A Prayer to Merit Forgiveness of Sins and Absolute Guarding of the Eyes

Master of the Universe, grant me the merit that all my sins be forgiven in the blink of an eye (keheref 305 + ayin 130 = 435), through teshuvah (repentance/return to Hashem) out of love. And may I always be in teshuvah out of love at every moment and second, and through this may I merit to be included within Adam Kadmon of Adam Kadmon (the primordial spiritual “Man,” the supernal root of all souls). And may I never again open my eyes to the world.

And may I merit the attribute of Gevurah (holy strength and restraint): to close my eyes hermetically, and never open them again to the world.

And may I merit to be all my days like Matya ben Cheresh, who called his student and said to him, “Bring skewers.” And afterward he said to him, “Bring me a ‘burner’—a blazing fire that shoots flames of fire.” And he put the skewers into the burner, into the blazing fire that shot flames of fire, and then he thrust the white-hot skewers into his eyes, as it is said: “Turn my eyes away from seeing vanity.” Do not read it as “ha’aver (turn away),” but rather read it as “ha’aver (blind) with a vav”—not to see anything upon the face of the earth. For the very first thing a person is obligated to do is to blind his eyes—just as Rav Yosef and Rav Sheshet, students of Rav, blinded their eyes from the outset. And as Rabbi Avraham ben HaRambam writes at the end of the essay on Hisbodedus (personal secluded prayer), that a person is obligated to learn from the dervishes, who blind their eyes time after time, and do not rest and do not remain still until they blind their eyes completely.

And through this we will merit that the Angels of the Chariot (Malachei HaMerkavah) will accompany us—an allusion in the acronym “Argaman”: Or Peniel, Raphael, Gabriel, Michael, Nuriel = 955. And through this, all four of our elements—water 90, fire 301, wind/spirit 214, dust/earth 350 = 955—will be transformed into the four elements of holiness. And we will burn with a flame of fire for Hashem, may He be blessed, by day 96 and by night 81 = 177. And through this we will enter, with our bodies, into Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden): gan 53 + eden 124 = 177—like Serach bat Asher: Serach 508 + bat 402 + Asher 501 = 1411. And through this we will subdue the eleven (11) chiefs of Esav, and the verse will be fulfilled in us: “And it was turned about, that the Jews ruled over their enemies” (“v’nahafoch hu asher” 501 + “yishletu” 355 + “haYehudim” 80 + “hemah” 50 + “b’soneihem” 414 = 1411).

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With the help of Heaven (בס"ד)