קלה

When I call — answer me, G‑d of my righteousness; in my distress You expanded me — be gracious to me and hear my prayer [Psalms 4:2]. They shall thank You, Hashem — all Your works; and Your pious ones shall bless You. They shall speak of the honor of Your kingship — and of Your might they shall speak. To make known to the children of men His mighty deeds — and the glorious honor of His kingship [Psalms 145:10–12]. Master of the Universe — great in lovingkindness and truth: have mercy upon me; and guard me and save me from evil speech — and in particular from lashon hara; that I not speak any evil word against any Jewish person whatsoever — even against the smallest of the small and the most lowly of the lowly; and all the more so against the righteous and pious of the generation who engage in Your service. Have mercy upon me and guard me and save me — that no word should go forth from my mouth against their honor, G‑d forbid; whether to their faces or not to their faces. My G‑d — guard my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking deceit; and to those who curse me may my soul be silent; and my soul shall be like dust to all. Master of all worlds — have mercy upon me; and do not destroy me. Rescue me from quarrel and dispute. Have pity on my soul and guard me — that I not deceive myself into saying that it is a commandment to speak about these people; for I desire no such commandments — neither them nor their reward. Have pity and compassion on our souls and our spirits and our souls [neshamoseinu]; and rescue us and all of Israel from lashon hara and dispute. And in particular in the matter of the dispute that is prevalent now among the great ones of the generation and their people; and quarreling among the scholars and their people. Have mercy upon us — Master of mercies — in this time of distress; and guard us and save us from all manner of evil and blemished speech. Place, Hashem, a guard for my mouth — keep watch over the door of my lips [Psalms 141:3]. Do not incline my heart to an evil matter [Psalms 141:4]. That I not search and seek to find, G‑d forbid, a blemish or deficiency in the service of the upright — nor in any Jewish person. And give us power through Your immense mercies and Your wondrous lovingkindnesses to sweeten all manner of severities that come to people — and in particular to the great and the distinguished. Have mercy upon us and be with us always — that we always merit to overpower with all might to speak words of Torah and prayer and the fear of Heaven in truth; in such a manner that we merit to sweeten all manner of severities of the world — from which speech is drawn. And may You guard us and save us from all manner of harsh severities that should not reach us; and have mercy upon the great ones of the generation — upon whom harsh severities reach so that they sweeten them. And be with them always; and give them power through Your mercies and Your abundant lovingkindnesses — to sweeten all the harsh severities of the world that come to them. And may You guard us and all of Israel — and in particular all the great ones of the generation: when there is no power in us, G‑d forbid, to sweeten the severities that come upon us; at the very least may we greatly guard our souls — from speaking ill of any Jewish person; and all the more so, G‑d forbid, of the tzadikim of the generation and their followers. And give power to the true tzadikim of the generation to sweeten all the harsh severities of the world; and make from them a Torah of lovingkindness — to teach others through their Torah: to make known to the children of men His mighty deeds and the glorious honor of His kingship [Psalms 145:12]. And may it be fulfilled for all the sages of Israel: She opened her mouth with wisdom — and the Torah of lovingkindness is on her tongue [Proverbs 31:26]; that they all merit to study Torah in order to teach it; so that they guide the people of Hashem in the true ways of Hashem in truth and righteousness as Your good will desires; and may they sweeten all the severities of the world; and all the decrees and the judgments shall be nullified from Israel; and may You draw upon us good lovingkindnesses always; in such a manner that we and all of Israel merit to return to You in truth speedily; and do Your will all the days of our lives; and in Your Torah shall we meditate day and night from now and forever. Amen Selah.