🆕 מִי שֶׁבֵּירַךְ | Mi Sheberakh for the Sick citing Biblical and Talmudic precedent, from HUC Ms. 453 (1730)

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25 June 2025 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

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and caregiving, Healing, health, in the merit of our ancestors, מי שברך mi sheberakh, Well-being

A Mi Sheberakh for the ill, from a 1730 Seder Hazkarot Neshamot copied by Shabetai Sheftel ben Zalman Auerbach (HUC Ms. 453, 23v). Uniquely among Mi Sheberakh texts, instead of just listing ancestors, it specifies examples of divine healing from the Bible and the Gemara.

Many thanks to David Sellis and Dr. Richard Sarason for bringing this mi sheberakh (and manuscript) to our attention.

Source (Hebrew)

Translation (English)

מִי שֶׁבֵּירַךְ אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ
אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב
מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן
דָּוִד וּשְׁלֹמֹה
וַחֲסִידִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים
וּמִי שֶׁהִמְתִּיק מֵי מָרָה
עַל־יְדֵי מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּֽנוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם
וְרַפֵּא מִרְיָם הַנְּבִיאָה מִצָּרַעְתָּהּ
וְרַפֵּא מֵי יְרֵחוֹ עַל־יְדֵי אֱלִישָׁע
וְרַפֵּא חִזְקִיָּֽהוּ מֶֽלֶךְ יְהוּדָה מֵחׇלְיוֹ
וּבִנְיָמִין הַצַּדִּיק מֵחׇלְיוֹ
הוּא יְבָרֵךְ וִירַפֵּא אֶת הַחוֹלֶה פב”פ
בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁר’ פב”פ נוֹתֵן צְדָקָה בַּעֲדוֹ
וְגַם קְהַל הַקָּדוֹשׁ נוֹתֵן צְדָקָה בַּעֲדוֹ

May the One who blessed our ancestors
Avraham, Yitsḥaq, and Ya’aqov,
Moshe and Aharon,
David and Shlomo,
and the early pious ones,
and the One who sweetened the waters of bitterness
via Mosheh our master, peace be upon him,
and healed Miriam the prophet of her tsara’at,
and healed the waters of Jericho via Elisha’,
and healed Ḥizqiyahu king of Judah from his sickness,
and the righteous Binyamin from his sickness,
heal the sick [so-and-so],
for R. [so-and-so] gives tsedaqah for his sake,
and so too the holy community gives tsedaqah for his sake.

בִּשְׂכַר זֶה הַמָּקוֹם בָּרוּךְ הוּא
יִרְפָּאֵֽהוּ וִיחַזְּקֵֽהוּ
וְיַבְרֵֽהוּ וִיחַיֵּֽהוּ
וְיִבְרָאֵֽהוּ וְיַחֲלִימֵֽהוּ
וְיַעֲמִידֵֽהוּ עַל־בֻּרְיוֹ
וְיִשְׁלַח לוֹ רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה
לְכׇל־גּוּפוֹ
וּלְכׇל־בְּשָׂרוֹ
וּלְכׇל־אֵיבָרָיו
וּבְתוֹךְ שְׁאָר חוֹלֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
הַשְׁתָּא בַּעֲגָלָה וּבִזְמַן קָרִיב
וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן׃

By merit of this, may the blessed Place
heal him and strengthen him
and refresh him and revive him
and regenerate him and ameliorate him
and stand him up whole
and send him complete healing
to all his body
and to all his flesh
and to all his organs
and in the midst of the other sick of Israel,
today, quickly, and soon,
and we say amen.

Source(s)

Notes

Notes
1	Exodus 15:23-26
2	Numbers 12:10–15
3	II Kings 2:18–22
4	II Kings 20:1–11, Isaiah 38
5	Talmud Bavli, Bava Batra 11a

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“מִי שֶׁבֵּירַךְ | Mi Sheberakh for the Sick citing Biblical and Talmudic precedent, from HUC Ms. 453 (1730)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut)

From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also translates and authors his own original works.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also authors his own original works and transcribes Hebrew and Aramaic text, adding niqqud and t'amim as needed.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.

Unknown

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Mi Sheberak for the Ill (HUC Ms. 453, 23v)

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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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