Rabbi Emanuel Shahar
Prayer of Rabbi Ishmael the High Priest
A prayer traditionally attributed to Rabbi Ishmael the High Priest, with requests for protection, wisdom and livelihood. The text is offered for study and intentional recitation, according to the worshipper’s custom and rabbinic guidance.
Text of the prayer
Please, LORD, God of Israel, great and awesome King, knower of mysteries, revealer of hidden things, teller of secrets, ruler above and sovereign below, near to all who call upon you in truth, rescuer of the poor and needy from their despoiler: turn to your servant’s prayer and supplication, for I am poor and needy.
May it be your will, LORD our God and God of our ancestors, to guard me from all evil, for you are Israel’s Guardian. Say ‘Enough’ to my troubles and redeem me from every affliction and distress, bad report, shame and humiliation, human reproach and public scorn, every plague, destroyer, epidemic, stumbling block, harmful encounter, evil eye and slander. Save me from the evil inclination, every destroyer and harmful being, all disturbances and decrees in the world, every sin and transgression, wrongdoing, guilt and wickedness. Amen; may it be your will.
May it be your will, LORD our God and God of our ancestors, to plead my cause by day and against all who accuse my soul by night; avenge me upon them, shorten their days and requite their sins with evil. Let them all perish in a moment and soon be cut off from the world. Cast terror, great darkness, deep sleep, panic, madness, blindness and bewilderment of heart upon all my enemies and haters, every adversary, slanderer and accuser against me and my household, whether man or woman, demon or harmful being, evil spirit or night spirit. As it is written: ‘Let terror and dread fall upon them; by the greatness of your arm let them be still as stone’ — ‘Still as stone, your arm’s greatness and dread and terror upon them shall fall.’ Quickly frustrate the counsel of all who rise against me for harm and disrupt their thoughts. Let your awe and fear be upon them so that they are silenced before me, should they, Heaven forbid, look at me with an evil eye.
May it be your will, LORD our God and God of our ancestors, to silence their lips from speaking, darken their eyes from seeing, deafen their ears from hearing and make their loins continually falter. Let their sword enter their own hearts and their bows be broken. Let them be ashamed, not me; let them flee, not me. As it is written: ‘Rise, LORD, let your enemies scatter and those who hate you flee before you.’ Amen; may it be your will.
May it be your will, LORD our God and God of our ancestors, to cast awe and fear upon people and decree that they fulfill my wish wholeheartedly, as my soul desires. Fulfill in us the verse: ‘All the peoples of the earth will see that the LORD’s name is called upon you, and they will fear you.’ And it is said: ‘No one will stand against you; the LORD your God will put fear and dread of you upon all the land you tread, as he promised you’ (Deuteronomy 11:25). Amen; may it be your will.
May it be your will, LORD our God and God of our ancestors, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to open my heart to your Torah and grant me knowledge, understanding and wisdom. Have mercy on me; in your compassion enlighten my eyes with wisdom, teach me the ways of your wisdom, help me understand the depths of your Torah and reveal hidden mysteries with your aid, so that I will not be ashamed before your people’s sages or humiliated among the devout of your congregation. Unite my heart’s intention and the words of my lips; help me learn and teach, observe, act and fulfill all the teachings of your Torah with love. Amen; may it be your will.
May it be your will, LORD our God and God of our ancestors, God of the Chariot, to save me from hunger, thirst and nakedness. Provide my allotted bread each day and sustain me calmly, not painfully, by permitted means, not forbidden ones, with abundance, not restriction. Fill me from the riches of your hand’s gifts, and send blessing and success to all my affairs and the work of my hands. Grant me love in your eyes and in the eyes of all who see, know or are acquainted with me. Amen; may it be your will.
May it be your will, holy and pure ministering angels, to show great kindness to me and my household. For the holiness of the LORD, his holy and pure Torah and your holiness, stand before the LORD God of Israel, the King seated on the throne of mercy, with petitions and supplications, to make my prayer heard and my request fulfilled each day. May he forgive all my wrongdoings, sins and guilt: what I sinned, distorted and transgressed before him, under compulsion or willingly, unintentionally or deliberately, secretly or openly, with or without intent, in speech, thought, action or reflection, from now and forever. Amen; may it be so.
I plead with you and entreat you, holy and pure ministering angels, distinguished in purity: grant grace, kindness and great mercy through the great name Akatriel, enthroned upon Israel’s praises, and through the seventy-two holy and pure names. With the Holy One’s permission, take keys and open for me gates of grace, kindness, mercy, peace, tranquility, wisdom, understanding, knowledge, wealth, honor, repentance and salvation. May I find favor in your eyes and those of all who see, know or are acquainted with me. Help me prosper in all my affairs for good. When I lie down, may I not fear, as written: ‘When you lie down you will not be afraid; you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.’ May my life be sweeter than honey and honeycomb, and may you be with me to help, benefit, save and support, like the sun’s strength in Tammuz and the full moon. Amen; may it be so.
‘May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before you, Hashem, my rock and redeemer.’ (Psalms 19:15)
Please, LORD God, God of Israel, sovereign above and below, near to all who call upon you sincerely and wholeheartedly, rescuing the poor from the stronger and the needy from the robber: accept and hear my request and prayer, for I am alone and needy. Receive my supplication and cast terror, fear, trembling, panic, confusion, roaring, deep sleep, madness, blindness and every kind of subjection upon every person of the seventy nations, every harm and harmful being, night spirits, Lilith, demons male and female and all their hosts, spirits whose names are known or unknown and all their companies, and every creature rising against me for evil, seeking my harm and coming to injure me in body or soul, in deed or evil thoughts, to drive me from love and fear of you. Save us from every evil occurrence and thing coming upon the world, and from the inclination to transgression that rises to make me, [name] child of [mother’s name], sin and become impure. Please, great name KRA STN, by the greatness of your arm let them be still as stone, as written: ‘Let terror and dread fall upon them; by the greatness of your arm let them be still as stone’ (say this verse three times), so that they do not see me, and if they see me, do not harm me. As written: ‘They struck the men at the entrance of the house with blindness, small and great, and they wearied themselves seeking the entrance’ (Genesis 19:11) — ‘The entrance to find they wearied, great and small, with blindness struck, the house’s entrance at, the men’ (say this verse three times).
If they call me, may they not reach me. Exalted King, rebuke them; close and seal their mouths like stone, cut off their hands and feet so they cannot harm me or bring evil upon me. Turn their evil counsel away from me so that they do not terrify me or anyone with me, at home, in the field, at sea or on land, in my soul, spirit, higher soul or possessions. May your great, mighty, awesome, strong and explicit seventy-two-fold name, ‘Vayissa,’ ‘Vayavo,’ ‘Vayet,’ be with me, [name] child of [mother’s name], and not with them. Let them be ashamed and not me, dismayed and not me. Let those who hate me be shamed in terror, fear, trembling and anguish, while I dwell safely with you in joy and gladness, for in you I trust. May they scatter like straw before the wind, as written: ‘Rise, LORD, let your enemies scatter and those who hate you flee before you’ (Numbers 10:35).
A song of ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains; from where will my help come? My help comes from Hashem, maker of heaven and earth. May he not let your foot slip; may your guardian not slumber. Behold, Israel’s Guardian neither slumbers nor sleeps. Hashem is your guardian, your shade at your right hand. By day the sun will not strike you, nor the moon by night. Hashem will guard you from all evil; he will guard your soul. Hashem will guard your going out and coming in, from now and forever.
I ask you, Metatron, Prince of the Presence, whose name is like your Master’s, and Azriel, Raphael, Michael and Gabriel, ministering angels: stand before the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, God of gods and Lord of lords, and seek mercy for me through grace, kindness and compassion before the Master of mercy. Hear and bring my prayer and supplication to be willingly received in holiness and purity. May all accusers be subdued and humbled beneath me, without permission to approach my boundaries during prayer, study or any other needs. Fulfill my request and forgive my wrongdoings, sins, guilt and transgressions committed before you, under compulsion or willingly, accidentally or deliberately, in reflection or thought, in this incarnation or another: I, [name] child of [mother’s name], servant of the LORD. Act for the sake of your great explicit name of seventy-two (Yod He Vav He) and of forty-five (Yod Ha Vav Ha), holy, pure, glorious and expressed in cleanness and purity. Take all the keys of wisdom, understanding and knowledge, and the key of livelihood, sustenance, relief and rescue; crown me with them all my days on earth and be my help and benefit. May my strength and fortune shine all my days like the sun in Tammuz and the full moon at midmonth. Grant success to my deeds and ways, and let my words be sweet as honey and honeycomb in the ears of all who hear them; may those who mention me remember me for good always. Amen; may it be so.
I adjure (and ask) you, Ahuviel, angel appointed over love and affection, to seek mercy for me before the Holy One, blessed be He, so that I find grace, kindness and compassion in the eyes of all who see and love me, in heaven or beneath it. May this hour and day of my prayer be a time of favor, mercy, salvation, pardon, forgiveness, atonement, complete healing and good life for me, [name] child of [mother’s name]. I adjure (and ask) you, Metatron, servant of the LORD, whose name derives like your Master’s, to fulfill my desire and will. May awe of me rest upon all creatures, who will mention me favorably; may my bearing be pleasing and my face bright and radiant; may my Torah remain ordered and preserved in my heart, with nothing forgotten of what I have learned or will learn. May my mind be settled; save me from an evil person and harmful encounter, and shut the mouths of those who speak arrogantly against me or plan my harm. Let terror and dread fall upon them, for you hear prayer. ARARITA, RChSh, TMiP. Blessed are you who hears prayer. Amen.
Traditions and prayer books differ in wording. In passages containing sacred names and special intentions, do not alter or pronounce unfamiliar combinations without guidance.