A prayer for those who are unable to safely avoid eating ḥamets on Pesaḥ, by A Mitzvah to Eat (2022)

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24 March 2026 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

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Erev Pesaḥ, Well-being, health, and caregiving

Tags:

21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, פיקוח נפש piqoaḥ nefesh, שמירת הגוף shmirat haguf

Translation (Hebrew)	Source (English)
ה׳ אֱלֹהָי, הִנְנִי מוּכָן/מוּכָנָה וּמְזֻמָּן/וּמְזֻמָּנָהּ לְהַצִּיל אֶת חַיַּי עַל יְדֵי אֲכִילַת חָמֵץ בְּפֶסַח, אֲנָא עֲזֹר לִי לִמְצוֹא נֶחָמָה.	Dear God, As I prepare to eat ḥamets on Pesaḥ to protect my health, safety and life, please help me find comfort.
יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁאֶזְכֶּה לְחַיִּים שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶם חֵרוּת אֲמִתִּי כְּפִי שֶׁאֲנִי מְקַיֵּם/מְקַיֶּמֶת אֶת מִצְוַת פִּקּוּחַ נֶפֶשׁ	May I truly feel what it means to be free, as I fulfill the imperative of piquaḥ nefesh (making sure life takes precedence).
וִיְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ שֶׁאֶזְכֶּה לִשְׁמוֹר אֶת הַמִּצְווֹת בִּמְלוֹאָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ”וָחַי בָּהֶם“ (ויקרא יח:ה).	May I fully live by mitsvot, as the Torah says, “Live by them” (Leviticus 18:5).
וְשֶׁאֶזְכֶּה לָצֵאת מִן הַמֵּצַר לַמֶּרְחָב, וּמֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹר גָּדוֹל.	May I go from narrowness to freedom, from darkness to light.
שֶׁאֶמְצָא תִּקְוָה וְשַׁלְוָה בַּהֲזָנַת הַגּוּף שֶׁלִּי	May I find hope and peace in nourishing my body.
הַשָּׁנָה וְתָמִיד.	May I be supported. This year and always.

“A prayer for those who are unable to safely avoid eating ḥamets on Pesaḥ” was written by A Mitzvah to Eat (AMTE, Sarah Osborne) prior to Passover 2022, and published in part by the Times of Israel in Sarah’s op-ed, “When you keep Passover, but you also need to eat bread to live” (28 March 2023). A group effort brought about a Hebrew translation published in 2023 at the AMTE website. The text of the full prayer was shared via an AMTE social media post on Facebook, 24 March 2026. Vocalization by Rabbi Emily Aviva Kapor-Mater, 29 March 2026.

Sarah Osborne

Sarah Osborne is the founder (in 2021) of the organization, A Mitzvah to Eat.

A Mitzvah to Eat

A Mitzvah to Eat is an international, pluralistic group of educators and clergy who feel passionately about the Jewish principle of piḳoaḥ nefesh (saving a life). The organization supports those who need to connect to fast days, mitzvot, or holidays differently to protect their health and save their lives. They empower individuals and communities with learning, prayers, and rituals to bring holiness to acts of piḳoaḥ nefesh.

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A prayer for those who are unable to safely avoid eating hamets (A mitzvah to Eat 2026)

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "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)

A prayer for those who are unable to safely avoid eating ḥamets on Pesaḥ, by A Mitzvah to Eat (2022)

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