The Traditional Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel
Prayer for the State of Israel in English
“Our Father who is in heaven, Protector and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel, the dawn of our deliverance. Shield it beneath the wings of Your love; spread over it Your canopy of peace; send Your light and Your truth to its leaders, officers, and counselors, and direct them with Your good counsel.
Strengthen the defenders of our Holy Land; grant them, our God, salvation and crown them with victory. Establish peace in the land, and everlasting joy for its inhabitants. Remember our brethren, the whole house of Israel, in all the lands of their dispersion. Speedily bring them to Zion, Your city, to Jerusalem Your dwelling-place, as it is written in the Torah of Your servant Moses:
Unite our hearts to love and revere Your name, and to observe all the precepts of Your Torah. Speedily send us Your righteous Messiah of the House of David, to redeem those waiting for Your salvation. Shine forth in Your glorious majesty over all the inhabitants of Your world. Let everything that breathes proclaim: “The Lord God of Israel is King; His majesty rules over all.” Amen. Selah.”
Prayer for the State of Israel in Hebrew
אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, צוּר יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹאֲלוֹ, בָּרֵךְ אֶת מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, רֵאשִׁית צְמִיחַת גְּאֻלָּתֵנוּ. הָגֵן עָלֶיהָ בְּאֶבְרַת חַסְדֶּךָ, וּפְרֹשׁ עָלֶיהָ סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמֶךָ, וּשְׁלַח אוֹרְךָ וַאֲמִתְּךָ לְרָאשֶׁיהָ, שָׂרֶיהָ וְיוֹעֲצֶיהָ, וְתַקְּנֵם בְּעֵצָה טוֹבָה מִלְּפָנֶיךָ. חַזֵּק אֶת יְדֵי מְגִנֵּי אֶרֶץ קָדְשֵׁנוּ, וְהַנְחִילֵם אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְשׁוּעָה וַעֲטֶרֶת נִצָּחוֹן תְּעַטְּרֵם, וְנָתַתָּ שָׁלוֹם בָּאָרֶץ וְשִׂמְחַת עוֹלָם לְיוֹשְׁבֶיהָ.
וְאֶת אַחֵינוּ כָּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל פְּקָד-נָא בְּכָל אַרְצוֹת פְּזוּרֵיהֶם, וְתוֹלִיכֵם מְהֵרָה קוֹמְמִיּוּת לְצִיּוֹן עִירֶךָ וְלִירוּשָׁלַיִם מִשְׁכַּן שְׁמֶךָ, כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרַת משֶׁה עַבְדֶּךָ: “אִם יִהְיֶה נִדַּחֲךָ בִּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם, מִשָּׁם יְקַבֶּצְךָ ה’ אֱלֹהֶיךָ וּמִשָּׁם יִקָּחֶךָ. וֶהֱבִיאֲךָ ה’ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יָרְשׁוּ אֲבֹתֶיךָ וִירִשְׁתָּהּ, וְהֵיטִבְךָ וְהִרְבְּךָ מֵאֲבֹתֶיךָ” (דברים ל, ד-ה).
וְיַחֵד לְבָבֵנוּ לְאַהֲבָה וּלְיִרְאָה אֶת שְׁמֶךָ, וְלִשְׁמֹר אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָתֶךָ. וּשְׁלַח לָנוּ מְהֵרָה בֶּן דָּוִד מְשִׁיחַ צִדְקֶךָ, לִפְדּות מְחַכֵּי קֵץ יְשׁוּעָתֶךָ. הוֹפַע בַּהֲדַר גְּאוֹן עֻזֶּךָ עַל כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵּבֵל אַרְצֶךָ, וְיֹאמַר כֹּל אֲשֶׁר נְשָׁמָה בְּאַפּוֹ: “ה’ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֶלֶךְ, וּמַלְכוּתו בַּכּל מָשָׁלָה”. אָמֵן סֶלָה.
Transliteration of the Prayer for the State of Israel
Avinu shebashamayim, tzur Yisrael v’goalo. Barekh na et m’dinat Yisrael, reyshit tz’mikhat g’ulateynu. Hagen aleyha b’rov khasd’kha, ufros aleyha sukkat sh’lomeykha. Sh’lakh orkha va’amtkha l’rasheyha l’shofteyha ul’nivkhareyha, v’taknem b’eytzah tovah milfaneykha, l’ma’ayn yelkhu b’derekh hatzedek, hakhopesh v’hayosheyr. Khazek y’dey m’giney eretz kodsheynu, v’hankhileym y’shuah v’khayim. V’natata shalom ba’aretz, u’simkhat olam l’yoshveyha. P’kad na livrakha et akheynu beyt Yisrael b’khol artzot p’zureyhem. Ta b’libam a’havat tzion u’mi vahem mikol ameynu y’hi elohav imo v’ya’al l’y’rushalayim irkha, asher nikra shmeykha aleyha. Ha’atzel meyrukhakha al kol yoshvey artzeynu. Haser mikirbeynu sinah v’eyvah, kinah v’rishut. V’ta b’libeynu ahavah v’akhavah, shalom v’reryut. V’kayem bimheyrah khazon n’vi’eykha: Lo yisa goi el goi kherev, v’lo yilm’du od milkhamah: V’nomar amen.
This post presents the English and Hebrew texts for the traditional Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel, which is often recited in Zionist synagogues on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. The prayer requests divine protection and guidance for Israel and its leaders, and that the gathering of the exiled Jewish people from all over the world in Israel. Instituted in 1948 by the Sephardic and Ashkenazic Chief Rabbis of the newly formed State of Israel, Rabbis Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel and Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, many believe that the prayer was authored in part or in full by S. Y. Agnon. The accompanying video features IDF Chief Cantor Ltc. Shai Abramson singing the prayer. The image below comes from a Jewish calendar.
History of the Prayer for the State of Israel
The prayer for the State of Israel was introduced in 1948 by the Sephardic and Ashkenazic Chief Rabbis of the newly established State of Israel, namely Rabbis Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel and Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog. It was first published in the HaTzofe newspaper on September 20, 1948, and later in Haaretz. Although it was previously believed that Nobel laureate S. Y. Agnon composed the prayer, researcher Yoel Rappel clarified that Agnon was only asked to assist in its composition, a fact confirmed by Agnon’s son, Hemdat.
This prayer replaced the Prayer for the Welfare of the Government, commonly recited in Diaspora communities. The older prayer included requests for the well-being of the government of the host country, the King, Caesar, or Tzar, and their immediate family, as recommended in Pirkei Avot 3:2.
During periods of strained relations between the Religious Zionist community and the Israeli government, such as after the signing of the Oslo Accords until the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, and during the disengagement from Gaza, some individuals refrained from reciting the prayer. Others made alterations to express their discontent with the State’s leadership. A common change was replacing the line “…and send Your Light and Your Truth to its leaders, its officers and advisers, and set them aright with Your good counsel” with “stand at its head men of valor, God-fearers, men of truth who hate avarice, and send Your Light and Your Truth upon them.”
In the prayer, Israel is referred to as “the beginning of the emergence of our redemption.” This phrase, coupled with concerns about the secular governance of Israel, has led many Haredi Jews to refrain from reciting this prayer. This distinction in prayer practice has become one of the defining differences between Haredim and Religious Zionists.
Ashkenazi Jews recite the prayer between the haftarah and the returning of the Torah scroll(s) to the Holy Ark, while Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews usually recite it when the Torah scroll(s) are taken out of the Ark. Traditionally, various blessings, including the Blessing for the Ruler of the Country, were added during these points in the service. Some synagogues used to include a prayer for the welfare of the President of Israel, but this practice has largely ceased today.
The Prayer for the State of Israel is often sung with a specific tune in synagogues, and some communities use a different festive tune during holidays. During the recitation of the prayer, the congregation typically stands while the leader reads it, and in some synagogues, everyone reads it aloud together.