The Ben Ish Hai's Prayer on Erev Rosh Hashanah

A Special Prayer on Erev Rosh Hashanah

On Erev Rosh Hashanah and during the “Ten Days of Repentance,” one should recite the following prayer of the Ben Ish Hai with all one's heart:   “Our G-d and the G-d of our fathers, G-d, great King, holy in Heaven and on earth, may Your Name be blessed. From the east, where the sun rises, to the place where it sets, Your Name is praised, Hashem. You are exalted above all nations; Your glory is in the heavens. It is fitting for You, Hashem, our L-rd and the L-rd of our fathers, from world to world: song, glory, praise and harmony; power and dominion; eternity, greatness and might; Hallel and beauty; holiness and kingship; blessings and thanksgiving to Your great and holy Name, forever and ever. You are One. Nothing divided into parts can contain Your Oneness. You are One, and there is none like You in all the worlds, in Heaven and on earth. Your Unity is perfect; there is no one who can comprehend Your Oneness. You are the Creator of all worlds, great and small. You are One, and You are the cause of everything. You are the One who opens every gate, from whom everything flows, who sustains all creatures, from the greatest to the tiniest worm. You are our G-d, the only King, and Your Name is exalted in Oneness, You who hear those who call to You from afar. You know the thoughts of people in their hearts before they utter a single word. You reveal secrets and see the past and the future at a glance. There are no mistakes or forgetfulness before You; nothing in the world escapes Your sight. There are no secrets from You, and no one can hide from You. The eyes of the angels cannot see You, and the hearts and minds of people cannot comprehend You. You are the G-d of all—exalted and uplifted. You have neither beginning nor end; there is nothing like You. You cannot be compared to anything, for You are the most exalted and elevated King. You are the Master of all worlds, King of kings, Ruler of Heaven and earth. You created the angels, the sun, the earth and the stars. You are the Creator of all creatures that dwell on earth: reptiles, beasts and wild animals. You are the Creator of the seas and everything that inhabits them, of the continents and all who live upon them. You are the Creator of all beings, from the greatest to the tiniest worm. You created them all with Your words, not with Your hands and not through arduous, laborious work. G-d is first and last, G-d of all creatures, Master of all generations, exalted through countless praises, guiding His words with kindness and His creatures with mercy. You are the G-d of Truth. He neither slumbers nor sleeps; He awakens those who sleep, raises those who doze, revives the dead, heals the sick, gives sight to the blind, straightens the bent, grants speech to the mute, reveals secrets, frees captives and brings relief to the oppressed. You save the oppressed, hear the cry of the poor and help the weak. You clothe the naked, strengthen the powerless, give courage to the brokenhearted, answer those who call to You, accept the repentance of sinners and forgive their sins. You alone do we thank and crown. Even if our mouths were filled with song like the sea, our tongues with joyous song like the multitude of its waves, our lips with praise like the expanse of the heavens, our eyes shone like the sun and moon, our hands were spread out like eagles in the sky, and our feet were swift like gazelles, we still could not sufficiently thank You, Hashem, our G-d and the G-d of our forefathers, or bless Your Name, our King, for the thousands upon thousands and myriads upon myriads of favors and miracles that You have performed for the world. My Master, with Your permission, I am Your servant; I have recited this prayer before You. I ask You, Hashem, accept my prayer, and if I have erred, do not consider it a sin. I ask You, Hashem, accept my request. Please hear my prayer with Your great mercy. I stand before You poor and humble, knocking at the gates of Mercy. I knock at the gates of Your mercy; please do not send me away empty-handed and brokenhearted. As a subject looks up from below to his master, and a maidservant to her mistress, so do I lift my eyes to You. Hear my prayer with compassion and have mercy on me. Answer me, Hashem, answer me! May Your Name, our G-d, be blessed and glorified. There is no number sufficient to count all the favors and miracles that You have performed for us and our forefathers. During famine You fed us, and in times of abundance You sustained us. You protected us from the sword, delivered us from plague, and saved us from many cruel diseases. Until now, Your mercy has helped us, and Your kindness has never abandoned us, Hashem, our G-d. In our poverty You remembered us and saved us from all our enemies. When our forefathers were in Egypt, an evil Pharaoh ruled over them, subjecting them to terrible suffering. The Egyptians constantly threatened and tortured them, forcing them to perform unbearable labor. After enduring terrible suffering, the Jewish people cried out to You, and their cry reached You. You, all-merciful G-d, heard their outcry and saw their pain. You brought them out of Egypt through Your might, with an outstretched strong arm—not through an angel or a messenger. You Yourself appeared in all Your might and holiness. Then You judged the gods of Egypt, struck down their firstborn, and gave their possessions to Your people. You freed them from the house of bondage, split the Red Sea and enabled them to cross it, drowning Pharaoh and his army in it. You led the Jewish people through the wilderness, sustained them, struck down mighty kings, and gave their land as an inheritance to Your people. And they rejoiced in the works of Your hands. My Master, Your people Israel are called Your children, as the prophet said: “You are the children of Hashem, your G-d.” You love them, as it is said: “Because of Hashem’s love,” “I love you, says the L-rd,” and “For Israel is My child; I love him, and from Egypt I have called him My son.” My Master, You know the condition of the Jewish people. You created the entire world for them. You exalted them so that they would sanctify Your Name with the words of the angels: “Holy, holy, holy, Hashem, Master of Legions; the entire world is filled with Your glory.” You commanded them each day to proclaim the Oneness of Your Name with the words: “Hear, O Israel: Hashem is your G-d, Hashem is One.” My G-d, I am Your servant from the people of Israel. I ask that You have mercy on me, show me Your great compassion, deliver me from my sins, and consider them as though they had never existed. Please, Hashem, save my soul and forgive me. Save my soul from death and protect my feet from injury. From the narrow places I call to You; Hashem, answer me with favor, Hashem. Our G-d, remember our forefather Avraham's willingness to suppress his natural compassion. Remember how he raised the knife in his right hand while holding his son's throat with his left hand. May his willingness to offer Yitzchak as a sacrifice be remembered for our merit. And remember all ten trials that he endured. Remember the righteousness of our forefather Yitzchak; remember the chesed of our father Yaakov; remember the prayers of our teacher Moshe, to whom You revealed Yourself from the burning bush. You revealed to him Your Divine light, and he proclaimed Your great and awesome Name: “Hashem, Hashem, G-d, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in kindness and truth, extending kindness to thousands of generations, forgiving iniquity, willful sin and error, and cleansing us.” May the merits of Aharon the High Priest be remembered for us, who offered incense and other sacrifices every day, atoning for the sins of the people. Remember for us the merits of the righteous Yosef, and the prayers and hymns of David ben Yishai, Your anointed one, and accept our prayer. Show us mercy and compassion through Your great kindness and awesome power. You saved the prophet Yonah from the depths of the sea, drew him out of the mouth of the whale that had swallowed him, and delivered him from anguish. You saved Chananyah, Mishael and Azaryah from being burned. They emerged from the fire unharmed; the heat of the flames did not touch them. You saved David, Your servant, from the mouths of lions, and he emerged unharmed. You, You are G-d, Master of all. Yours, Hashem, are greatness, might, splendor, triumph and glory—in everything, in Heaven and on earth. Yours, Hashem, are the kingdom and dominion over all rulers. Hear the prayer of those who plead with You, and do not oppose those who rely on You, our G-d, who raises the unfortunate from the dust and the poor from the refuse heap. My G-d, remember what Your prophet wrote in the Torah: “When distress befalls you, all these things will find you at the end of days, and you will return to Hashem, your G-d, and heed His voice. For He is a compassionate G-d; He will not abandon you, destroy you, or forget the covenant that He made with your forefathers, to which He swore.” My G-d, G-d of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, You know the nature of the evil inclination and its power in this generation, when the body is so weak. Yet You opened the gates of teshuvah to Your people through Your eternal mercy and compassion. You blessed and sustained them with Your words: “Correct your ways, and I will accept you; I will remove your sins.” My G-d, through Your great mercy and loving compassion, save me from the counsel of the evil inclination. Save me from its traps and protect me from its evil promptings and forbidden thoughts. Help me repent for my sins in accordance with Your will. Give me the strength to fulfill Your words and commandments; teach me to carry out Your will, for You are gracious. Guide my steps along Your ways. Teach me, O G-d, Your ways, so that I may fulfill Your mitzvot; unite my heart so that I may pray to Your Name. You are my G-d, and I will offer my thanks to You, O G-d, to exalt You. My G-d, no creature can justify its deeds before You. If You were to remember all iniquities, O G-d, my L-rd, who could survive? For with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared. Our sins are countless, yet You forgive them all. Do not remember the sins of my youth; remember me compassionately, with Your mercy, for the sake of Your Name, Hashem. Understand my suffering and toil, and deliver me from all my sins. Do not remember our earlier sins; may Your compassion come before You, for we have become weak. Help us with our salvation, for the sake of the glory of Your Name. Have mercy on me, Hashem, through Your compassion, and through Your kindness erase my sins. Purify me from sins and transgressions. G-d created me with a pure heart; renew a steadfast spirit within me. My G-d, You accept prayer; all flesh will come before You. The soul is Yours, and the body carries out Your will; have mercy on the work of Your hands. Into Your hand I entrust my soul. You have redeemed me, Hashem, G-d of truth. My G-d, everything is from You, and everything is Yours. What can we say to You, for Your mercy overwhelms us? We are Your people and Your servants, and we ask You for mercy, blessing and success. We do not ask this on the basis of our righteousness or good deeds, but rely on Your boundless compassion. My G-d, all my needs are known to You, for all secrets are revealed to You. Even if I fail to describe all my needs, the desires of my heart are not hidden from You, Hashem. Come quickly to my aid, my G-d and Savior, for I place my hope in You. Answer me, Hashem, my G-d. You have afflicted me with suffering and sorrow; revive me and raise me from the depths of the earth. For the sake of Your Name, sustain me through Your righteousness and deliver my soul from despair. Give me a sign of Your favor toward me, so that those who hate me will be ashamed, for You, Hashem, help me and bring me joy. Remember Your compassion and kindness, Hashem, for they are eternal. The eyes of all look to You, and You provide everyone with nourishment in its proper time. Open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Show us Your mercy, Hashem, and bring Your redeemer. For You are the source of life; in Your light we shall see light.   (Based on the Ben Ish Hai's book “Laws for Women”)