Jewish sources establish biblical and rabbinic models for prayer in healing contexts. Biblical passages present direct intercession for recovery and praise of God's healing power, while Talmudic and later halakhic sources preserve specific prayers recited before medical procedures, particularly bloodletting, that ask God to make the treatment effective and the patient emerge safely healed.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ שֶׁיְּהֵא עֵסֶק זֶה לִי לִרְפוּאָה
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What the sources say
The core source for a physician's prayer is Berakhot 60a:28-30, where Rav Aḥa teaches that one entering to let blood recites that this enterprise be for healing, addressing God as a faithful healer whose healing is truth; Abaye adds that the one performing the procedure should instead say 'Blessed... rofei chinam,' since the Torah grants the physician permission to heal, derived from 've-rapo yerapei' (Shemot 21:19).
This same formula is codified practically in Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 230:3-4, which directs one entering to be bled to say that this enterprise be for healing because God is a free healer, and afterward to bless God as healer of the sick.
The permission and duty to heal that undergirds these prayers is grounded halachically in Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De'ah 336:1 and Arukh HaShulchan, Yoreh De'ah 336:1, both of which root the physician's license in 've-rapo yerapei' and treat healing as a mitzvah bound up with pikuach nefesh, such that one who withholds treatment is considered a shedder of blood.
Modern poskim extend this into an actual prayer text for the practicing physician: Tzitz Eliezer 9:17 holds that one compelled by his livelihood to practice medicine should recite a prayer for himself, and that it is highly desirable for the physician to offer a similar prayer to the רופא כל בשר, while Tzitz Eliezer 8:15 urges the physician to pray continually to God, the Healer of all flesh, for wisdom and clear insight in treating patients and to trust that his actions will be beneficial.
Tzitz Eliezer 17:2 holds that one should pray to the Creator for healing, recognizing Him as the free healer, and that physicians, like patients, must place their trust in Him and kindle the light of faith.
Igros Moshe YD 4:8 holds that because physicians can err, one should pray that the physician not make a mistake and that the treatment prove healing, noting that the Gemara records people consulting non-Jewish physicians and heretics where there was no concern they would kill the patient.
Contemporary codifications supply concrete wording: Rav Mordechai Eliyahu (Shut HaRav HaRashi 42:3) and Rav Mordechai Eliyahu (Maamar Mordechai Hilchot Shabbat, Chelek 2 38:8) both give the text 'yehi ratzon... sheyehei esek zeh li lirfuah u-terapeini refuah sheleimah, baruch rofei cholim ki El rofei chinam ve-ne'eman atah,' to be said before going to a doctor or taking medicine, reciting God's name only in thought rather than aloud, and bearing in mind that the physician and medicine are only agents of God's healing; Shaarei Halacha uMinhag 5:23 likewise holds that one should say only 'yehi ratzon sheyihyeh li refuah' rather than a formal blessing, while intending it with the seriousness of a brachah.
Kitzur Shulchan Arukh Yalkut Yosef, Orach Chaim 116:6 gives an expanded personal petition to insert within the brachah of Refa'einu, asking for complete healing of body and soul, and also provides language for praying on behalf of another ill person; Tzitz Eliezer 11:4 clarifies that this Refa'einu blessing is the proper vehicle for such petition, distinguishing it from Asher Yatzar, which praises the wise creation of the human body in health and in illness alike.
These prayers continue a biblical pattern of turning to God for healing, as when Abraham prays for Abimelech's household in Bereishit 20:17, Moses cries out 'E-l na refa na lah' for Miriam in Bamidbar 12:13, and the Tehillim praise God as the healer of the brokenhearted in Tehillim 147:3 and as the One who forgives iniquity and heals all disease in Tehillim 103:2-3; the Gemara further records that one who recovers from illness must offer public thanks with the blessing of 'Gomel chasadim tovim,' as in Berakhot 54b:12, and that a private individual rescued from danger recites a blessing of thanks at the site of the miracle, as in Berakhot 54a:11-13.
The ethical foundation for the physician's engagement with the patient's welfare is articulated in Mesillat Yesharim 19:4-5, which describes the duty of chesed to exert oneself to prevent or remove bodily harm from one's fellow wherever possible.
בראשית כ׳:י״ז
Genesis 20:17
Abraham prays to God, and God heals Abimelech, his wife, and maidservants. The verse is a foundational biblical association between intercession and healing.
וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֥ל אַבְרָהָ֖ם אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיִּרְפָּ֨א אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶת־אֲבִימֶ֧לֶךְ וְאֶת־אִשְׁתּ֛וֹ וְאַמְהֹתָ֖יו וַיֵּלֵֽדוּ׃
Abraham then prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his handmaids, so that they bore children;
במדבר י״ב:י״ג
Numbers 12:13
Moses offers the brief prayer, “Please, God, please heal her,” a direct biblical model for praying for a patient’s recovery.
וַיִּצְעַ֣ק מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֶל־יְהֹוָ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר אֵ֕ל נָ֛א רְפָ֥א נָ֖א לָֽהּ׃ {פ}
So Moses cried out to GOD, saying, “O God, pray heal her!”
See also
תהילים קמ״ז:ג׳
Psalms 147:3
The verse praises God as the one who heals the brokenhearted and binds their wounds, emphasizing both physical and emotional healing.
הָ֭רֹפֵא לִשְׁב֣וּרֵי לֵ֑ב וּ֝מְחַבֵּ֗שׁ לְעַצְּבוֹתָֽם׃
healing their broken hearts, and binding up their wounds.
תהילים ק״ג:ב׳-ג׳
Psalms 103:2-3
The psalm blesses God who forgives iniquity and heals illness, providing language suitable for a physician’s personal prayer or reflection.
בָּרְכִ֣י נַ֭פְשִׁי אֶת־יְהֹוָ֑ה וְאַל־תִּ֝שְׁכְּחִ֗י כׇּל־גְּמוּלָֽיו׃ הַסֹּלֵ֥חַ לְכׇל־עֲוֺנֵ֑כִי הָ֝רֹפֵ֗א לְכׇל־תַּחֲלוּאָֽיְכִי׃
Bless the ETERNAL One, O my soul, and do not forget all God’s bounties. All your sins are forgiven, all your diseases healed.
ברכות ס׳ א — ד"ה דְּאָמַר רַב אַחָא
Berakhot 60a:28-30
The Talmud records the prayer to recite upon entering a bathhouse, asking for safe passage and emerging healed; it is a precedent for articulating a healing prayer before entering a potentially dangerous setting.
דְּאָמַר רַב אַחָא: הַנִּכְנָס לְהַקִּיז דָּם, אוֹמֵר: ״יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה׳ אֱלֹהַי שֶׁיְּהֵא עֵסֶק זֶה לִי לִרְפוּאָה, וּתְרַפְּאֵנִי. כִּי אֵל רוֹפֵא נֶאֱמָן אָתָּה וּרְפוּאָתְךָ אֱמֶת, לְפִי שֶׁאֵין דַּרְכָּן שֶׁל בְּנֵי אָדָם לְרַפּאוֹת אֶלָּא שֶׁנָּהֲגוּ״. אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: לָא לֵימָא אִינָשׁ הָכִי, דְּתָנֵי דְּבֵי רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל: ״וְרַפֹּא יְרַפֵּא״ — מִכָּאן שֶׁנִּיתְּנָה רְשׁוּת לָרוֹפֵא לְרַפּאוֹת. כִּי קָאֵי מַאי אוֹמֵר? — אָמַר רַב אַחָא: ״בָּרוּךְ … רוֹפֵא חִנָּם״.
As Rav Aḥa said: One who enters to let blood says: May it be Your will, O Lord my God, that this enterprise be for healing and that You should heal me. As You are a faithful God of healing and Your healing is truth. Because it is not the way of people to heal, but they have become accustomed. Rav Aḥa is saying that people should not practice medicine as they lack the ability to heal; rather, healing should be left to God. Abaye responded and said: One should not say this, as it was taught in the school of Rabbi Yishmael that from the verse, “And shall cause him to be thoroughly healed” (Exodus 21:19), from here we derive that permission is granted to a doctor to heal. The practice of medicine is in accordance with the will of God. As for bloodletting, the Gemara asks: When one stands after having let blood, what does he say? Rav Aḥa said: He recites in gratitude: Blessed…Who heals without payment.
ברכות נ״ד ב — ד"ה אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב
Berakhot 54b:12
The Mishnah and Talmud prescribe blessing God for the good and the bad, a framework for maintaining faith and gratitude amid uncertain medical outcomes.
אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב: אַרְבָּעָה צְרִיכִין לְהוֹדוֹת: יוֹרְדֵי הַיָּם, הוֹלְכֵי מִדְבָּרוֹת, וּמִי שֶׁהָיָה חוֹלֶה וְנִתְרַפֵּא, וּמִי שֶׁהָיָה חָבוּשׁ בְּבֵית הָאֲסוּרִים וְיָצָא. מִי שֶׁחָלָה וְנִתְרַפֵּא, דִּכְתִיב: ״אֱוִילִים מִדֶּרֶךְ פִּשְׁעָם וּמֵעֲוֹנֹתֵיהֶם יִתְעַנּוּ. כׇּל אֹכֶל תְּתַעֵב נַפְשָׁם וְגוֹ׳ וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אֶל ה׳ בַּצַּר לָהֶם וְגוֹ׳ יִשְׁלַח דְּבָרוֹ וְיִרְפָּאֵם וְגוֹ׳ יוֹדוּ לַה׳ חַסְדּוֹ״. מַאי מְבָרֵךְ? אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: ״בָּרוּךְ גּוֹמֵל חֲסָדִים טוֹבִים״. אַבָּיֵי אָמַר: וְצָרִיךְ לְאוֹדוֹיֵי קַמֵּי עַשְׂרָה, דִּכְתִיב: ״וִירוֹמְמוּהוּ בִּקְהַל עָם וְגוֹ׳״. מָר זוּטְרָא אָמַר: וּתְרֵין מִינַּיְיהוּ רַבָּנַן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וּבְמוֹשַׁב זְקֵנִים יְהַלְלוּהוּ״.
Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: Four must offer thanks to God with a thanks-offering and a special blessing. They are: Seafarers, those who walk in the desert, and one who was ill and recovered, and one who was incarcerated in prison and went out. All of these appear in the verses of a psalm (Psalms 107). That one who was ill and recovered must offer thanks is derived, as it is written: “Fools, because of their transgression and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhors all manner of food and they draw near unto the gates of death” (Psalms 107:17–18), and: “Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saves them from their distress” (Psalms 107:19), and then: “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (Psalms 107:20). After they are healed: “They are grateful to God for His goodness” (Psalms 107:21). The Gemara asks: What blessing does he recite? Rav Yehuda said: Blessed is…Who bestows acts of loving-kindness. Abaye said: And he must offer thanks before ten people, as it is written in the same chapter: “Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people and praise Him in the assembly of the elders” (Psalms 107:32), and congregation indicates a group of at least ten. Mar Zutra said: Two of them must be Sages, as it is stated there: “And praise Him in the assembly of elders.” These elders are the Sages, and the use of the plural indicates a minimum of two.
ברכות נ״ד א — ד"ה אַנִּיסָּא דְרַבִּים מְבָרְכִינַן
Berakhot 54a:11-13
Chachmei Bavel recount individual rescues from a lion, thirst, and a wild camel, teaching that one who experiences a personal miracle recites “Blessed…Who performed a miracle for me in this place,” while a miracle for the multitudes obligates everyone to recite a blessing.
אַנִּיסָּא דְרַבִּים מְבָרְכִינַן, אַנִּיסָּא דְיָחִיד לָא מְבָרְכִינַן?! וְהָא הָהוּא גַּבְרָא דַּהֲוָה קָא אָזֵיל בַּעֲבַר יַמִּינָא. נְפַל עֲלֵיהּ אַרְיָא, אִתְעֲבִיד לֵיהּ נִיסָּא וְאִיתַּצַּל מִינֵּיהּ. אֲתָא לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרָבָא, וַאֲמַר לֵיהּ: כׇּל אִימַּת דְּמָטֵית לְהָתָם — בָּרֵיךְ ״בָּרוּךְ שֶׁעָשָׂה לִי נֵס בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה״. וּמָר בְּרֵיהּ דְּרָבִינָא הֲוָה קָאָזֵיל בְּפַקְתָּא דַעֲרָבוֹת וּצְחָא לְמַיָּא. אִתְעֲבִיד לֵיהּ נִיסָּא, אִיבְּרִי לֵיהּ עֵינָא דְמַיָּא, וְאִישְׁתִּי. וְתוּ, זִמְנָא חֲדָא הֲוָה קָאָזֵיל בְּרַסְתְּקָא דְמָחוֹזָא וּנְפַל עֲלֵיהּ גַּמְלָא פְּרִיצָא. אִיתְפָּרַקָא לֵיהּ אָשִׁיתָא, עָל לְגַוַּהּ. כִּי מְטָא לַעֲרָבוֹת בָּרֵיךְ: ״בָּרוּךְ … שֶׁעָשָׂה לִי נֵס בַּעֲרָבוֹת וּבְגָמָל״. כִּי מְטָא לְרַסְתְּקָא דְמָחוֹזָא בָּרֵיךְ: ״בָּרוּךְ … שֶׁעָשָׂה לִי נֵס בְּגָמָל וּבַעֲרָבוֹת״! אָמְרִי: אַנִּיסָּא דְרַבִּים — כּוּלֵּי עָלְמָא מִיחַיְּיבִי לְבָרוֹכֵי, אַנִּיסָּא דְיָחִיד — אִיהוּ חַיָּיב לְבָרוֹכֵי.
The Gemara asks: For a miracle that occurs for the multitudes we recite a blessing, but for a miracle that befalls an individual person we do not recite a blessing? Wasn’t there an incident where a certain man was walking along the right side of the Euphrates River when a lion attacked him, a miracle was performed for him, and he was rescued? He came before Rava, who said to him: Every time that you arrive there, to the site of the miracle, recite the blessing, “Blessed…Who performed a miracle for me in this place.” And once when Mar, son of Ravina, was walking in a valley of willows and was thirsty for water, a miracle was performed for him and a spring of water was created for him, and he drank. Furthermore, once when Mar, son of Ravina, was walking in the marketplace [risteka] of Meḥoza and a wild camel [gamla peritza] attacked him. The wall cracked open, he went inside it, and he was rescued. Ever since, when he came to the willows he recited: Blessed…Who performed a miracle for me in the willows and with the camel. And, when he came to the marketplace of Meḥoza he recited: Blessed…Who performed a miracle for me with the camel and in the willows, indicating that one recites a blessing even for a miracle that occurs to an individual. The Sages say: On a miracle performed on behalf of the multitudes, everyone is obligated to recite a blessing; on a miracle performed on behalf of an individual, only the individual is obligated to recite a blessing.
ערוך השולחן, יורה דעה של״ו
Arukh HaShulchan, Yoreh De'ah 336:1
Arukh HaShulchan develops the obligation of a physician to heal, including the seriousness of refusing needed treatment; it can frame a physician’s prayer as accompanying, not replacing, competent care.
דיני רפואות הרופאים • ובו ד' סעיפים כתיב: "ורפא ירפא" – מכאן שנתנה תורה רשות לרופא לרפאות (בבא קמא פה א). כלומר: שלא תאמר כיון דחכמת הרפואה היא אומדנא בעלמא, אם כן שמא יקלקל? לזה נתנה התורה רשות לרופא לרפאות. וכיון שנתנה רשות, ממילא שחובה עליו לרפאות. והרי מחללין שבת על זה כשצריך לעשות הרפואה, אפילו יש בעשייתה כמה אבות מלאכות, אם החולה יש בו סכנה. ובכלל פיקוח נפש הוא, והמונע מזה – הרי זה שופך דמים. ואפילו יש לו מי שירפאנו, שלא מן הכל אדם זוכה להתרפאות. וכל הזריז בפיקוח נפשות – הרי זה משובח.
שולחן ערוך, יורה דעה של״ו:א׳ — ד"ה דיני הרופא
Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De'ah 336:1
This governing section establishes the physician’s obligation to treat the sick and not withhold care, making it the central halakhic source for a physician’s professional responsibility.
דיני הרופא. ובו ג' סעיפים: נתנה התורה רשות לרופא לרפאות ומצוה היא ובכלל פיקוח נפש הוא ואם מונע עצמו הרי זה שופך דמים ואפי' יש לו מי שירפאנו שלא מן הכל אדם זוכה להתרפאות ומיהו לא יתעסק ברפואה אא"כ הוא בקי ולא יהא שם גדול ממנו שאם לא כן הרי זה שופך דמים ואם ריפא שלא ברשות בית דין חייב בתשלומין אפי' אם הוא בקי ואם ריפא ברשות ב"ד וטעה והזיק פטור מדיני אדם וחייב בדיני שמים ואם המית ונודע לו ששגג גולה על ידו:
The Torah has granted the physician permission to heal, and it is a religious duty which comes under the rule of saving an endangered life. If he withholds [treatment] he is regarded as one who sheds blood; and even if there is someone else who can heal him; for not from every one does one merit to be healed. Nevertheless, on should not occupy himself with medical treatment unless he is an expert and there is none other greater than he; for if not so, he is regarded as one who sheds blood. If one administered medical treatment without the permission of the Jewish Court, he is subject to payment of indemnities, even if he is an expert; and if he administered medical treatment, having the permission of the Jewish Court, and erred, causing [thereby] injury [to the patient], he is exempt by the laws of man and is held responsible by the laws of Heaven. If he caused death and it became known to him that he acted inadvertently, he is banished on account of him.
מסילת ישרים י״ט:ד׳-ה׳ — ד"ה הַחֵלֶק הַשֵּׁנִי שֶׁבָּרִאשׁוֹן הוּא בַּמֶּה שֶׁבֵּין
Mesillat Yesharim 19:4-5
The chapter on piety describes serving God through love, compassion, and concern for others, providing a broad ethical foundation for a physician’s prayer before caring for patients.
הַחֵלֶק הַשֵּׁנִי שֶׁבָּרִאשׁוֹן הוּא בַּמֶּה שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ, וְעִנְיָנוֹ גֹּדֶל הַהֲטָבָה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הָאָדָם לְעוֹלָם מֵטִיב לַבְּרִיּוֹת וְלֹא מֵרֵעַ לָהֶם, וְזֶה בַּגּוּף, בַּמָּמוֹן, וּבַנֶּפֶשׁ. בַּגּוּף, שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מִשְׁתַּדֵּל לַעֲזֹר כָּל אָדָם בְּמָה שֶׁיּוּכַל וְיָקֵל מַשָּׂאָם מֵעֲלֵיהֶם, וְהוּא מָה שֶׁשָּׁנִינוּ (אבות פ"ו): וְנוֹשֵׂא בְעֹל עִם חֲבֵרוֹ, וְאִם מַגִּיעַ לַחֲבֵרוֹ אֵיזֶה נֶזֶק בְּגוּפוֹ, וְהוּא יוּכַל לִמְנֹעַ אוֹתוֹ אוֹ לַהֲסִירוֹ, יִטְרַח כְּדֵי לַעֲשׂוֹתוֹ.
CHESED - KINDLINESS: The second subdivision of the first division, namely, piety in deed between man and his fellow, its matter is great beneficence, namely, that one always does good to others and never harms them. This applies to the body, possessions, and spirit of one's fellow. Body: that one strives to help all men however he can, and lighten the burden that is upon them. As we learned: "bearing the yoke with one's fellow" (Avot 6:6). If his fellow is about to be struck by some bodily harm and he can prevent it or remove it, he should exert himself to do so.
שולחן ערוך, אורח חיים ר״ל
Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 230:3-4
This siman records blessings associated with bodily functions and health. It is directly relevant to the question because it preserves blessings that are event-triggered and therefore may appear in Chazal without being regularly said.
הנכנס למרחץ אומר יהר"מ ה' אלהי שתכניסני לשלום ותוציאני לשלום ותצילני מהאור הזה וכיוצא בו לעתיד לבא יצא בשלום אומר מודה אני לפניך ה' אלהי שהצלתני מהאור הזה: הנכנס להקיז דם אומר יהר"מ ה' אלהי שיהא עסק זה לי לרפואה כי רופא חנם אתה ולאחר שהקיז יאמר ברוך רופא חולים:
ציץ אליעזר, חי״ז סי׳ ב׳
Tzitz Eliezer 17:2
The passage says one should pray to the Creator for healing, recognizing that He is the free healer, and adds that physicians, like patients, must place their trust in Him and kindle the light of faith.
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ציץ אליעזר, ח״ט סי׳ י״ז
Tzitz Eliezer 9:17
The passage says that one who is compelled by his livelihood to practice medicine should recite a prayer for himself, and that it is highly desirable for a physician to offer a similar prayer to the רופא כל בשר.
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ציץ אליעזר, ח״ח סי׳ ט״ו
Tzitz Eliezer 8:15
The passage urges the physician to pray continually to God, “the Healer of all flesh,” for wisdom, understanding, and clear insight in treating people, and to trust in Him so that the physician’s actions will be beneficial.
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אגרות משה, יו"ד ד׳:ח׳
Igros Moshe YD 4:8
The passage says that because physicians can sometimes err, one should pray to God that the physician not make a mistake and that the treatment prove healing, noting that the Gemara records people consulting non-Jewish physicians and heretics when there was no concern that they would kill them.
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ציץ אליעזר, חי״א סי׳ ד׳
Tzitz Eliezer 11:4
The passage distinguishes Birkat Asher Yatzar as praise for the wise creation of humanity, including both the healthy and the ill, while identifying Refa’einu as the final blessing.
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שערי הלכה ומנהג, מילואים סי׳ כ״ג
Shaarei Halacha uMinhag 5:23
The passage states that one should recite only “Yehi ratzon sheyihyeh l’refuah,” not a blessing, while nevertheless intending beforehand as one would when reciting a blessing.
the Lubavitcher Rebbe's halachic responsa and rulings, compiled by Heichal Menachem (ed. R' Yosef Yitzchak Havlin) Shaarei Halacha uMinhag is not freely available in text. This PDF surfaced in our research. Please use the feedback buttons below to help us improve.
שו"ת הרב הראשי מ״ב:ג׳ — ד"ה חום גבוה בתפילה שאלה ד
Shut HaRav HaRashi 42:3
Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu gives a prayer for a patient to recite before visiting a physician or taking medicine, asking God for complete healing and concluding with the blessing “Blessed is the Healer of the sick.
תפילת החולה לרפואה שאלה ה: מה יאמר חולה לפני שהולך לרופא או לפני שמקבל תרופה? "יהי רצון מלפניך ה' אלקי ואלקי אבותי שיהיה עסק זה לי לרפואה שלמה ותרפאני רפואה שלמה, ברוך רופא חולים, כי אל רופא חינם ונאמן אתה" (מרן זצ"ל עודד להפיץ כרטיסיות עם ברכה זו).
מאמר מרדכי הלכות שבת, Chelek 2 ל״ח:ח׳ — ד"ה תפילת החולה כשהולך לרופא או לפני
Maamar Mordechai Hilchot Shabbat, Chelek 2 38:8
The passage instructs a person visiting a doctor or taking medicine to recite a healing prayer mentally without God's name and kingship, and to recognize that the doctor and medicine are merely agents of God’s healing.
ולמעשה כשהולך לרופא או לפני שנוטל תרופה יאמר: "יר"מ ה' או"א שיהא עסק זה לי לרפואה ותרפאני רפואה שלמה ברוך רופא חולים כי אל רופא חינם ונאמן אתה", כי לעיתים טועה הרופא במתן התרופה. ואין אומרים שם ומלכות אלא מהרהרים בלב. וישים האדם אל לבו שלא הרופא או התרופה הם המרפאים אלא הם רק שליחים של הקב"ה לרפאותו.
קיצור שלחן ערוך ילקוט יוסף, Orach Chaim קט״ז:ו׳ — ד"ה הרוצה להוסיף בברכת רפאינו בקשה לרפואה
Kitzur Shulchan Arukh Yalkut Yosef, Orach Chaim 116:6
Rav Yitzchak Yosef provides wording to add to the blessing of Refa’einu for one’s own complete healing and wording to pray for another sick person, noting that the person’s name is omitted when praying in their presence and that it is pious to seek mercy for a friend in Shome’a Tefillah.
הרוצה להוסיף בברכת רפאינו בקשה לרפואה שלימה, יאמר קודם כי אל רופא רחמן ונאמן אתה, יהי רצון מלפניך ה' אלהי ואלהי אבותי, שתרפאינו רפואה שלימה רפואת הנפש ורפואת הגוף, כדי שאהיה חזק בבריאות גוף ונשמה לקיום תורתך הקדושה, ברוך אתה ה' רופא חולי עמו ישראל. וכשרוצה להתפלל על חולה אחר, יאמר, יהי רצון וכו' רפא נא את פלוני בן פלונית, רפואה שלימה בתוך שאר כל חולי עמך ישראל. אולם אם מתפלל על חולה בפניו, אינו מזכיר את שמו. וממדת חסידות נכון לבקש רחמים על חבירו בשומע תפלה. [ילקו"י תשס"ד, תפלה כרך ב, סי' קטז הע' ו', עמ' סט] .
הנכנס להקיז דם אומר יהר"מ ה' אלהי שיהא עסק זה לי לרפואה כי רופא חנם אתה ולאחר שהקיז יאמר ברוך רופא חולים.
Same passage as Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 230:3-4
הנכנס להקיז דם אומר יהר"מ ה' אלהי שיהא עסק זה לי לרפואה כי רופא חנם אתה ולאחר שהקיז יאמר ברוך רופא חולים:
Same passage as Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 230:3-4
דְּאָמַר רַב אַחָא: הַנִּכְנָס לְהַקִּיז דָּם, אוֹמֵר: ״יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה׳ אֱלֹהַי שֶׁיְּהֵא עֵסֶק זֶה לִי לִרְפוּאָה, וּתְרַפְּאֵנִי. כִּי אֵל רוֹפֵא נֶאֱמָן אָתָּה וּרְפוּאָתְךָ אֱמֶת, לְפִי שֶׁאֵין דַּרְכָּן שֶׁל בְּנֵי אָדָם לְרַפּאוֹת אֶלָּא שֶׁנָּהֲגוּ״.
Same passage as Berakhot 60a:28-30
נ״ז נ״ח ע״ב פ׳ ק״ח קפ״ז ע״ר רפ״ו רצ״ג ש״ח שמ״א ש״פ עי׳ היטב בדבתו, וע p בספר ואני תפלה ח״א עמוד ס״ג, ובעמוד ש״ב כ׳ ומכאן יש ללמוד לקח טוב כי נתפלל לרופא חולים על חולי עמו ישראל ושנזכור תמיד את חסדיו עמנו על החיים ועל
או נפשית, ויותר מתאים לבקש עליה בברכת רפאינו. ובכפה״ח ]סימן קיט ס״ק א[ הביא שהרב חיד״א בברכי יוסף ]אות א[ הביא שמהר״י מולכו כתב להתפלל על החולה בברכת שומע תפלה. ולדבריו טוב שיכוון במחשבתו על החולה בברכת רפאנו ויתפלל עליו
א-ל נא רפא נא לה, רבנן אמרי אמר משה, רבונו של עולם כבר עשית אותי רופא, אם אתה מרפא אותה הרי מוטב ואם לאו מרפא אני אותה...
from our library copy — not yet checked against the original
ששה דברים מרפאין את החולה מחליו ורפואתן רפואה... דבש...
from our library copy — not yet checked against the original
תנו רבנן הנכנס לבקר את החולה אומר שבת היא מלזעוק ורפואה קרובה לבא, ור"מ אומר יכולה היא שתרחם, ר' יהודה אומר המקום ירחם עליך ועל חולי ישראל, רבי יוסי אומר המקום ירחם עליך בתוך חולי ישראל. שבנא איש ירושלים בכניסתו אומר שלום, וביציאתו אומר שבת היא מלזעוק ורפואה קרובה לבא ורחמיו מרובין ושבתו בשלום...
from our library copy — not yet checked against the original
The Alter Rebbe's Likkutei Torah discourses explore the shofar's spiritual significance on Rosh Hashanah as a means of awakening the soul's deepest dimensions and proclaiming divine kingship. These teachings connect the shofar's sound to Israel's submission to Heaven and frame the festival season as a progression from Rosh Hashanah's coronation of God to Sukkot's expression of joy within divine encompassing presence.
Biblical and rabbinic sources explore humility as a foundational virtue and the spiritual dangers of arrogance. These texts present humility as central to righteous living, model it through figures like Moses and Samuel's rebuke of Saul, and teach that true strength lies not in self-aggrandizement but in mastering one's impulses and honoring others.
These sources explore what constitutes true greatness (gadlut) in Jewish tradition, examining whether a gadol is defined by external status, scholarly mastery, moral character, community recognition, or spiritual realization. Together they present a multifaceted portrait of greatness as rooted in service, internal perfection, cosmic responsibility, and purposeful striving.
Jewish sources present a fundamental tension between praying for the death or destruction of wrongdoers and praying for their repentance and return to righteousness. These texts explore whether compassion and the hope for spiritual transformation should guide one's prayers, or whether divine justice against the wicked is appropriate.
Jewish legal sources establish duties toward non-Jews rooted in both practical ethics and divine command. The sources address support for the poor, care for the sick, proper burial, prohibition against oppression, and the principle that all humans—created in God's image—deserve honor and compassion.
Chazal and later Jewish sources establish visiting the mentally ill (shoteh) as an expression of the community's duty of care and a form of the mitzvah of bikur cholim. The sources reflect a compassionate legal and ethical framework that protects the dignity and welfare of those with mental incapacity through both halakhic safeguards and the modeling of empathetic presence.