Prayers, Poems, and Piyyutim  ☞  Life cycle  ☞  Living  ☞  Well-being, health, and caregiving  ☞  Prayer in a Time of Serious Illness by Rabbi Gilah Langner

Prayer in a Time of Serious Illness by Rabbi Gilah Langner

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2011-08-17 – 18 Av 5771 via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
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Well-being, health, and caregiving
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Traditional Judaism offers a confessional prayer, or vidui, to be recited during a time of serious illness or near death.  If the patient is unable to recite the prayer, others may do so on his or her behalf.  This modern adaptation [of vidui] places less emphasis on atonement for sins, and more on the bonds connecting the patient to his or her loved ones.  It can be recited by a friend, family member, or chaplain on behalf of a person who is very ill, especially when life and death are hanging in the balance. 
    –In memory of Dr. Paul Woolf z”l

Hebrew English

Our God and God of our ancestors, we acknowledge that all of life is in Your hands.

We pray for healing for this beloved (woman/man). 
May (she/he) be filled and embraced by a complete and healing love and forgiveness. 
May (she/he) always know how precious his life is to those who love (her/him).

Protect ___________’s beloved family: ___________________________.
Their souls are woven together for all time.

Grant hope and strength to _____________’s family and caregivers, guiding their hands and hearts and decisions with wisdom, loving care, and skill.

כִּי מַלְאָכָיו יְצַוֶּה לָּךְ לִשְׁמָרְךָ בְּכָל דְּרָכֶיךָ׃
May angels be appointed for (her/him), to guard (her/him) in all (her/his) paths.[1]Psalms 91:11

Ki malakhav yetzaveh lakh, lishmorkha b’khol d’rakheh-kha.

In Your hand lies (her/his) spirit. In Your Great Name, You hold the life and memories of each soul on earth. You redeem us, Adonai, God of Truth. 

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְיָ אֶחָד׃
Hear O Israel: [YHVH | Adonai] is our God, [YHVH | Adonai] is One.[2]Deuteronomy 6:4

Shma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad.

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Notes   [ + ]

  1. Psalms 91:11
  2. Deuteronomy 6:4

Related liturgy and liturgy-related work:

✍ תפילה לתורם דם | The Blood Donor’s Prayer, by Elli Fischer

✍ הודאה לפני התרגיל | Prayer of Gratitude Before Exercise, by Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz

✍ In Search of Seraḥ: A Prayer to Seraḥ by Chaya Kaplan-Lester

✍ Transition Ritual Poems, by Joy Ladin

✍ אשר יצר | Asher Yatsar prayer for recognizing the Divine Image in all our bodies by R’ Emily Aviva Kapor

✍ תפילה לפני חלוקת תרופות | Prayer before the dispensation of medication, by Dafna Meir, z”l

✍ A blessing for you if you need one, from Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg

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“Prayer in a Time of Serious Illness by Rabbi Gilah Langner” is shared by Gilah Langner with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
Gilah Langner

Gilah Langner

Rabbi Gilah Langner serves as a rabbi, educator, and chaplain in Washington, DC. She is a co-editor of the literary journal for Jewish liturgy and poetry, Kerem. She teaches at The George Washington University and is a coordinator of the Washington Jewish Healing Network.

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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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