תפילה קודם לימוד הקבלה | Prayer Before Studying Ḳabbalah, by Rabbi Yitsḥaq Luria (translated by Aharon Varady)

Contributor(s):

Yitsḥak Luria and Aharon N. Varady (translation)

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12 October 2014 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

Categories:

Learning, Study, and School, Torah Study

Tags:

prayers of kabbalists, קבלה ḳabbalah, esoteric Judaism, 16th century C.E., Lurianic, 54th century A.M., school of the ARI z"l, Liturgical customs of Kabbalists

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Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים וַאֲדוֹנֵי הָאֲדוֹנִים, אַב הָרָחֲמִים וְהָסְּלִיחוֹת, מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, בְּקִידָּה וּבְהִשְׁתַּחֲוָיָה, שֶׁקֵּרַבְתָּנוּ לְתוֹרָתֶךָ וְלַעֲבוֹדָתֶךָ עֲבוֹדַת הַקֹדֶשׁ, וְנָתַתָּ לָנוּ חֵלֶק בְּסוֹדוֹת תּוֹרָתֶךָ הַקְּדוֹשָׁה.‏	Master of the worlds and Lord of lords, Father of Compassion and Forgiveness, we give thanks before you YHVH our elo’ah, and elo’ah of our ancestors, bowing and in prostration, for drawing us close to your Torah and to your service [in] the holy mission, and for granting us a portion in the hidden insights of your holy Torah.
מָה אֲנוּ וּמָה חַיֵּינוּ אֲשֶר עָשִׂיתָ עִמָּנוּ חֶסֶד גָּדוֹל כָּזֶה?‏	What are we and what is our life that you should have made for us this immense ḥesed?
עַל כֵּן אֲנַחְנוּ מַפִּילִים תַּחֲנוּנֵינוּ לְפָנֶיךָ, שֶׁתִּמְחוֹל וְתִסְלַח לְכָל חַטֹּאתֵינוּ וְעֲווֹנוֹתֵינוּ, וְאַל יִהְיוּ עֲווֹנוֹתֵינוּ מַבְדִּילִים בֵּינֵנוּ לְבֵינֶךָ.‏	Therefore we cast our supplications before you, requesting that you forgive and pardon all our sins and transgressions, and that our sins shall not alienate us from you.
וּבְכֵן יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיךָ ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁתְּכוֹנֵן אֶת לְבָבֵינוּ לְיִרְאָתֶךָ וּלְאַהֲבָתֶךָ, וְתַקְשִׁיב אַזְנֶיךָ לִדְבָרֵינוּ אֵלֶה, וְתִפְתַּח לְבָבֵנוּ הֶעָרֵל בּסוֹדוֹת תּוֹרָתֶךָ, וְיִהְיֶה לִמּוּדֵינוּ זֶה נַחַת רוּחַ לִפְנֵי כִסֵּא כְבוֹדֶךָ כְּרֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ, וְתַאֲצִיל עֲלֵינוּ אוֹר מְקוֹר נִשְׁמָתֵנוּ בְּכָל בְּחִינָתֵנוּ, וְשֶׁיִּתְנוֹצְצוּ נִיצוֹצוֹת עֲבָדֶיךָ הַקְּדוֹשִׁים אֲשֶׁר עַל יָדָם גִּלִּיתָ דְבָרֶיךָ אֵלֶה בָּעוֹלָם.‏	Therefore may it be your will, YHVH our elo’ah, and elo’ah of our ancestors, that you attune our minds^[1] Until the modern period, the heart was understood as the locus of the intellect, and thus translated here as mind, not literally as heart. to your fearsomeness and your lovingness, and let your ears hear our speech, and open our closed^[2] Here I interpret, he’aral, literally “uncircumcised,” as closed, i.e., unprepared, immature. minds with the secrets of your Torah, and let our study be pleasing before your Resplendent Cathedra as the redolence of honeyed incense, and emanate upon us light from the source of our souls to [illuminate] all facets of our inner being, and let the nitsotsot (primordial sparks) [contained within] your holy servants, through whom you have revealed your words in this Age, shine forth!
וּזְכוּתָם וּזְכוּת אֲבוֹתָם וּזְכוּת תּוֹרָתָם וּתְמִימוּתָם וּקְדוּשָתָם יַעֲמוֹד לָנוּ לְבַל נִכָּשֵׁל בִּדְבָרִים אֵלוּ,‏	May their merit, and the merit of their ancestors, and the merit of their Torah, of their perfection, and of their sanctity support us so that we should not stumble in our study.
וּבִזְכוּתָם תָּאִיר עֵינֵינוּ בַּמֶּה שֶׁאָנוּ לוֹמְדִים, כְּמַאֲמַר נְעִים זְמִירוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל: ”גַּל־עֵינַ֥י וְאַבִּ֑יטָה נִ֝פְלָא֗וֹת מִתּוֹרָתֶֽךָ“ (תהלים קיט׃יח) ”כִּֽי־יְ֭הוָה יִתֵּ֣ן חָכְמָ֑ה מִ֝פִּ֗יו דַּ֣עַת וּתְבוּנָֽה׃“ (משלי ב׃ו)	And may their merit illuminate our eyes in what we are studying, in the words of the enchanting singer of Yisra’el: “Open my eyes and I will perceive the wonders of your Torah”^[3] Psalms 119:18 , “for YHVH grants wisdom; out of Their mouth, knowledge and discernment emanate.”^[4] Proverbs 2:6
”יִֽהְי֥וּ לְרָצ֨וֹן׀ אִמְרֵי־פִ֡י וְהֶגְי֣וֹן לִבִּ֣י לְפָנֶ֑יךָ יְ֝הוָ֗ה צוּרִ֥י וְגֹאֲלִֽי׃“ (תהלים יט׃טו)	“May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart find favor before you, YHVH, my fortress and my redeemer.” (Psalms 19:15)

Thanks to Judy Barret for offering pointed text as reference for this transcription. Translated for my 40th birthday in love and honor of my mother and father.

In the Zohar discussion group on Facebook, Judy Barret writes, “There is a custom of prefacing each study session of the Zohar with this prayer.” This prayer commonly appears at the beginning of many works of Kaballah. (See for example, here.)

Source

Prayer before learning kaballah (Yitsḥak Luria, ca. 16th c.)

Notes[+]

Notes
1	Until the modern period, the heart was understood as the locus of the intellect, and thus translated here as mind, not literally as heart.
2	Here I interpret, he’aral, literally “uncircumcised,” as closed, i.e., unprepared, immature.
3	Psalms 119:18
4	Proverbs 2:6

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“תפילה קודם לימוד הקבלה | Prayer Before Studying Ḳabbalah, by Rabbi Yitsḥaq Luria (translated by Aharon Varady)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.

Yitsḥak Luria

Yitsḥak Luria Ashkenazi (1534 – July 25, 1572) (Hebrew: יִצְחָק בן שלמה לוּרְיָא אשכנזי, English: Isaac ben Solomon or Yitzhak ben Shlomo Lurya Ashkenazi), commonly known as "Ha'ARI" (meaning "The Lion"), "Ha'ARI Hakadosh" [the holy ARI] or "ARIZaL" [the ARI, Of Blessed Memory (Zikhrono Livrakha)], was a foremost rabbi and Jewish mystic in the community of Safed in the Galilee region of Ottoman Syria. He is considered the father of contemporary Kabbalah, his teachings being referred to as Lurianic Kabbalah. The works of his disciples compiled his oral teachings into writing and spread his fame which led to his veneration and the acceptance of his authority. Every custom of the Ari was scrutinized, and many were accepted, even against previous practice. Luria died at Safed on July 25, 1572 (5 Av 5332). He was buried in the Old Cemetery of Safed (from wikipedia)

Aharon N. Varady (translation)

Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer translator for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his translations, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot Naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also transcribes prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes for the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)

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Works of related interest:

רבון כל העולמים | Master of the Cosmos, a teḥinah for entering Shabbat by Rabbi Yitsḥaq Luria (circa 16th c.)

Illustrated Kabbalat Shabbat Siddur - Page 53 by Daniel Nebenzahl (license: CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported)

יוֹם זֶה לְיִשְׁרַאֵל | Yom Zeh l’Yisrael, a Shabbat hymn attributed to Rabbi Yitsḥaq Luria (interpretive translation by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi)

Vernal pool, Columbia Wildlife Management Area, Warren County (Public Domain)

יוֹם זֶה לְיִשְׁרַאֵל | Yom Zeh l’Yisrael, a piyyut by Rabbi Yitsḥaq Luria (translation by Rabbi David Aaron de Sola, 1857)

אֲזַמֵּר בִּשְׁבָחִין | Azamer biShvaḥin, a piyyut for Friday evening by Rabbi Yitsḥaq Luria (translation by Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi)

אֲסַדֵּר לִסְעוּדָתָא | Asader liS’udata, a piyyut for Shabbat morning by Rabbi Yitsḥaq Luria (translation by Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi)

בְּנֵי הֵיכָלָא | Bnei Heikhala, a piyyut for Shabbat afternoon by Rabbi Yitsḥaq Luria (translation by Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi)

יוֹם זֶה לְיִשְׁרַאֵל | Yom Zeh l’Yisrael, a piyyut by Rabbi Yitsḥaq Luria (translation by Nina Salaman, 1914)

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2 comments to תפילה קודם לימוד הקבלה | Prayer Before Studying Ḳabbalah, by Rabbi Yitsḥaq Luria (translated by Aharon Varady)

Thulr Odinsson
2023-05-15 at 2:08 pm · Reply.
בְּקִידָּה וּבְהִשְׁתַּחֲוָיָה should be translated “bowing and in prostration”, not “kneeling & bowing. Cf. “Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature” by Marcus Jastrow
- Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
  2023-05-15 at 4:25 pm · Reply.
  Thank you — corrected!

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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