Kavvanah before eating or drinking on Yom Kippur for military personnel on active service (IDF 2017) • the Open Siddur Project

Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., fasting, Nusaḥ TsaHaL, כוונות kavvanot, עינוי Innui (self-affliction), פיקוח נפש piqoaḥ nefesh, צה״ל IDF

Excerpt: This is a kavvanah (intention) distributed beginning in 2017 for Jewish soldiers on active service during Yom Kippur to use before eating or drinking a limited amount of nourishment in order to sustain their attention and readiness. The text of the prayer here is that which was distributed by Rabbi Captain Udi Schwartz, head of the chief rabbi for Tsahal (IDF), and published by Arutz 7. The kavvanah is derived from one published in 1983 by Rav Yitschok Zilberstein for those who, due to their state of health, must eat or drink in order to live (find Toras haYoledes (1983), chapter 52, section 10, p. 357; pp. 331-332 in the bilingual edition 1989). That kavvanah, according to Rabbi Zilberstein was, "הועתק ממחזור עתיק" ("copied from an old maḥzor"). . . .

Content:

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
הִנְנִי מוּכָן וּמְזֻמָּן לְקַיֵּם מִצְוַת אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַבְתָּ בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ ”וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת־חֻקֹּתַי וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם הָאָדָם וָחַי בָּהֶם אֲנִי ה׳׃“ (ויקרא יח:ה)	Here I am, ready and able to perform the mitsvah of eating and drinking on Yom Kippur, as you wrote in your Torah: “You shall keep My laws and My rules, by the pursuit of which a person shall live: I am Hashem” (Leviticus 18:5).
וּבְכֹחַ אֲכִילָתִי וּשְׁתִיָּתִי אֶעֱמֹד אֵיתָן עַל מִשְׁמַר אַרְצֵנוּ וְעָרֵי אֱלֹהֵינוּ. וּבִזְכוּת קִיּוּם מִצְוָה זוֹ תַּחְתֹּם אוֹתִי וְאֶת כׇּל עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְחַיִּים טוֹבִים וַאֲרֻכִּים וּלְשָׁלוֹם. אָמֵן וְכֵן יְהִי רָצוֹן.	And with the energy of my eating and drinking, I will stand ready on guard for our country and the cities of our elo’ah. An in the the merit of fulfilling this mitsvah, may you designate for me and all the people of Yisrael a good and long life for peace. Amen, and may it be your will.

Source (Hebrew)

Translation (English)

הִנְנִי
מוּכָן וּמְזֻמָּן
לְקַיֵּם מִצְוַת
אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים,
כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַבְתָּ בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ
”וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת־חֻקֹּתַי וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַי
אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם הָאָדָם וָחַי בָּהֶם
אֲנִי ה׳׃“ (ויקרא יח:ה)

Here I am,
ready and able
to perform the mitsvah
of eating and drinking on Yom Kippur,
as you wrote in your Torah:
“You shall keep My laws and My rules,
by the pursuit of which a person shall live:
I am Hashem” (Leviticus 18:5).

וּבְכֹחַ אֲכִילָתִי וּשְׁתִיָּתִי
אֶעֱמֹד אֵיתָן עַל מִשְׁמַר אַרְצֵנוּ
וְעָרֵי אֱלֹהֵינוּ.
וּבִזְכוּת קִיּוּם מִצְוָה זוֹ
תַּחְתֹּם אוֹתִי
וְאֶת כׇּל עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל
לְחַיִּים טוֹבִים וַאֲרֻכִּים
וּלְשָׁלוֹם.
אָמֵן
וְכֵן יְהִי רָצוֹן.

And with the energy of my eating and drinking,
I will stand ready on guard for our country
and the cities of our elo’ah.
An in the the merit of fulfilling this mitsvah,
may you designate for me
and all the people of Yisrael
a good and long life
for peace.
Amen,
and may it be your will.

This is a kavvanah (intention) distributed beginning in 2017 for Jewish soldiers on active service during Yom Kippur to use before eating or drinking a limited amount of nourishment in order to sustain their attention and readiness. The text of the prayer here is that which was distributed by Rabbi Captain Udi Schwartz, head of the chief rabbi for Tsahal (IDF), and published by Arutz 7. The kavvanah is derived from one published in 1983 by Rav Yitschok Zilberstein for those who, due to their state of health, must eat or drink in order to live (find Toras haYoledes (1983), chapter 52, section 10, p. 357; pp. 331-332 in the bilingual edition 1989). The text of the kavvanah was, according to Rabbi Zilberstein, “הועתק ממחזור עתיק” (“copied from an old maḥzor”).