Rabbi Elianna Yolkut
A Prayer For The Children
In the lead up to the high drama of the liturgy of Yom Kippur, there is a custom to bless one’s children right before departing for Kol Nidre, arguably the pinnacle moment of the Jewish calendar. In this the most climactic moment of the Jewish year, we pause to bless our children. While this is a custom many Jewish parents partake in each week on Shabbat eve, the Yom Kippur prayer specifically offers a more intense and intentional blessing. Here is an excerpt:
וִיהִי רָצוֹן מִלִּפְנֵי אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, שֶׁיִּתֵּן בְּלִבְּךָ אַהֲבָתוֹ וְיִרְאָתוֹ וְתִהְיֶה יִרְאַת ה` עַל פָּנֶיךָ כָּל יָמֶיךָ שֶׁלֹּא תֶחֱטָא, וּתְהִי חֶשְׁקְךָ בַּתּוֹרָה וּבְמִצְוֹת עֵינֶיךָ לְנֹכַח יַבִּיטוּ פִּיךָ יְדַבֵּר חָכְמוֹת וְלִבְּךָ יֶהְגֶּה אֵימוֹת: יָדֶיךָ יַעַסְקוּ בְּמִצְוֹת. רַגְלֶיךָ יָרוּצוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹן אָבִיךָ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם.
And may it be the will of our Parent in heaven, to place in your heart love and awe of the Holy One. May the awe of God be upon your face all the days of your life, so that you will not miss the mark. May your desire be for Torah and Mitzvot, may your eyes look straightforward, may your mouth speak [with] wisdom, may your heart meditate [with] reverence, may your hands be engaged in mitzvot, and may your feet hasten to do the work of our beloved Parent…
These opening lines give you a sense of the intensity of the moment, the precarious liminal moment between the work of teshuvah and the final twenty-five Yom Kippur hours focused on hope, redemption, and life. I can still feel my father’s tears against my cheek as he kissed me upon finishing the prayer. These days, I bless my children every Shabbat, but never more powerfully than this blessing leading into Yom Kippur, when I cannot, much like my parents, control my weeping. It is exactly what this season is meant to evoke; the precarious nature of life, the tentative quality of existence and the reality that the world our children are living in and through is incredibly fraught, risky and uncertain. One cannot avoid noting that this is true even more so in this moment this year. In a post October 7th world, nothing feels completely safe. In a world of economic uncertainty, as our climate warms, as global leaders often seem unhinged at best and we face a growing reality of war, bloodshed and so much more. Might we seek new words to represent this fraught moment? More liturgy? A new prayer to be added to the canon to help us encapsulate what we feel as we send this generation of children off into a darkened world?
Let us pray that our prayers reach deep and wide into the hearts of this next generation of leaders and they become a source of wisdom, love, hope and possibility.
אל רחום וחנון מלא רחמים
הגן על הבן/בת היקר/ה והפגיע כשהם הולכים לעולם
הנחה אותו/ה בדרך ישרה המוארת באורם של אחרים
נטע בו/ה אהבה, צדק, ותפיסה עמוקה
הענק לו/ה חכמה לדעת מתי לפנות לרוך ומתי להתקפל לעבר כוח
El Rachum V’chanun Ma’leh Rachamyim
Ha’gen al ha’ben/bat ha’yikarah v’hafgiya k’shehem holchim l’olam
Ha’nachah oto/ah b’derech yesharah ha’mi-orot b’oram shel acheyrim
Natah bo/bah ahahah, tzedek, v’tafisah amukah
ילד/ה קדוש/ה ומקודש/ת, שיהיה לך את האומץ להאיר את העולם סביבך יהי רצון שמילות לבך והמדיטציות של פיך יפלו מתוך תשוקה, חמלה ותקווה יהי רצון שהאמונות שלך יהיו מושרשות בשלמות, מחויבות וחוכמה יהי רצון שמפעלי ידיך ישרתו מטרה גדולה יותר של קדושה, חובה ושלמות
Yeled/ah kadosh/ah u-mekudash/ah, sheh'yeh lach et ha-ometz le-he'ir et ha-olam svivech Y'hi ratzon she-milot libecha v-ha-meditatzot shel ficheh yiplu mitoch t'shukah, chamlah v'tikvahY'hi ratzon sheha'emunot shelcha yihyu mushrashot b'shlemut, mechuyavut v'chokhmah Y'hi ratzon shemif'alei yadecha yish'r'tu matara gdola yoter shel kdushah, chovah v’shlemut
הקדוש ברוך הוא הרשה לנו/לי את הזכות להדריך אותם, ללמד אותם, להחזיק אותם ברגעי ייאוש ובלבול, להדריך אותם ברגעי אי ודאות ולאהוב אותם בשמחה ללא גבול, בצחוק שופע ובידיים יציבות.
כן יהי רצון
Hakadosh Baruch Hu hersha lanu/li et hazchut lehadrich otam, lelamed otam, le'hazik otam Beregei yeyush u'vilbul, lehadrich otam beregei ei vadaut v'le'ehov otam besimcha b'li g'vul, b'tzchok sho'fe'a u'biyadayim yitzivot.
Ken Yehi Ratzon
Holy Merciful One Full of Compassion,
Protect this beloved and vulnerable human being as they walk into the world. Guide them along a straight path which is illuminated by the light of others. Root in them love, justice and deep conviction.
Grant them the wisdom to know when to reach toward gentleness and when to bend towards strength.
Holy sacred child, may you have the courage to illuminate the world around you. May the words of your heart and the meditations of your mouth fall forth with passion, compassion and hope.
May your convictions be rooted in wholeness, commitment and wisdom.
May the works of your hands serve a greater purpose of holiness, duty and wholeness.
Holy Blessed One, allow us the privilege to guide them, to teach them, to hold them in moments of despair and confusion, to guide them in moments of uncertainty, and to love them with boundless joy, abundant laughter, flowing love and steady hands. So May It Be Your Will.