לב

My Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise [ Psalms 51:17 ]. Master of the Universe — Lord of joy and delight, in Whose dwelling joy abides; and in Your abundant mercies You created joy and gladness, groom and bride, exultation and song, delight and rejoicing [ cf. the seven wedding blessings ]. Grant me merit through Your abundant mercies — that I merit to fulfill the commandment of bringing a bride under the wedding canopy [ hachnasas kallah lachuppah ] in the ultimate completeness, in great holiness and purity. And may I merit at every time to gladden a groom and bride [ lesameach chasan v'kallah ] — to gladden them with all might and delight; to multiply every kind of joy before them; and to dance before them with all my strength in great joy and delight. And may I merit through the dancing [ rikudim ] to sweeten all the judgments from upon us and from upon all Israel. And may You place joy in my heart until my feet are lifted up through the joy of the heart — to dance greatly before the groom and bride; and to leap and to whirl with all my strength before them. And may I merit through the dancing to draw down the five [ ה׳ — heh , the number five] thousands that are in the Binah [supernal Understanding] — and through this to sweeten all the three hundred and twenty [ ש"ך — shin-chaf ] judgments [ dinim ]; and may the judgment be transformed into simple mercies. And may we merit to draw upon ourselves all the five [ ה׳ — chamishshah ] holy voices. And may the verse speedily be fulfilled: Again shall there be heard — in the cities of Yehudah and in the streets of Jerusalem — the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the sound of the groom and the sound of the bride, the sound of those who say: give thanks to Hashem of Hosts, for Hashem is good, for His lovingkindness is forever [ Jeremiah 33:10–11 ]. And may I always merit to engage in Torah and prayer and charity and good deeds with joy and great delight — until I merit to unite and to join the supernal Groom and Bride [ chasan v'kallah ha'elyonim ]. And have mercy upon the Community of Israel [ Kneses Yisrael ], Your holy people — Your beloved, who is drawn after You; the bride called with sweetness in Your love and Your compassion. And may You sweeten and nullify all the judgments from upon all Your people the House of Israel — in the physical and the spiritual. And may You gladden us with Your salvation always — and hasten and hurry to redeem us; and raise us in joy to our land and build our holy and glorious House. And may the verse speedily be fulfilled: Then shall the maiden rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the elders together — and I shall turn their mourning into joy and comfort them and gladden them from their sorrow [ Jeremiah 31:12 ]. And may we merit to behold the pleasantness of Your splendor — in the time when You shall be crowned with the crown of glory through the good deeds of all Israel Your people, as it is said: Go forth and see, O daughters of Zion, King Shlomo with the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding and on the day of the gladness of his heart [ Song of Songs 3:11 ]. Speedily in our days, Amen. Master of all worlds [ Ribon Almin ] — You are One and not in any counting; You are the Most High above all the most high; the Hidden One of all the hidden ones [ stimah d'chal stimim ]; no thought can grasp You at all [ leis machashavah tefisah bach k'lal ]. You fill all worlds and surround all worlds and there is no place devoid of You whatsoever [ leis atar panui minach k'lal ] — for the whole earth is full of His glory [ Isaiah 6:3 ] and His sovereignty rules over all [ Psalms 103:19 ]; and You sustain them all: all the hosts above and all the hosts below, all the holy palaces and rungs, and all the rungs and palaces of impurity and the Sitra Achra . And even within the ten crowns of defilement [ eser kitrin d'mesa'avusa ] Your life-force, blessed be He, is clothed — forever and for all eternity. And there is no Sitra Achra or klipah or impurity in the world in which Your life-force, blessed be He, is not clothed — for You sustain them all; and apart from You they have no life or existence whatsoever. And even within all the languages of the nations and within all the evil traits and all the evil desires — and even within all the transgressions and the Torah's prohibitions — Your life-force, blessed be He, is clothed and hidden; for His sovereignty rules over all . Therefore I have come before You, Hashem my G‑d and G‑d of my fathers, Lord of all — to entreat and to beseech Your face and to spread out my palms to Your mercies and Your graciousness. That You be gracious to me with Your great lovingkindnesses — and pour upon me intellect and holy knowledge, and power and might from Yourself; that I merit to overpower my evil inclination and to subjugate it to serve You in truth. And may I merit to recognize You and to draw near to You in every place — whether in good times or in times of trouble, G‑d forbid — always shall I draw near to You. And may I merit to fulfill the verse: In Hashem shall I praise a word; in G‑d shall I praise a word [ Psalms 56:11 ]. And to cleave to You always. And may You grant me merit and help me to recognize You and to draw near to You in truth — and to return in complete repentance before You from the place where I am now at this very time. And even if through my many iniquities I have fallen to the place I have fallen and descended to the place I have descended — even so, I believe with complete faith that even in the place where I am now at this very time, even there You are found; for there is no place devoid of You, and in every place Your dominion prevails. Therefore have pity and compassion upon me — and do not hide Your face from me even in these very shameful places; even there: Your hand shall guide me and Your right hand shall hold me [ Psalms 139:10 ]. Full of mercy — do not let go of the work of Your hands, hold me and take me out speedily [ cf. Job 10:3 ] from all these lowly and shameful places. And may You help me to seek You always in every place where I am. And may I merit to fulfill the verse: And from there you shall seek Hashem your G‑d and you shall find Him — for you shall seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul [ Deuteronomy 4:29 ]. And may You be found with me always at every time — and may You draw me near to You through Your mercies, even though I do not merit to seek and to search for You as is fitting. And may You fulfill the verse: I was sought by those who did not ask; I was found by those who did not seek Me; I said: Here I am, here I am — to a nation that did not call in My Name [ Isaiah 65:1 ]. I spread out my palms to You; I stretched out my hands all the day — my soul toward You as a weary land, Selah [ Psalms 143:6 ]. To You I lifted my eyes — You Who are enthroned in the heavens [ Psalms 123:1 ]. Be gracious to us, Hashem, be gracious to us — for we are exceedingly sated with contempt [ Psalms 123:3 ]. For our soul is bowed down to the dust — our belly cleaves to the earth [ Psalms 44:26 ]. My soul cleaves to the dust — revive me according to Your word [ Psalms 119:25 ]. Arise as a help to us and redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness [ Psalms 44:27 ]. Hasten to my help, my Lord — my salvation [ Psalms 38:23 ]. And hasten to release me and to take me out from all these shameful and defiled and sunken and exceedingly coarse places. Let not the deep swallow me up and let not the pit close its mouth upon me [ Psalms 69:16 ] — and hasten to redeem me through Your mercies; and to take me out and raise me and purify me from all the blemishes that I have blemished before You — through all the sins and iniquities and transgressions that I sinned and transgressed and rebelled before You from my youth until this very day, in error and in deliberation, under compulsion and willingly. Have pity and compassion upon me — and pour upon me power and holy might [ koach u'gevurah dikdushah ] from the power and might of the true tzadikim who merited to subdue their inclination — who are truly like the angel of Hashem of Hosts; who stood through countless trials; and who conquered their desires and subdued their inclinations beneath them; until they utterly broke and nullified their evil inclination. And they merited to cleave to You in truth — in the ultimate height of rung and completeness beyond which there is no completeness. And upon their merit and their great power I lean — that You have pity and compassion upon me in their merit; and pour upon me from their power and their might. And may You help me — that I too merit to subdue and humble and break and nullify my evil inclination; that I merit to break and nullify all evil desires and evil traits completely so that no evil remains in me at all. And may I merit to return in complete repentance before You in truth and with a whole heart. And may You help me that the evil which has grasped hold of me shall fall and be nullified completely; and the good and the holy Torah that is hidden and concealed in me and in my traits — may all of it be refined and revealed, and may a great light from above be added upon it; until I merit to reveal and illuminate all the good that is in me. And may You grant me merit to ascend from rung to rung [ mi'darga l'darga ] in great holiness — until I merit to draw near to You; and to cleave to You and to the holy Torah in truth and in sincerity. And may You open for me the light of da'as — so that I merit to recognize You and to cleave to You always with a very great love, with abundant love and everlasting love [ ahavah rabbah v'ahavas olam ], in truth and in faith, in holiness and in purity. And may You diminish the contractions and the garments and the separating veils — and may You grant me merit to know and to recognize You without many contractions and garments; and may You draw me near to You with a great nearness and with the revelation of the holy knowledge [ giluy ha'da'as dikdushah ] from now and forever. Please, Hashem — Merciful One, full of mercy; Redeemer and Savior; Strong Redeemer [ Go'el Chazak ]; Who devises plans so that no outcast be banished from Him [ II Samuel 14:14 ] — stand at my right hand and support me; and help me and save me — that I merit to subdue my inclination to serve You; and may I merit to break and nullify all the desires and all the evil traits that have taken hold of me. And grant me merit from now to good days [ yemei tov ]; and may I merit to prevail with the good days over the bad days — to humble and lower and break and nullify all the bad days under the good days. And may I merit to understand and see and find and reveal the good that is clothed within the bad days — and to clarify the good from the evil. And have pity and compassion upon me from now — and save me through Your mercies always from bad days, so that they have no power to overpower me, G‑d forbid. For through my iniquities, bad days have already passed over me far too many — until the strength of the bearer has failed. Have pity and compassion upon me from now — and save me and rescue me and redeem my soul from the bad days. And help me and grant me merit to break and humble and nullify all the bad days under the good days. And save me from all evil, from every stumbling-block of iniquity, and from all evil desires and evil traits. And may I merit to sanctify myself in what is permitted to me — in great holiness. And may I merit from now that all my days be good — and may I spend my days in true good, and my years in the supernal pleasantness [ ba'no'am ha'elyon ]; that I merit to engage all my days in Your service and Your Torah in truth; and to cleave and be absorbed into You in great awe and love, in truth and in faith, in holiness and in purity — always forever. And may I merit to fulfill the verse: Turn from evil and do good — seek peace and pursue it [ Psalms 34:15 ]. And may I always merit to seek peace — that there be peace in my traits and in my circumstances; that I always find the blessed Name in every place and every time and in every person. And may You grant me merit always to be a pursuer of peace — to make peace among Israel Your people, between one person and another and between a man and his wife, in great holiness and purity. And may You help me to be among those who make peace between Israel and their Father in Heaven. And grant me merit to engage in Your holy Torah always — and through this may You draw me ever closer to the peace; as it is written: Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace [ Proverbs 3:17 ]. And may You help me to fulfill all the words of Your Torah with love; and may I merit to fulfill all six hundred and thirteen [ תרי"ג ] Torah commandments [ mitzvos d'Oraisa ] and all the rabbinical commandments — with all their branches that issue from them and with all their particulars and minutiae. And even the commandments that it is impossible for anyone to fulfill now — may You grant me merit to study and meditate upon them and to fulfill them spiritually through the engagement in Torah; and through the totality of Your people Israel, through the immense power of the love and peace that shall be among all Israel Your people — and may I be absorbed among them in a great totality; until we, all of us the children of Israel Your holy people, are reckoned as a single person [ ke'ish echad ]. And may You raise me up higher and higher, swiftly and speedily — until I merit to be entirely [or: I entirely] good in truth; until I merit through Your mercies and Your great power and the power of the true tzadikim — to reveal and illuminate and find the good that is suppressed and hidden among all the wicked and even among the nations; until even when I speak with the nations and the wicked, or when I see their evil traits, or when I am compelled to engage in some commerce or business with the nations and the wicked — may I always merit to find and to reveal the Divine life-force [ chayyus Elahus ] that dwells and is hidden within them, in all the languages of the nations and in all their evil traits. And may You help me that immediately when I speak or engage with them, the evil shall fall before me — and the good and the holiness that dwells there shall be revealed and shall shine with a great light; and the letters of the Torah clothed there — which animate all the things of the world — shall be revealed; and the letters shall be prominent and shall combine; and a great light from above shall be added upon them; until we merit to gather and to clarify the letters of the holy Torah from all the languages of the nations and from all their evil traits — and to build from them complete structures of holiness. And may the verse be fulfilled: Bless Hashem, His angels — mighty ones of power who do His word, to hearken to the voice of His word. Bless Hashem, all His hosts — His servants who do His will. Bless Hashem, all His works — in all the places of His dominion; bless Hashem, O my soul [ Psalms 103:20–22 ]. Master of the Universe — You know that it would never have occurred to me to ask all these things before You. For even though I do not know the full extent of my distance from You — still, even according to the small measure of what I do know of my distance from You, it would never even have occurred to me to ask for even a small portion of these things. Yet You, Hashem — You know my heart: for all the words of my supplications and my requests, and all my hope and my trust still — it is only upon the merit and power of the true tzadikim under the shelter of whose wings we take refuge. Therefore upon them I lean to ask of You all these things; for their great power suffices even for me — even in my very immense and measureless and incomparable distance. Even so, upon their great power I am confident and leaning and supported and holding fast: that I still have hope to merit all that I have requested from before You — and even more and more than this; for Your mercies are not exhausted, and the merit and power and might of all the true tzadikim is never severed forever; and there is no Sitra Achra of defilement that can stand against their holiness and their level and their height and their strength and their steadfastness and their power and their might. And their merit and their great power shall help and shield and save us and all who take refuge in them — for great are the tzadikim in their death even more than in their lifetime ; and they are called living always. And may You grant me merit to be more accustomed to come to the graves of their holy tombs [ kivrei kodesh ] and to prostrate myself there [ l'hishtateach ] and to set forth my speech before them in truth — as though they were alive in their living existence and even more so. And may I merit to stir the compassion of their hearts upon me; and may their mercies be aroused and moved over me — I who am so locked up and closed in such places that are so distant from You for so many years. As they know clearly all our matters and our essence in this passing world — from beginning to end; and they know the immense compassion that one must have for a person who passes through this world like a guest who is lodging for the night, who does not think about his final end — what he shall do in the world that stands and endures forever and for all eternity. Master of the entire universe [ Mara d'alma kola ] — the body is Yours and the soul is Yours; take pity upon Your labor. And act for the sake of Your Name — and help me and save me with a complete and true salvation. And grant me merit to cleave to You always in truth — and to recognize Your great love with which You love Your holy people Israel, whom You have chosen from all the peoples and exalted above all the tongues; and whom You have sanctified with Your commandments — in which Your great love is clothed, with which You love Your people Israel with a true love: a love and a compassion that has no end and no limit. For from Your great love and from Your true compassion for Your holy people Israel You contracted Your G‑dliness, as it were — and clothed Your love in the Torah and the holy commandments which You gave us with love through Moshe Your prophet, the faithful of Your house. For every single commandment is a holy measure and contraction [ shi'ur v'tzimtzum hakadosh ] — so that through it we merit to recognize You and to attain You and to serve You in truth with awe and love. Have pity and be gracious to me — and grant me merit to fulfill all Your commandments with great love. And may You help me through Your abundant mercies — that I merit to attain and understand the light of love that is within the da'as [holy knowledge], which is the secrets of the Torah [ sitrei Torah ]; which is the Torah of the Ancient One who is hidden [ Oraisa d'Atika Stime'ah ], that is destined to be revealed in the future to come. This is the great love that was between You and Israel Your people before You created the world — which love is beyond time and attributes and days; which the light of this love cannot be attained except through true tzadikim who subdue their inclination, and nullify all the evil desires and evil traits in the ultimate nullification — and their heart is in their own possession. Our Father, our King — help me through Your mercies to draw near and to cleave and to be absorbed in the true tzadik who has this power: to bring and illuminate even within us the light of this love within the da'as . And be gracious to me through Your abundant mercies — and help me that I too merit through his merit and power to subdue and humble and break and nullify my evil inclination; and to remove and nullify from me all the desires and all the evil traits; and may my heart be in my own possession always. And may I tie all the traits and days that are in the heart to the holy da'as . And just as through the holy da'as that is rooted in us we know that the whole earth is full of His glory — until according to the small measure of the sparkling of the da'as that sparkles within us — from Your greatness and Your exaltedness and Your Unity and Your Oneness and Your dominion — all the desires and all the evil traits were being completely nullified; and it would have been impossible for us to lift our hands or our feet without You: so may You help us that we merit to tie the heart and its traits to this holy da'as . And may my heart be in my possession — until I merit through Your mercies to break and remove and nullify from me all the desires and all the evil traits; and may the heart and its good traits be absorbed into the holy da'as . And may my heart and my traits receive from the light of the love that is within the da'as — until I merit even in time and in days and in traits: to attain and understand and taste the taste of the hidden light [ or haganuz ] — which is the light of love within the da'as . And may I merit to understand and attain true secrets of the Torah. And may You grant me merit and help me to ascend at every time — to draw near to You and to Your holy Torah and to the peace — with an ever-greater closeness; and may I always merit to attain the ever-higher secrets of the Torah.

And grant us merit through Your abundant mercies — that the hidden Torah [ Torah hagenuzah ] and the hidden tzadikim [ tzadikim haginuzim ] be revealed to us. And even if the world is not now worthy to make use of this hidden light — which is the hidden Torah and the hidden tzadikim : even so, act with us beyond the letter of the law [ lifnim mishuras hadin ]; and may You stir Your mercies and Your true lovingkindnesses upon us; and help us through Your goodnesses and Your great graciousness — that we merit through Your abundant mercies that the hidden tzadikim and the hidden Torah be revealed to us. For You know, Hashem our G‑d — that we have now no support or hope except through the hidden tzadikim and the hidden Torah; for they alone shield us now in the depth of this bitter exile — in the footsteps of Mashiach [ b'ikvah d'Meshicha ]. Have pity upon us through Your mercies — may Your innards be moved over us. And help us to conquer our evil inclination — to turn from evil completely as Your good will desires; and to always do good in Your eyes. Until we merit to enjoy and taste even in this world from the hidden and treasured and sown light [ or haganuz v'tzafun v'zarua ] — as it is written: Light is sown for the righteous — and for the upright of heart, joy [ Psalms 97:11 ]. And it is further written: Say of the righteous that he is good — for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds [ Isaiah 3:10 ]. And may You draw peace upon Your people Israel forever — and nullify every kind of strife from the world; until through the great abundance of peace, all those who are far shall be drawn near and shall come close to Your service and Your awe in truth — even those who are very far from holiness at the ultimate distance; even those who are sunk and sullied in every kind of abomination and filth and defilement — all of them shall truly be stirred and shall return to You from where they are, through the power of the true tzadikim who always labor to reveal Your G‑dliness and to publicize Your lordship to all who come into the world; and to make peace between Israel and their Father in Heaven. And may You draw down even now in this world the wondrous peace that You are destined to reveal in the time to come — as it is written: And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together — and a small child shall lead them. They shall not harm nor destroy in all My holy mountain — for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea [ Isaiah 11:6,9 ]. And may You fulfill the verse: He Who creates the fruit of the lips: peace, peace — to the far and to the near, says Hashem, and I shall heal him [ Isaiah 57:19 ]. Abundant peace to those who love Your Torah — and there is no stumbling-block for them [ Psalms 119:165 ]. Hashem shall give strength to His people — Hashem shall bless His people with peace [ Psalms 29:11 ]. Amen, eternal, Selah, and evermore. My mouth shall speak wisdom and the meditation of my heart shall be understanding [ Psalms 49:4 ]. O G‑d, hear my prayer — give ear to the words of my mouth [ Psalms 54:4 ]. The free-will offerings of my mouth — please accept, O Hashem — and teach me Your judgments [ Psalms 119:108 ]. Give ear, Hashem, to my prayer — and hearken to the voice of my supplications [ Psalms 86:6 ]. Hear, Hashem, the voice of my supplications — in my crying out to You; in my lifting of my hands toward Your holy sanctuary [ Psalms 28:2 ]. Do not incline my heart to an evil matter — to practice deeds of wickedness with men who are workers of iniquity; and may I not eat of their dainties [ Psalms 141:4 ]. A crooked heart shall depart from me — evil I shall not know [ Psalms 101:4 ]. Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to gain [ Psalms 119:36 ]. Create in me a pure heart, O G‑d — and renew a steadfast spirit within me [ Psalms 51:12 ]. Help me, Master of the Universe — Master of the entire universe [ Mara d'alma kola ] — that I merit to tie my heart to the words of my mouth; and may my heart be as my mouth is. And save me through Your abundant mercies that I not speak before You with lips of deceit; and may my heart not be smooth [i.e., falsely flattering] apart from the words of my mouth. And may I merit to pour out my conversation and my prayer and my supplication and my request before You — with a full mouth and a whole heart; until my heart be tied to the words of my mouth in my supplications and requests. And may You be with me always, and save me and help me and grant me merit to set forth all my speech before You always with a full heart. And all that is in my heart — may I set it forth before You always in truth and with a whole heart. And may I merit to greatly multiply [the practice of] hisbodidus and conversation between myself and my Maker — until the holy point [ nekudah kedoshah ] that is rooted within me — which is the aspect of the ruling tzadik [ cf. Psalms 149:9 ] — as it is written: And Your people — all of them are righteous [ Isaiah 60:21 ] — shall be revealed and shall shine. And this holy point shall illuminate and rule through the words of my mouth in prayers and supplications and requests. And may I merit to tie my heart to this holy point in a firm and strong bond — until this holy point shines from my mouth to my heart; until the light of the holy love for the blessed Name is revealed — which is rooted within me. And through this there shall fall away and be nullified from my heart the disgrace of the heart, the foreskin of the heart [ arlat halev ], the shatteredness of the heart [ shevirat halev ] — which are all the evil desires and evil traits and evil thoughts and evil musings and confusions that dwell upon my heart; until my entire heart is broken and ruined and spoiled exceedingly through the multitude of these disgraces. And all of them shall be nullified from me completely through the light of the holy point within me — which You grant me merit to reveal and illuminate from my mouth to my heart; through words of supplication and requests and arousal to You and Your service; which I merit to utter in truth and with a whole heart from the depths of the heart [ mei'umka d'libba ] — in truth indeed. Please, Hashem — full of abundant mercy; Who takes pity upon the poor; Who hears the cry of the destitute; Who sees the disgrace of the disgraced; Who desires the repentance of the wicked and does not desire their death — You know my disgrace and my shame and my humiliation before You; all my tormentors [are before You]. Disgrace has broken my heart and I am sick — and I waited for sympathy, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none [ Psalms 69:21 ]. Behold — I am before You full of shame and humiliation, full of disgraces and contempts. What shall I say, what shall I speak and how shall I justify myself? Have pity and compassion upon me — remove my disgrace that I have dreaded, for Your judgments are good. Grant me merit to return in complete repentance before You in truth. Grant me merit to set forth my speech before You in truth and with a whole heart — in such a manner that I can stir the good point within me and it shall shine in me from my mouth to my heart; so that I merit to repair my heart that is so very blemished. And may I merit to remove and nullify from my heart all the disgraces of the heart and all the foreskin of the heart and all the crookedness within my heart — for my heart is full of very much crookedness beyond all measure and reckoning and number. The heart is the most deceitful of all things and it is exceedingly corrupt — who can know it? [ Jeremiah 17:9 ]. And You, Hashem , search the heart and examine the kidneys. Heal the breaking of my heart and bind up the very many pains of my soul. Have pity and compassion upon me, Master of the Universe — for You know the evil of my heart and the very evil crookedness that has grasped hold of and mixed itself into my heart; until my entire heart is full of very, very many musings and desires and confusions beyond measure and reckoning and number. Until it is hard for me to rest and be quiet for even a single hour — for at every time and moment the desires and the confusions chase after me, and they shame and shatter my heart. Until I know no way or path or counsel or stratagem of how to escape from them. And even the small measure of good counsel that still sparks for me — I do not fulfill it, through the very great weakness of the mind and the scattering of the heart and the soul. Master of the Universe — it is very bitter to me; You know the immensity of my bitterness; You know my disgrace and the evil of my heart in all its aspects — in all its particulars and its minutiae. And there is no one who can heal me except You alone, Hashem my G‑d and G‑d of my fathers — with Your true lovingkindnesses alone, with pure undeserved grace alone. Even though I do not merit to speak even these words in truth — as You know; for they shame me with every kind of disgrace and contempt: all who see me mock me; they open their lips, they shake their head [ Psalms 22:8 ]. All the day my disgrace is before me and the shame of my face has covered me — from the sound of one who reproaches and reviles, from before the enemy and the vengeful one [ Psalms 44:16–17 ]. And at every time and moment my mind and my heart are confused with every kind of disgrace and contempt. And not only do they shame me and shatter my heart with every kind of evil desire and evil trait and evil and unseemly musings — but also in the midst of this, when I wish to lift my eyes a little toward You and to peep my utterance toward Your mercies and Your graciousness: in the midst of this my heart is full of false intentions and great confusions and arrogance of spirit — whereby through this my prayer is despised before You, G‑d forbid, as it is written: An abomination to Hashem is every haughty heart [ Proverbs 16:5 ]. And now — what shall I do and what shall I accomplish? Where can I flee for help? Look upon my affliction — for my pains and the sorrows of my heart are many [ Psalms 25:17 ]. Yet even so — I hope and long for Your abundant mercies and Your hidden lovingkindnesses; for You know the hidden depths of my heart and the very root of my good point — which in absolute truth there is within me a root of a good and holy and pure point; for I am from the seed of the House of Israel; and my soul is rooted in the soul of the true tzadik who is the root of the totality of the souls of the children of Israel. Therefore in absolute truth — in the innermost root of my good point — I cry out to You in truth and with a whole heart: that You have pity and mercy upon me and be gracious to me from Your treasury of free gifts [ otzar matnas chinam ]; and help me to remove from me the foreskin of my heart and the shatteredness of my heart and the disgrace of my heart. And may I merit to incline my heart toward You in truth indeed; and to break and nullify from my heart all the evil desires and evil traits and the crookedness of the heart and the evil of the heart. And may You return me in complete repentance before You in truth and with a whole heart. And may I speedily merit to a pure heart, to a good heart, to a holy heart, to a whole heart — as Your good will desires. And therefore I have come before You, Hashem my G‑d and G‑d of my fathers — Ruler over all; Who created Your world with Your good will, for the sake of Israel Your people, so that Israel would receive the Torah — and through this they would merit to rule over You, as it were, as it is written: A tzadik rules — [in] the fear of G‑d [ II Samuel 23:3 ]. And it is further written: Israel — its dominions [ Psalms 114:2 ]. Therefore You it is I seek, You it is I request — before You I entreat; before You I prostrate myself: in bowing, in kneeling, in prostration, in inclining the head, in submission of the limbs, in awe, in reverence, in trembling and in quaking — with a broken and crushed heart; sighing and downcast, drawn low and threadbare. Rock of Israel and its Holy One, Redeemer of Israel — have mercy upon us for the sake of Your Name; and grant us merit through Your immense lovingkindnesses to draw near and to be tied to the true tzadikim who are the root of the totality of the souls of Israel. And grant me merit to speak with them face to face — and to hear from their holy mouth holy words; and may they speak to my heart words that settle upon the heart. And may I merit to tie my heart to the words of their holy mouth — to their holy point; and may their holy point rule and shine from their mouth to my heart. And through this may there be nullified from my heart all the disgraces of the heart and all the foreskin of the heart and all the crookedness of the heart — and may my heart be straight with Hashem always. And therefore grant me merit to speak with the totality of Israel Your holy people — in Torah and service and awe of Heaven; until I merit to receive a good illumination and awakening toward the blessed Name — from all the holy points that exist in each and every one of Israel which the other does not have. And may we merit that there be great love and peace among all Israel Your people — and may each one speak with his fellow in awe of Heaven; until all of us, Your people the House of Israel, are absorbed into one another in love and brotherhood and fellowship. And may each one receive from his fellow an awakening toward the blessed Name from the holy point that is in his fellow more than in himself — and we shall receive from one another and stir one another to Your service and Your Torah in absolute truth. And grant me merit through Your abundant mercies — me and my offspring and the offspring of my offspring and all Your people the House of Israel — that each and every one merit to speak between himself and his Maker; and may we stir our hearts to the awe of Heaven. And may we always merit to set forth our speech before You every day in the language in which we speak — with great mercy and supplications; and with many words of appeasement and placation; and with sound and proper arguments; and with great arousal in truth; and with words of grace and supplications — until we merit to tie our heart to the holy point that is within us, which is the aspect of the ruling tzadik . And may we merit to greatly implore You and to greatly multiply every day this conversation-prayer — and may we merit to say before You every day many, many supplications and requests and confessions and prayers and urgent pleadings; and may we strengthen ourselves and brace ourselves in prayer and supplications with all might and force. And let us give You no silence — until You be gracious to us; let us call to You until You answer us; until we stir Your true mercies upon us; and may we merit to prevail over You with our prayers and our supplications and our conversation — that You turn Your face toward us and have mercy upon us; and may You return us in complete repentance before You in truth with all our heart and soul. And may You grant us merit that all three of these holy points shall shine within us: the illumination of the holy point of the true tzadik of the generation; and the illumination of the holy point of the totality of Israel Your people — each one from the other; that each one shall illuminate in his fellow the illumination of the holy point that is in him and which his fellow does not have; and the illumination of the holy point of each one within himself — that each person receive from within himself from the holy point that is in him: that it shine from his mouth to his heart; through his speaking between himself and his Maker with the awakening of the heart, in prayer and conversation and supplication and request in truth and with a whole heart. And through all this may we merit that the illumination of tzadik yesod olam [the tzadik who is the foundation of the world] shine in our hearts. And may we merit that our heart be truly tied in a firm and strong bond for all eternity to the light of these three holy points — where the light of holy love and lovingkindness dwells; until through this there be nullified all the disgraces that dwell upon the heart which are called the foreskin of the heart and the shatteredness of the heart — which are all the evil desires and evil musings. And may I merit that my heart be truly purified from all the crookedness of the heart; and from all kinds of denials of the heart; and from all evil of the heart. And may You help me to break and nullify all the evil desires and all the evil musings and all kinds of evil thoughts and all kinds of confusions and all kinds of dross and turbidity of the heart — until I merit to a pure heart, to a holy heart, to a good heart, to an upright heart — in absolute truth; as Your good will and the will of the true tzadikim . And may my heart be straight with Hashem always — until I merit to cleave to You and to be absorbed in Your good will. And in Your great love may You cover over all our transgressions — as it is written: And over all transgressions love covers [ Proverbs 10:12 ]. And may You forgive and pardon and atone for us all our sins and iniquities and transgressions — and may You gather in our disgrace. And from now may You be our help that we sin no more forever — neither in error nor in deliberation, neither under compulsion nor willingly. And may You save us from every kind of blemish in the world — and may we merit to be as Your good will desires in truth. And grant me merit to sanctify my mouth with holy speech — and help me to repair all the blemishes that I have blemished with my mouth; until I merit that my mouth be full of the blessing of Hashem and my mouth be filled with Your praise. And may the vessels of overflow for me — which are the words of my mouth — be in great completeness; until I always merit to draw through the words of my mouth an overflow of goodness and blessing and mercy and life and peace. And may You hear our prayer always — and nullify Your will before our will; and may our decree be spoken and stand. And may You fulfill the verse: I am Hashem your G‑d Who brought you up from the land of Egypt — open wide your mouth and I shall fill it [ Psalms 81:11 ]. And help us through Your mercies — that we merit speedily to the holiness of the bris in truth; and may we merit to repair every kind of blemish of the bris that we have blemished until now. And may the merit of Yosef the tzadik who stood in his trial [ b'nisayon ], and the merit of all the true tzadikim who stood through countless trials and subdued their inclination for the sake of Your Name — may they shield us. And in their merit and their power may You help me from now, Hashem my G‑d and G‑d of my fathers — that I too merit to subdue my inclination and my desire. And may You save me through Your mercies from every kind of blemish of the bris in the world — and may I not be ashamed and may I not stumble in any stumbling-block and any evil musing whatsoever — from now and forever. And may You grant me merit speedily to the rectification of the bris in truth and in completeness as Your good will desires. And may I merit to repair in completeness the bris of the tongue [ bris halashon ] and the bris of the flesh [ bris hama'or ]. And may You grace us from Yourself with wisdom and understanding and holy knowledge [ chokhmah u'vinah va'da'as dikdushah ] — and may I merit to study and to teach with great diligence; and to fulfill all the words of Your Torah with love. Have pity and be gracious to us and have mercy upon us — and fill our requests with mercy. Be gracious to us and answer us and hear our prayer — for You hear the prayer of every mouth of Your people Israel with mercy. Blessed are You — Hearer of prayer. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before You — Hashem, my Rock and my Redeemer [ Psalms 19:15 ].