoneinu Binah VeHaskeil Leida at Ḥovoteinu, uFetaḥ et Libeinu LeMa’an Noshit Yad el HaNidka’im. Barkheinu Eloheinu VeNeileikh BeDarkekha, Raḥmanim Benei Raḥmanim. |
Grant us wisdom and discernment to know our obligations, and open our hearts so that we may extend our hands to the devastated. Bless us [elo’ah] so that we may walk in Your ways, “compassionate ones, children of compassionate ones.” (Sefer HaChinukh 44.1, Sefer HaChinukh 498.2)[1] Cf. Talmud Bavli, Beitzah 32b: ואמר רב נתן בר אבא אמר …כל המרחם על הבריות בידוע שהוא מזרעו של אברהם אבינו וכל מי שאינו מרחם על הבריות בידוע שאינו מזרעו של אברהם אבינו , |
תֵּן בָּנוּ אֹמֶץ וְחָכְמָה לְמַעַן נִמְנָע אָסוֹן וָמָוֶת. מְנַע מַגֵּפָה בְּעוֹלָמֶיךָ, וְקַיֵּם מַאֲמָרֶיךָ וְלֹא־יִהְיֶה עוֺד מַבּוּל לְשַׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ אָמֵן. כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן. |
Tein Banu Omets VeḤokhmah Lema’an Nimna Ason VaMavet; Mena Mageifah BeOlamekha, VeKayyeim Ma’amerekha: “VeLo Yihyeh Od Mabul LeShaḥeit et Ha-Arets.” Amein, Kein Yehi Ratson. |
Grant us the will and the wisdom to prevent further disaster and death; Prevent plague from descending upon Your earth, and fulfill Your words, “Never again shall there be another flood to destroy the earth.” (Genesis 9:11) Amen. So may it be your will. |
Rabbi Shai Held originally composed this prayer in the wake of the Asian tsunami disaster in 2004. We are grateful to Rabbi Held for contributing this and to Rabbi Stephen Belsky for making us aware of it. Please combine your prayers with an act of tsedaqah that bring healing into the physical world. For more information on how you can help, please visit, Repair the World. Translation in brackets not available in the original disseminated prayer. Niqud added by Aharon Varady on 29 July 2025.
Notes
| 1 | Cf. Talmud Bavli, Beitzah 32b: ואמר רב נתן בר אבא אמר …כל המרחם על הבריות בידוע שהוא מזרעו של אברהם אבינו וכל מי שאינו מרחם על הבריות בידוע שאינו מזרעו של אברהם אבינו |
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“אחרי הצונמי | Prayer in the Wake of a Tsunami, by Rabbi Shai Held (2004)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
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Estimated tsunami travel time forecast map for the 2011 Sendai earthquake from the U.S. NOAA — cropped
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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17
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