The Baal Shem Tov, or Besht —  the founder of Chasidism — 
met the soul of the Messiah during an ascent to heaven. 
The Besht asked him, "When will the Master come?" 
The Messiah answered, "When your wellsprings break forth to the outside!" 
(from a letter written by the Besht to his brother-in-law about one of his soul ascents) 


 

A Prayer for voting and elections
        Get PDF

   ...because where would you need to pray more than in a voting booth?

This prayer is (mostly) not a prayer about winning or getting other people on your side. It's a prayer that we learn to work together to create a better future. It incorporates a pledge to do one thing for healing the world, for tikkun olam.

Scroll down for "Tear out tyranny...", a prayer for democracy added in 2020. Here's a link to an article about this prayer on Times of Israel.

[In the U.S. or anywhere outside of Israel say:]
Behold I am intending
    through my vote | my prayer
    to seek peace for this land and country,
    as it is written (Jer. 29:7):
"Seek the peace of the city
    where I cause you to roam
    and pray for her to YHVH (Hashem/Adonai/God),
    for in her peace you all will have peace."

[In Israel say instead:]
Behold I am intending
    through my vote | my prayer
    to pursue justice
    for all the inhabitants of the land
    as it is written (Isa. 1:27), "Zion will be redeemed through justice
    and her captives through righteousness."

[Continue here:]
May it be Your will, YHVH, that votes
    be counted faithfully
    and may You count my vote
    as if I had fulfilled this verse
    with all my power.

May You give a listening heart
    to whomever we elect
    and may it be good in Your eyes
    to raise for us a good government
    to bring healing, justice and peace
    to all living in this land
    and to all the world, and upon Jerusalem,
    a government that will honor God's image
    in all humanity and in all Creation,
    for rulership is Yours.

Just as I have participated (or: will participate) in the election
    so may I merit to do good works
    and to repair the world through all my efforts,
    and through the act of... [fill in your pledge]
    which I pledge to do
    on behalf of all living creatures,
    in remembrance of
        the covenant of Noah's waters,
    to protect and to not destroy
    the earth and her plenitude.

Give to all the peoples of this land
    the strength and will to pursue righteousness
    and to seek peace as unified force
    to uproot racism and violence
    and to make healing, good life
        and peace flourish
    here and throughout the world
    and fulfill for us the verse (Ps. 90:17):

"May the pleasure of Adonai our God
    be upon us, and establish
    the work of our hands for us,
    and make the work of our hands endure."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first edition of this prayer came out in 2004.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Addition made in the 2020 election for democracy -- still unfortunately just as current (see the Hebrew at right and in the pdf):

May it be Your will to
tear out autocracy, tyranny and despotism,
to ruin those who cheat and deceive,
and upend those who oppress the vulnerable.
Make the reign of the arrogant disappear from all lands.
and may the people who attack democracy fail and may their designs be frustrated.
Stop them, humble them, and bring on their downfall, soon, in our days.

This addition fits before the paragraph beginning, "Give to all the peoples of this country the strength and will to pursue righteousness". You can also download a pdf of the prayer without this addition.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The synchronicity in 2006 of the election with the end date of Noah's flood inspired me to add to the voting prayer the section "Just as I have participated...", focused on the covenant after the flood, which was a covenant with all living creatures, that makes a pledge on behalf of all creatures. stoptheflood eco-Torah

Each person has their own way of understanding tikkun olam, so please change those lines according to your own vision of a perfected world. What is important is that we need both to vote and to take action to make our prayers a reality. What can you personally commit to doing? Pick something you can fulfill and incorporate it into your prayer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The version I wrote for inauguration 2008:

May it be good in Your eyes to give a wise heart to this government to bring justice and peace to all the inhabitants of the world and to Jerusalem, as it is said, "The one who rules through justice upholds the land" (Prov. 29:4), and may its rule be for good and blessing for rulership is Yours!

As I stand in witness of this inauguration and in prayer, I also pray that I may seek peace for this country, and I pledge to..[fill in your pledge]... on behalf of all living creatures and in remembrance of the covenant of Noah's waters to protect and to not destroy the earth and her plenitude. May it be Your will that I do good deeds and repair the world with all my actions...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

YHVH and Adonai are Hebrew names for God.
The first is usually translated as "The Lord" and is the source of the name "Jehovah", but it is actually derived from the verb "to be". It means something like "Source of Being". The second means "my Lord", and is the word we traditionally say when we read YHVH, which is considered too holy to pronounce. But Adonai is also a name of God in its own right.

Download the prayer PDF with full Hebrew

"A listening heart" or lev shomei'a is what Solomon asks God for when he becomes king of Israel.




NEW: DOWNLOAD ADDITIONS TO THE AMIDAH for DEMOCRACY and against TYRANNY based on the voting prayer.


VOTING PRAYER
For elections in the U.S. or anywhere outside the land of Israel:

הַרֵינִי מְכָוֵון בְּהַצְבָּעָתִי ׀ בִּתְּפִילָתִי
לִדְרֹש שָׁלוֹם בְּעַד הַמְדִינָה הַזֹאת כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב
וְדִרְשׁוּ אֶת שְׁלוֹם הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר הִגְלֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה
וְהִתְפַּלְלוּ בַעֲדָהּ אֶל ה' כִּי בִשְׁלוֹמָהּ יִהְיֶה לָכֶם שָׁלוֹם

For elections inside the land of Israel:
הַרֵינִי מְכָוֵון בְּהַצְבָּעָתִי ׀ בִּתְּפִילָתִי
לִרְדוֹף צֶדֶק בְּעַד כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ
כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: צִיּוֹן בְּמִשְׁפָּט תִּפָּדֶה וְשָׁבֶיהָ בִּצְדָקָה

Continue here:
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיךָ ה׳ שֶׁהָהַצְבָּעוֹת יִמָּנוּ נֶאֱמָנוֹת
וְתִמְנֶה הַצְבָּעָתִי כְּאִלוּ קִיָּמְתִי הַכָּתוּב הַזֶה בְּכָל עָצְמָתִי

תִּתֵּן לֵב שׁוֹמֵעַ לְמִי שֶׁאָנוּ בּוֹחֲרִים
וְטוֹב יְהְיֶה בְּעֵינֶיךָ שֶׁתִּשָׂא עַלֵינוּ מֶמְשָלָה טוֹבה
שֶׁתָּבִיא רְפוּאָה וּמִשפָּט וְשָׁלוֹם לְכָל יוֹשְבֵי הָאָרֶץ הַזֹאת
וּלְכָל יוֹשְבֵי תֵבֵל וְעַל יִרוּשַׁלָיִם
מֶמְשָלָה שֶׁתְּכַבֵּד הַצֶלֶם בְּכַל אָדָם וּבַבְּרִיאָה
כִּי הַמַּלְכוּת שֶׁלְּךָ הִיא

כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהִשְׁתַּתָפְתִי | אֶשְׁתַּתֵּף בַּבְּחִירוּת
כֵּן זַכֵּנִי לַעֲשׂוֹת מַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים וּלְתַקֵּן עוֹלָם בְּכָל פֹּעַלִי
וּבַפְּעוּלָה שֶׁל... שֶׁאֲנִי מִתְנדֵּב ׀ מִתְנדֶּבֶת לְקַיֵם
בּעַד כָּל הַבְּרִיאוֹת, בְּזִכְרוֹן בְּרִית מֵי נֹחַ
לְהַגֵּן וּלְבָל תַשְׁחִית אָרֶץ וּמְלוֹאָהּ

תִּתֵּן לְכָל אֻמּוֹת הָאָרֶץ הַזֹאת הָכֹּחַ וְהַרָצוֹן
לִרְדֹף צֶדֶק וּלְבַקֵּשׁ שָׁלוֹם כְּאַגֻדָה אַחַת
לֲעַקֹר גִזְעָנוּת וְחָמָס וּלְהַצְמִיחַ רְפוּאָה
וְחַיִים טוֹבִים וְשָׁלוֹם, פֹּה וּבְכָל הָעוֹלָם

וְקַיֵּם לָנוּ הַכָּתוּב: וִיהִי נ֤עַם אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ עָלֵינוּ
וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ כּוֹנְנָה עָלֵינוּ וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ כּוֹנְנֵהוּ

Click on image to download version for U.S. and for any place outside the land of Israel:


Additional prayer for the protection of democracy:

תְעַקֵּר טִירוּנִיָא וָעָרִיצוּת
וּתְשַׁבֵּר רַמַאִים
וּתְמַגֵּר עֹשְׁקֵי נִדְכָּאִים
תַעֲבִיר מֶמְשֶׁלֶת זָדוֹן מִן הָאָרֶץ
וּתְּסַכֵּל פּוֹגְעִים בְּדֵמוֹקרָטִיָה וְתָּפֵר תַחְבּוּלוֹתם
תְכַלֵּם וְתַשְׁפִּילֵם וְתַכְנִיעֵם בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינו


Download a version without the 2020 addition here. This prayer is also on opensiddur and ritualwell.
You can copy the Hebrew above and edit. Please modify, rewrite and reprint in any way you need to fit your own hopes and prayers. (cc-by)
Donate


Please support this site by staying in touch

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OHmein...

Posted by: Morton Gale at February 5, 2008 12:07 AM

Thank you for this beautiful prayer. I am going to share it with my congregation this Shabbat.
Shabbat Shalom! Francine

Posted by: Francine Roston at October 31, 2008 7:36 PM

Kol Ha'kavod!
We will share this with our community this Shabbat.

Posted by: Kay Magilavy at October 31, 2008 9:03 PM

What a beautiful and truthful prayer. I will share it with those I see before voting day.
Shalom

Posted by: S Rutkowski at November 3, 2008 12:43 AM

Reading this beautiful prayer on my blackberry while waiting in line to vote with the hundreds of others from my neighborhood.

Posted by: ketzirah at November 4, 2008 12:34 PM

Kol HaKavod, David, both on the prayer itself, and the coverage it garned in the media. Even the JTA had a story. Wish I;d seen it before Election Day. Nothing like voting with kavanah.

Posted by: Migdalor Guy (aka Adrian Durlester) at November 6, 2008 3:37 AM
Design in progress © Rabbi David Mevorach Seidenberg 2006