from The Fiftieth Gate, Volume 4 (translator).
41.
Hashem, my God and God of my fathers, help me always be joyful—in particular, when I perform Your commandments.
Inspire me always to be glad. Lead me to always rejoice in You and in Your salvation, for all of the kindness that You have done for the entire Jewish people. You chose us from all the nations, elevated us above all other peoples, sanctified us with Your commandments, and brought us close to You, God our King, even calling us by Your great and holy name.
May I always recall this goodness, this incredible kindness, and always rejoice in it: every day and at every moment, and particularly on Sabbaths and holidays.
There is no limit to the many kindnesses and favors that You do for me constantly. How great is the goodness You have performed for me! “How will I repay Hashem for all of His kindness to me?”
If all the seas were ink and all the marsh reeds were pens and all people were scribes and all tongues filled with praise, they would not tell even a thousandth or a ten-thousandth of the enormous multitude of great and awesome favors and kindnesses, miracles and wonders that You, Master of the heavenly hosts, have performed for me in Your kindness.
You have rescued my soul from every trouble and misfortune. “Much have You done, Hashem my God, Your wonders and thoughts are for our sake. No one compares with You. I would tell and speak them, but they are too many to recount” (Psalms 40:6).
Help me constantly recall Your favors and unceasing kindness to me, and rejoice in how You constantly save me.
Compassionate Father, help me always be happy.
Bring me to constantly inspire myself to be joyful, particularly on Sabbaths and holidays.
May this holy joy set my heart aflame with fervor and inspiration, with yearning and a desire for Your name, with a desire to serve You in truth and faith, in great holiness and purity, until the fervor of my heart reaches my feet, so that I will lift them up and dance with sanctity and joy—in particular, on Sabbaths, festivals and other days on which You performed miracles for the Jewish people.
Keep me from ever becoming drunk. Protect me from intoxicating wine and from the fervor and dance that come from the Side of Evil. May I never experience any excitement of the evil inclination for any lust at all. Instead, may I only drink the wine “that gives joy to God and man.”
Whenever I need to drink wine or alcohol—on Sabbaths and festivals, or over a cup of blessing—may I drink a very small amount, just enough to expand my mind in holiness, so that I will attain the joy of the mitzvah, a true joy that leads to a holy fervor in my heart and sets it aflame with great sanctity for the sake of Your name, so that I will truly serve you, just as You desire.
Protect me from overindulging in drink. Prevent me from ever growing intoxicated. Instead, give me the strength to arouse the spiritual root of “wine that gives joy,” of wine that “causes the heart of man to rejoice.”
Inspire my heart to constantly rejoice with a truly great happiness, until I dance in holiness. Help me dance with a heart filled with a fervent sanctity that comes from “the wine that gives joy,” until I will weaken and even eliminate all of the harsh judgments that grasp the heels and feet. Give me the strength to weaken, break and eliminate those judgments. May all judgments—whether against me or those against Your Jewish people—be eliminated, from this moment and forever.
Instead, draw down onto all of us the spiritual root associated with the concept of the first-born and the blessing given to the first-born. Call us “My son, My first-born, Israel.” And may the verse be realized, “Indeed, I will appoint [the Jewish people as the] first-born, superior to the [gentile] kings of the earth” (Psalms 89:28).
Draw down onto us a constant flow of goodness, blessing, compassion, life, peace and everything good.
Draw peace onto us, and remove all disharmony from the world.
Help me always give a pidyon—a monetary gift accompanied by a request for a blessing—to the true tzaddikim of the generation.
Compassionate God, arouse the spiritual root of the spiritual energies called the three “holy hands” in the realm of Binah: the “great hand,” the “strong hand” and the “uplifted hand.”
Compassionate God, arouse Your forty-two letter Name, which forms the acronym of the forty-two words in the prayer, Ana Bakoach:
Please, in the power of the greatness of Your right hand, untie the bundled sins.
Accept the song of Your nation. Raise us, purify us, Awesome One.
Please, Mighty One, guard those who seek Your unity like the apple of Your eye.
Bless them, purify them. Constantly requite them with the compassion of Your righteousness.
Powerful, Holy One, in Your great goodness guide your congregation.
Unique One, Proud One, turn to Your nation who recall Your holiness.
Accept our entreaty and hear our cry, You Who know hidden things.
In the merit of the seven Divine Names formed by the acronym of each line, may all judgments be weakened at their root.
Compassionate God, arouse supernal compassion from the light of Your countenance.
Arouse the 370 lights of Your supernal countenance and the 8 whitenesses [?], which add up to 378, which is the numerical value of the word bashalom: “in peace.” In this way, weaken and eliminate all judgments against me and against Your entire Jewish people—constantly and forever.
Draw down and bind together these seven names, each of which is composed of six letters, with the pillars [that represent money], so that they will unite and join together, like the “silver hooks and bands of the pillars,” [which teach that when we connect the Divine Names, we draw down Divine lovingkindness].
In this way, draw Your supernal kindness—which is the pure and holy “silver”—onto me, so that all judgments will be removed from me, from all of my descendants, and from all of the descendants of Your Jewish people, forever.
Completely heal all Jews who are ill (in particular, send a complete recovery to [name], son/daughter of [mother’s name]). Heal all of their diseases and pain, and restore them to their full strength soon. Swiftly send them a recovery from heaven, a healing of the spirit and of the body—for You are the divine King, a faithful and compassionate Healer.
Compassionate God, give me the ability to accept pidyon offerings, and by so doing soften divine judgments against the Jewish people—as a whole and of each individual. Give me the ability to draw kindness onto those who need it—by accepting redemption money, by drinking the “wine that gives rejoicing” in a state of great sanctity, and by lifting my hands and feet to You, Supernal God, Creator of heaven and earth, with a truly complete faith, with a holy fervor of the heart and great joy, in accordance with Your good will.
Draw down onto me the supernal protection that comes from the supernal state of existence called chashmal.
Purify me and my garments—my physical and my spiritual garments. Guard me when I go out and when I come in, so that I will enjoy a good life and peace, from now and forever.
Compassionate God, help me fill the throats of true Torah scholars with the “wine that brings rejoicing.” Help me bring them to great joy. Help me generously give Torah scholars and true tzaddikim a great deal of money for the sake of the redemption of my soul, the souls of my sons and daughters and of all my descendants, within the totality of the souls of the Jewish people—until all judgments will be weakened at their source, and Your trait of kindness will overwhelm Your trait of judgment.
Compassionate God, arouse Your supernal kindness to flow down upon me, so that Your kindness will pour over me, bringing me Your righteousness, blessing, compassion, life and peace.
Bless me and Your entire nation Israel, so that at every moment we will enjoy Your good peace.
May peace increase in the world.
And may the verses be realized: “All of your children will be learned of Hashem, and your children will enjoy much peace. May great peace come down upon those who love Your Torah, so that they will not stumble. And you will see your children’s children, peace upon Israel. May there be peace within your walls, tranquility in your palaces. For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will speak peace to you. For the sake of the house of Hashem our God, I will seek goodness for you. May Hashem give his nation strength, may Hashem bless His nation with peace.”