Prayer for the State of Israel

Tefilah lishlom Medinat Yisrael

תפילה לשלום מדינת ישראל

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תפילה לשלום מדינת ישראל

PRAYER FOR THE STATE OF ISRAEL

The Leader says the following prayer:

Hebrew

אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, צוּר יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹאֲלוֹ, בָּרֵךְ אֶת מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל,
רֵאשִׁית צְמִיחַת גְּאֻלָּתֵנוּ. הָגֵן עָלֶיהָ בְּאֶבְרַת חַסְדֶּךָ וּפְרֹשׂ עָלֶיהָ
סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמֶךָ, וּשְׁלַח אוֹרְךָ וַאֲמִתְּךָ לְרָאשֶׁיהָ, שָׂרֶיהָ וְיוֹעֲצֶיהָ,
וְתַקְּנֵם בְּעֵצָה טוֹבָה מִלְּפָנֶיךָ.

Sephardi

Avinu shebashamayim, Tzur Yisrael vego'alo, barech et Medinat Yisrael,
reshit tzemichat ge'ulatenu. Hagen aleihah be'evrat chasdecha ufros aleihah
sukat shelomecha, ushelach orecha va'amitecha lerashehah, sarehah veyo'atzehah,
vetaknem be'etzah tovah milefanecha.

English

Heavenly Father, Israel’s Rock and Redeemer, bless the State of Israel, the first flowering of our redemption. Shield it under the wings of Your loving-kindness and spread over it the Tabernacle of Your peace. Send Your light and truth to its leaders, ministers and counselors, and direct them with good counsel before You.

Hebrew

חַזֵּק אֶת יְדֵי מְגִנֵּי אֶרֶץ קָדְשֵׁנוּ, וְהַנְחִילֵם אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְשׁוּעָה וַעֲטֶרֶת
נִצָּחוֹן תְּעַטְּרֵם, וְנָתַתָּ שָׁלוֹם בָּאָרֶץ וְשִׂמְחַת עוֹלָם לְיוֹשְׁבֶיהָ.

Sephardi

Chazek et yedei meginei Eretz Kadsheinu, vehanchilem Eloheinu yeshu'ah va'ateret
nitzachon te'aterem, venatata shalom ba'aretz vesimchat olam leyoshvehah.

English

Strengthen the hands of the defenders of our Holy Land; grant them deliverance, our God, and crown them with the crown of victory. Grant peace in the land and everlasting joy to its inhabitants.

Deut. 30

Hebrew

וְאֶת אַחֵינוּ כָּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל, פְּקָד־נָא בְּכָל אַרְצוֹת פְּזוּרֵינוּ, וְתוֹלִיכֵנוּ
/בארץ ישראל: פְּזוּרֵיהֶם, וְתוֹלִיכֵם/ מְהֵרָה קוֹמְמִיּוּת לְצִיּוֹן עִירְךָ וְלִירוּשָׁלַיִם
מִשְׁכַּן שְׁמֶךָ, כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה עַבְדֶּךָ: אִם־יִהְיֶה נִדַּחֲךָ בִּקְצֵה
הַשָּׁמָיִם, מִשָּׁם יְקַבֶּצְךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ וּמִשָּׁם יִקָּחֶךָ: וֶהֱבִיאֲךָ יְהֹוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יָרְשׁוּ אֲבֹתֶיךָ וִירִשְׁתָּהּ, וְהֵיטִבְךָ וְהִרְבְּךָ
מֵאֲבֹתֶיךָ: וּמָל יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת־לְבָבְךָ וְאֶת־לְבַב זַרְעֶךָ, לְאַהֲבָה
אֶת־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ, לְמַעַן חַיֶּיךָ:

Sephardi

Ve'et acheinu kol beit Yisrael, pekad-na bechol artzot pezureinu, vetolichenu
(Be'Eretz Yisrael: pezureihem, vetolichem) meheirah komemiyut leTziyon ircha veliYerushalayim
mishkan shemecha, kakatuv beTorat Moshe avdecha: im-yihyeh nidachacha biktzeh
hashamayim, misham yekabetzcha Adonai Elohecha umisham yikachecha: vehevi'acha Adonai
Elohecha el-ha'aretz asher-yareshu avotecha virishtah, veheitivcha vehirbecha
me'avotecha: umal Adonai Elohecha et-levavcha ve'et-levav zar'echa, le'ahavah
et-Adonai Elohecha bechol-levavecha uvechol-nafshecha, lema'an chayecha:

English

As for our brothers, the whole house of Israel, remember them in all the lands of our (In Israel say: their) dispersion, and swiftly lead us (In Israel say: them) upright to Zion Your city, and Jerusalem Your dwelling place, as is written in the Torah of Moses Your servant: “Even if you are scattered to the furthermost lands under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and take you back. The LORD your God will bring you to the land your ancestors possessed and you will possess it; and He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors. Then the LORD your God will open up your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”

Hebrew

וְיַחֵד לְבָבֵנוּ לְאַהֲבָה וּלְיִרְאָה אֶת שְׁמֶךָ, וְלִשְׁמֹר אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי
תּוֹרָתֶךָ, וּשְׁלַח לָנוּ מְהֵרָה בֶּן דָּוִד מְשִׁיחַ צִדְקֶךָ, לִפְדּוֹת מְחַכֵּי
קֵץ יְשׁוּעָתֶךָ.

Sephardi

Veyached levaveinu le'ahavah uleyirah et shemecha, velishmor et kol divrei
Toratecha, ushelach lanu meheirah ben David Meshiach tzidkecha, lifdot mechakei
ketz yeshu'atecha.

English

Unite our hearts to love and revere Your name and observe all the words of Your Torah, and swiftly send us Your righteous anointed one of the house of David, to redeem those who long for Your salvation.

Hebrew

וְהוֹפַע בַּהֲדַר גְּאוֹן עֻזֶּךָ עַל כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל אַרְצֶךָ וְיֹאמַר כָּל אֲשֶׁר
נְשָׁמָה בְּאַפּוֹ, יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֶלֶךְ וּמַלְכוּתוֹ בַּכֹּל מָשָׁלָה,
אָמֵן סֶלָה.

Sephardi

Vehofa bahadar ge'on uzecha al kol yoshvei tevel artzecha veyomar kol asher
neshamah be'apo, Adonai Elohei Yisrael melech umalchuto bakol mashalah,
amen selah.

English

Appear in Your glorious majesty over all the dwellers on earth, and let all who breathe declare: The LORD God of Israel is King and His kingship has dominion over all. Amen, Selah.

Commentary

אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם Prayer for the State of Israel. Introduced after the birth of the modern State of Israel in 1948. A key element of the prayer is the phrase “the first flowering of our redemption.” It means that the restoration of Israel as a sovereign nation in its own land was not merely an event in secular history. It was the fulfillment of the prophetic vision – first stated by Moses in the quoted verse from Deuteronomy – that Israel would one day be gathered from “the furthermost lands under the heavens,” an astonishingly precise prediction of what actually happened. According to the third-century Babylonian teacher Shmuel, “The only difference between this world and the messianic age is subjection to foreign powers” (Berakhot 34b). In this view, Israel’s independence was in itself a redemptive moment, a return to Jewish self-determination, self-government and self-defense under the sovereignty of God alone.