The Ana BeKoach Prayer

Ana BeKoach, g'du-lat y'min-cha ta-tir, tze-ru-ra: We beg Thee, with the strength and goodness of Thy right arm, Untangle our knotted fate.

So begins one of the most significant prayers connected with the Kabbalah. The Ana BeKoach prayer, also chanted by Jews each Friday night, has an unknown author, and is attributed to have been written around the Second Century C.E. The prayer is made up of seven sentences which are supposed to correspond with the seven days of the week. The Kabbalistic meaning is even more pronounced as the prayer itself is actually a form of code for the name of God. Each letter corresponds to its numerical position within the Hebrew alphabet, and if you add up the first letters of each word you have the number 42, which is encoded to be first 42 letters of the Book of Genesis.

In other words, the number 42 is another term for God, The Creator.

Ana BeKoach is often found engraved on Jewish Jewelry and recited in Kabbalah meditation prayers and exercises, with the result to be a form of healing energy for the soul. As each line of the prayer has a significant meaning, the reciting of the prayer is supposed to assist in bringing comfort and healing into our lives. For example, the beginning of the prayer, as noted above, is make us aware that we live in a world of time and space, filled with both chaos and difficult obstacles. By praying for assistance from G-d, we can rise above all barriers and achieve the ability to rise the problems that surround us, enabling us to "untangle out knotted fate".

Other lines in the prayer call upon the Almighty One to assist us in achieving good health and prosperity, as well as finding the inner strength to prevail, even though there is "darkness" all around us. The prayer even makes mention of the forces of evil the Satan has sown upon the world, and how we can "tear away Satan" by eradicating our negative egos and fears.

One of the most meaningful lines is line 6 in which the Kabbalah's most hidden secrets are revealed, making the Kabbalah's essence of spiritual wisdom known to all. The prayer ends with the message of bringing a spiritual new beginning, enabling us to throw off our negative forces and begin a new life, more enlightened and refreshed.

The end of the prayer asks God to "accept our cries and hear our screams"; and blesses the name of God's Kingdom forever. As we are but mere mortals, we ask God to assist us in our search for answers to help find more meaning to our lives.

The Jewish Traveler's Prayer "Tefilat Haderech"

The Traveler's Prayer, Wayfarer's Prayer or, in Hebrew, "Tefilat HaDerech" is the prayer that petitions the Divine for safe journeys. This is an appropriate prayer for sea, air and even long trips in a car.

The blessing is recited at the outset of each journey and is preferably recited standing. Often it is inscribed on Jewish Jewelry pieces and Hamsa Hands instead of the Blessing for the home, or the Shema Prayer. Keep in mind, all forms of travel, involve a degree of danger. Consequently, we say "Tefilat Haderech".

The prayer in Hebrew reads as follows:

"Y'hi ratzon milfanekha A-donai E-loheinu ve-lohei avoteinu she-tolikhenu l'shalom v'tatz'idenu l'shalom v'tadrikhenu l'shalom, v'tagi'enu limhoz heftzenu l'hayim ul-simha ul-shalom.
V'tatzilenu mi-kaf kol oyev v'orev v'listim v'hayot ra'ot ba-derekh, u-mi-kol minei pur'aniyot ha-mitrag'shot la-vo la-olam.
V'tishlah b'rakha b'khol ma'a'se yadeinu v'tit'nenu l'hen ul-hesed ul-rahamim b'einekha uv-einei khol ro'einu.
V'tishma kol tahanuneinu ki E-l sho'me'a t'fila v'tahanun ata. Barukh ata A-donai sho'me'a t'fila."

In English it reads as follows: "May it be Your will, LORD, our God and the God of our ancestors, that You lead us toward peace, guide our footsteps toward peace, and make us reach our desired destination for life, gladness, and peace.
May You rescue us from the hand of every foe, ambush along the way, and from all manner of punishments that assemble to come to earth.
May You send blessing in our handiwork, and grant us grace, kindness, and mercy in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who see us.
May You hear the sound of our humble request because You are God Who hears prayer requests. Blessed are You, Adonai, Who hears prayer."

Some laws that apply to the reciting of this particular blessing are found in the Code of Jewish Law or The Shulchan Aruch:

Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 68:1

"Tefilat HaDerech - the wayfarer's prayer cannot be said before somebody has left the city limits; to be defined as seventy and two-thirds Amot 350 meters, after the final house. Instead it should be said one "Miel" or one kilometer from the city limits.
When travelling overnight on a multi-day trip, one is to say Tefilat HaDerech before leaving for the day part of the journey."