Please G-d, O’ merciful King. Behold I have come today to bow at the grave site of Rachel Imeinu. Give me the merit in the merit of her good deeds that she engaged in all the days of her life – and in her merit, righteousness, charity and prayers You remembered her whilst she was barren. And you opened her womb as it states, “And G-d remembered Rachel and He heard her and turned to her and He opened her womb.” And for the sake of her charitable heart that she did for her sister Leah, that she gave her the signs so that she will not be shamed from the deception of Lavan her father.
Please do remember her merit and kind deeds and may that merit be upon me and all of Your nation, Israel – that You accept our prayers and heed our call and all that we ask before You. And fill our heartfelt requests for the good and create salvations and mercy that comes forth from the heavens on high. And allow Your ears to harken and open Your eyes and see our loneliness and the city that is named after You and its desolation – for we have been mocked and ridiculed by the gentiles who utter that we have no purpose or hope. And if not for our sake, then for Your sake shall You act. Until when shall Your strength be held in captivity and Your glory in the hands of the oppressors?
And we have received traditionally from our holy Rabbis that our forefather Yaakov who buried Rachel our mother on the way to the land of Israel in the city of Bet Lechem, that this was done according to G-d’s word so that she may come to her children’s aid in the future. For when Nevuzaradan exiled the Jewish people and they passed in chains through Bet Lechem – Rachel came out of her grave and begged G-d that He have mercy on them. As it states, “A voice is heard on high, a wailing and despairing cry. Rachel weeps for her children. She refuses to be consoled over the children who are gone.”
And You Our G-d, replied to her as it states, “So did G-d say, ‘Do not raise your voice in crying any longer and your eyes no longer with tears for there is reward for your deed, so says G-d, and they will still return from the land of their enemy and there is yet hope for your future says G-d, and the children will return to their borders.”
What shall we speak G-d? What shall we utter before You? If for the first exile that lasted only 70 years Rachel our foremother made such a disturbance in the entire world for our sake – what would she say now? For this exile is bitter and long. For it has been more than 1,900 years that we have been wandering from one exile to the next – scattered and lost among the four corners of the world and under the leadership of foreign leaders and princes. And we are downtrodden and mocked and appear before them as thorns – and every day their curses upon us worsen and their main intent is to annihilate our spirit and remove our faith and holy Torah from us - and their hope is that the name ‘Israel’ shall no longer have a memory in the annals of history.
And even the young and innocent children among us they have set their eyes upon and they plot how to wean them away from their faith that is strong and inherited from their forefathers. What shall you say Rachel our mother? How will you be able to rest in your grave? Awaken, be diligent and bring to life all those buried in Chevron – and seek Moshe our holy shepherd and all our holy forefathers. Stand please, stand firm and come before His holy majesty and beseech Him for the sake of the remnant of Israel His nation – the ones who are settled in foreign lands, alone, held captive, lowly, and shamed – and trapped in the depths of their contamination.
Until when G-d shall this pain prolong and when will Your enemy be completely and eternally eradicated? Until when will the evil doers succeed while Your children remain shamed and mocked? Until when will You not have mercy on Your nation Israel and on Your land and on the holy city of Jerusalem and on Your holy Tabernacle that has in the past sanctified Your honor. Behold this is the Torah of Your house, the sanctuary and the mountain upon which Your holy temple stood to be preserved for all time. But it all went up in flames, the evil doers ransacked and pillaged, and foxes treaded upon the holy ground. And the holy city, that was full of elevation, the city of G-d, the rock – behold she now sits desolate and forlorn. And if we through our sins and the sins of our fathers caused all this to take place, are You not the merciful G-d? Shall you abandon and reject us forever?
You are the One who shall rise and have mercy upon Zion for her time of grace has come. Therefore, we have come before You bowing our heads and surrendering ourselves to You with a lowly spirit and broken heart – that You remember for our sake, the merit of our holy forefathers and the merit of the righteous foremother, Rachel. And may You forgive us, may You accept our atonement for all our iniquities and transgressions that we sinned before You. And please assist us to repent completely – and lengthen our days with good and our years with pleasantness as we continue to live upon the face of the earth, and upon the holy ground. Please redeem us so that we may be able to learn and to teach, to preserve Your laws and observe all the words and commandments in Your Torah with pure intent and a genuine willingness, without any conflict.
And remove from upon us and all Your nation, Israel, all kinds of illness (especially from …. Utter the name of individuals). And provide us with strength and health for our bodies so that we may serve You day and night without ailment. And please provide us with a good livelihood, rains that fall in their proper time, and may this year be a blessed year full of crops and a healthy harvesting that yields good fruit and vegetables. And give us our needs in plenty to each and every individual so that we should never lack for anything all the days of our life. And give us the merit to raise our children (especially… say the names of the child/children, and close family members). Please offer them success in all their ways and endeavors. And I will without swearing, offer this oil that I will use to light candles for the elevation of the soul of Rachel our mother and for the soul of Rabbi Meir the Master of Miracles as well as the souls of all the righteous leaders and teachers of past and present (especially… include rabbis, rebetzins currently living). May they merit to lengthened days and years and may not one of their children perish whilst their mothers or fathers are still living.
And may we all be worthy and merit to raise righteous children, pure in their goodness and character. And may they merit to their partner in life that they can marry – a partner who is worthy of them and pure, a partner who will not be exposed to indecency, contamination or blemishes of this material world so that it should not effect the future seeds or our current families. And may we merit to see all our forefathers and foremothers as we all gather together at the time of the gathering of the exiles to experience the final redemption, speedily in our days, Amen.
May these words I uttered from my mouth be accepted graciously and may my heart be opened before You G-d, G-d You are my shield and my redeemer.
