Conclusion of Prayer (Siyum ha-tefilah)

May it be Your will, O Lord, my God and God of my fathers . . . great, powerful, and awesome God, that I not sin, and the sins which I have committed, may You cleanse [them] in Your great mercy. And [may it be Your will] that I be a faithful servant unto You for all time; and that You raise up my horn; and that You make my constellation shine, and that You feed me the bread of my right; and that my sustenance be honorable and not disgraceful, and that You save me from the needs of fesh and blood, so that I have no need for their loans; and [save me] from every sin . . . and from all types of loss and from all species of evil.

[I invoke] Your great, powerful, and awesome name . . . the name that was engraved upon the forehead of Aaron and on the ring of Solomon, on the ring of Tatriel and on the ring of Metatron–the most holy servant of the Lord who is named after Him–[the name which is engraved] on the ring of Gabriel, on the ring of Shamshiel, on the ring of Nahariel, and on the ring of Tsuriel. And [I invoke] the inefable name of forty-two letters [which begins with the letters] alef, bet, and gimel. And [I invoke] the name “I am who I am” [Ehyeh asher Eheyeh]. Blessed is the name of His honored kingdom forever and for all eternity. May the Lord bless You and keep You [ . . . ]

Please, O Lord, forgive me for my sins, transgressions, and willful wrongdoings, and reveal to me the secret of the matter that I ask of You. I adjure the great, powerful, and awesome crown . . . that You be unto me help and salvation, refuge and escape, forgiveness and pardon. Be unto me a shield and grace from a two-edged sword, and save me from slander and from evil men, from poverty and men of iniquity, and [rescue me] from gruesome death . . . and defend me with the shadow of Your right hand. . . . [Protect] me, So-and-so son of So-and-so, and protect me with Your right hand and sustain me . . . and carry out my will and fulfll the wishes of my heart for good. For You listen to the prayer of Your nation of Israel with mercy.

Blessed are You, O Lord, who hears prayer.

Translated by Avi Kallenbach.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam.

Engage with this Source

The following Hebrew prayer appears at the end of a manuscript of a prayer book copied in England sometime before the end of the eleventh century. The prayer book itself follows the French tradition. This prayer invokes mystical traditions about the divine name and includes room at the end for individuals to insert their name. Ellipses indicate lacunae in the manuscript.

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