Prayer For Abundant Livelihood

From "Tefilah L'Ani - Leket Tefilot U'Vakashot"

Ribbono Shel Olam – Master of the World, from Whom no plan is withheld, it is said in Chaggai (2:8), “Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold, the word of Hashem.” Let me merit to know with complete faith that only You are the One Who bestows children, life, and sustenance, and there is no God besides You, as it says, “You shall know this day and take to your heart that Hashem, He is the God – in heaven above and on the earth below – there is none other” (Devarim 4:39). Channel into me the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, who brought the people of Israel out of Egypt and bestowed them with the clouds of glory, the manna, and the quail, and the well of Miriam. Let me be like Yosef HaTzaddik, of whom it is said, “Now Yosef -- he was the provider to all the people of the land” (Bereishit 42:6). And I will ask of You livelihood and abundance only so that I may bestow it upon others, to teach my children and all the children of Your people, the House of Israel, Torah, and to walk in the ways of the upright. Let me merit to be the heart of the world, until even my toenail is more heart-like than any other heart, and that I should only desire abundance and livelihood in order to be able to have mercy upon and to bestow abundance upon all Your creatures, especially to Your people, the House of Israel. May I merit for my home to be open from all directions, like the home of Avraham Avinu, may be peace be upon him, so that I can bestow abundance upon all creatures. May I merit to be the channel of abundance for all the Jewish people, as David said: “Whoever reaches the channel will become the leader,” and Yoav – whose home was like a desert (1) -- merited this, and he would bestow abundance to all the Jewish people without limit. And may I merit to be like Yaakov and Iyov. Of Yaakov, it is said: “If he would say ‘The spotted ones (nekudim) will be your wage,’ then the entire flock bore spotted ones; and if he would say, “The ringed ones (akudim) will be your wage,’ then the entire flock bore ringed ones” (ibid. 31:8); and in the merit of this, the secrets of all the worlds of Akudim, Nekudim, and Berudim were revealed to him, until it was said of him, “The man became exceedingly prosperous and he attained large flocks, maidservants, and servants, camels and donkeys” (Bereishit 30:43), and as it is said about Iyov, “And his livestock have spread throughout the land” (Iyov 1:10) – that Iyov’s livestock broke through the boundaries of the universe, because the way of the world is for wolves to kill goats, but with Iyov, the goats killed the wolves, until it was said of him (Baba Batra 15b), “The oxen would plow and the donkeys would graze after them,” that immediately after plowing, the grain had already sprouted and immediately the donkeys merited to eat the fruit of the land. So, too, give me the merit as You did for Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, and Yosef, and all the Tzaddikim throughout the generations, with an influx of livelihood without limit -- for their entire intention was only to bestow upon others, and they merited to bless with the Torah first, for their entire intention was always to bless the beginning and to constantly direct influx onto the soul roots of the Jewish people -- until we merit to abundance without limit, as it says (Shabbat 32b), “Until your lips wear out from saying ‘Enough!’” May my entire intention in every single step, and in every thought, word, and deed of my business dealings only be in order to bestow of Your goodness to Your people, the House of Israel, and that I will not take for myself even an unnecessary penny, and may I merit to contract myself to the ultimate degree of contraction while bestowing upon others without limit, as it is said, “Enough for his lack” (Devarim 15:8) – even a horse to ride upon and a servant to run before him (Rashi ad loc.).

Please Hashem, bestow upon us abundance without limit until we are able to bestow abundance upon all Your people, the House of Israel – abundance without end and without measure, as it is said, “Behold, days are coming – the word of Hashem – when the plowman will meet the reaper, and the treader of grapes [will meet] the one who carries the seed; the mountains will drip juice and all the hills will melt. I will return the captivity of My people Israel, and they will rebuild desolate cities and settle them; they will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will cultivate gardens and eat their fruits. I will plant them upon their land and they will never again be uprooted from their land that I have given them, said Hashem, your God” (Amos 9:13: 15), “I shall yet rebuild you and you shall be rebuilt, O Maiden of Israel; you will yet adorn yourself with drums and go forth in the dance of merrymakers. You will yet plant vineyards in the mountains of Shomron; the planters will plant and redeem… With weeping they will come and through supplications I will bring them; I will guide them on streams of water, on a direct path in which they will not stumble; for I have been a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn… For Hashem will have redeemed Yaakov and delivered him from a hand mightier than he. And they will come and sing joyously on the height of Tzion; they will stream to Hashem’s bounty – upon grain, upon wine, upon oil, and upon young sheep and cattle; then their soul shall be like a well-watered garden, and they shall not continue to agonize any more… I shall satisfy the desire of the Kohanim with the fat [of offerings], and My people will be sated with My bounty – the word of Hashem” (Yirmiyah 31:3-13).

(1) He made his home as if it was hefker (ownerless) to everyone, like a desert (Sanhedrin 49a).

Artwork by R' Yehoshua Wiseman