Prayer for One who Transitions, by Eitan Meshullam Chai

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=48826

open_content_license: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 International free-culture license date_src_start: 2023-02-12 date_src_end: 2023-02-12 languages_meta: [{"name":"English","code":"eng","standard":"ISO 639-3"},{"name":"Hebrew","code":"heb","standard":"ISO 639-3"}] scripts_meta: [{"name":"Latin","code":"Latn","standard":"ISO 15924"},{"name":"Hebrew (Ktav Ashuri)","code":"Hebr","standard":"ISO 15924"}]

Date: 2023-02-12

Last Updated: 2025-04-15

Categories: 🌐 Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31st), Well-being, health, and caregiving

Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., gender transition, LGBTQIA+, protection, transgender prayer, תפילת הדרך tefilat haderekh

Excerpt: A prayer of protection for those in the process of gender transitioning, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, inspired by the Tefilat haDerekh (Traveler's Prayer). . . .

Content:
I used the Tefilat HaDerekh (Traveller’s Prayer) as an inspiration for this prayer. As a transgender person, transitioning is like a journey to me, and thus I feel like a traveler along the path of life. I rewrote the prayer to be about the transformation of the self and the body, and asking Hashem to protect me along my transition, in the physical, emotional, and spiritual sense.
Source (Hebrew) Translation (English)
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיךָ
יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ,
שֶׁתַּחְלִיפֵנִי לְשָׁלוֹם
וְתַשְׁנוֹתֵינִי לְשָׁלוֹם
וְתַהַפְכֵינִי לְשָׁלוֹם
וְתְהַמִירֵינִי לְשָׁלוֹם,
וְתַגִּיעֵנִי לְגוּף נָפְשֵׁינִי
לְחַיִּים וּלְשִׂמְחָה וּלְשָׁלוֹם,
וְתַצִּילֵנִי מִכַּף כׇּל־אוֹיֵב וְאוֹרֵב
וְשׂוֹנְאַי בַּדֶּרֶךְ
וּמִכׇּל־סַפְקוֹת הַמִּתְרַגְּשׁוֹת וּבָאוֹת לְעוֹלָם.
May it be Your will,
YHVH our God and the God of our ancestors,
that You transform me in peace,
and change me in peace
and turn me in peace
and renew me in peace,
and bring me to the body of my soul
for life and for joy and for peace,
and save me from the hand of every enemy and lurker
and those who despise me on my way,
and from all doubts that excite[1] A reference to the transphobic emotions of other people that come to light when one transitions, as well as the transphobia a trans person might internalize as a result.  and come into the world.
וְתִשְׁלַח בְּרָכָה בְּכׇל־מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינִי,
וְתִתְּנֵנִי לְחֵן
וּלְחֶסֶד
וּלְרַחֲמִים בְּעֵינֶיךָ
וּבְעֵינֵי כׇל־רוֹאֵינִי,
וְתִגְמְלֵנִי חֲסָדִים טוֹבִים
וְתִשְׁמַע קוֹל תְּפִלָּתֵנִי
כִּי אַתָּה שׁוֹמֵעַ תְּפִלָּת כׇּל־פֶּה:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, שׁוֹמֵעַ תְּפִלָה:
And may You send blessing in all the creations of my hands,
and may You place me into grace
and into kindness
and into mercy in Your eyes
and in the eyes of all who see me,
and gift me with good deed,
and may You hear the voice of my prayers,
for You hear the prayers of every mouth:
Blessed are You YHVH, who hears prayer.

 

Notes

Notes
1 A reference to the transphobic emotions of other people that come to light when one transitions, as well as the transphobia a trans person might internalize as a result.

Contributor: Eitan Meshullam Chai Runyan

Co-authors:

Featured Image:
betselem eloqim (eitan runyan 2023)
Title: betselem eloqim (eitan runyan 2023)
Caption: "בצלם אלקים" (betselem eloqim, "in the image of Elohim") written in multicolored letters (Eitan Runyan 2023)