In any kind of uncertain situation, prayers for protection help you feel safe and reassured. Here is a list of prayers and Psalms you can recite for protection from harm.
Protect Yourself and Your Family with Great Merits
Supporting Israel’s needy after prayers for protection gives you tremendous merit.
L’chaiM
to life
$180
double
Chai
$360
Triple
Score
$540
Go For
the Gold
$1800
Other
Tehillim Chapters as Prayer for Protection:
In times of uncertainty or danger, the following Psalms serve as a meaningful Jewish prayer for protection:
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 20
- Chapter 80
- Chapter 91
- Chapter 121
- Chapter 130
- Chapter 142
You may want to know which tehillim to say for war specifically. The following two chapters are recommended. You can also recite these chapters as Tehillim for Israeli soldiers:
- Chapter 79
- Chapter 83
If you want to know which Tehillim to say as merit for Israel fighting her enemies, many have found the following chapter meaningful:
- Chapter 27
Why Tehillim for Protection?
When it’s a time of danger, war in Israel, or personal distress, you’ll often hear recommended perakim chapters (of Tehillim Psalms) to recite as a merit for protection. You may wonder how Tehillim works as a protection from danger.
Jewish sources tell us that the chapters of Tehillim are called mizmorim, a term that is similar to the word zemer, which means to prune. Just as pruning shears cut away unhealthy or unproductive growth, our recitation of mizmorim, the chapters of Tehillim, cut away evil forces that seek to block our prayers from ascending to Heaven. Sometimes, there’s an evil decree in Heaven and the merit of Tehillim serves to mitigate it.
When you recite Tehillim, you’ve effectively opened a direct passageway between yourself and Hashem. Once the doors have been opened by the merit of your Tehillim, take advantage of the opportunity to pray in your own words. The prayers that you recite after finishing a few chapters of Tehillim can soar directly up to Hashem, unimpeded by any harmful influences. As your prayers reach Hashem’s listening ear (so to speak), they serve as a force of protection for you and for whomever you’ve prayed for.
Because of this power that Tehillim has to ascend up high in Shamayim (Heaven), it has served as the ultimate Jewish prayer for protection from evil throughout the generations, until today.
Prayers for Protection Through Generations
Throughout the generations, Jews have turned to the chapters of Tehillim when they faced any kind of danger or threat. At times when the Jewish nation was attacked by enemies, whether it was during the Crusades, a pogrom in their town, or blood libels that threatened their lives, they turned to Tehillim. They would congregate in shul and recite Tehillim aloud together, as a congregation, so that the merit of their collective prayers would storm the heavens as they begged for mercy.
Up until today, the Jewish nation turns to the words of Tehillim, which David Hamelech (King David), composed with Divine inspiration, whenever they are in distress. If you are looking to say prayers for protection, whether personal protection or national protection, the chapters listed in the sidebar are a great place to start.
Another recommendation for prayers for protection is to say Chapter 20 twelve times in a row. The first line of Chapter 20 is as follows:
Transliteration: Lamnatzeach, Mizmor L’David. Yaancha Hashem b’yom tzarah, y’sagevcha shem elo’hei Yaakov.
Translation: For the Conductor, a Psalm of David. Hashem will answer you in a day of distress, the name of the G-d of Yaakov will raise you up high.
As you can see from the translation, this Psalm is a go-to for many situations of distress, as it serves as a powerful prayer for Hashem’s protection
Jewish Prayer for Israel Protection
Whenever Israel is in danger, and you want to pray for the protection of the Jewish people living in Israel and their soldiers,
saying Tehillim is a wonderful merit to give them. Tehillim is a powerful force against the enemies of the Jewish nation, whether
they are harmful spiritual forces or terrorists who mercilessly spill innocent Jewish blood and torture men, women, and children.
You can use the chapters listed in the sidebar as a reference when you want to recite Psalms as part of your prayers for Israel.
In our time, this concern has become very real. Since the horrendous attack of Hamas terrorists that took place in Israel on October 7, 2023, the Jewish people have been concerned about Israel in her time of danger. Many Jews from around the world take the time to say Tehillim for Israel war daily, either as a group or on their own. Every prayer and Tehillim chapter brings great merit to the Jewish people. This includes all prayers for Israel, including Tehillim for hostages to be returned, Tehillim for success of the army, and Tehillim for Israeli soldiers.
If you wonder how you can help the IDF, you can turn to prayer or donations to charity as powerful merits to protect them. Use the sidebar to see which chapters of Tehillim to say for a specific hostage, or Tehillim for Israeli soldiers that you know. Then, say the hostage or soldier’s name and Hebrew name to invoke the prayers of protection in their merit.
Tehillim HaChidah: Jewish Prayer for Protection
The Chidah is the title of a great Jewish tzaddik (holy person) whose full name was Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai. He was a great Torah scholar and Kabbalist (Jewish mystic) who lived in the eighteenth century and left us a legacy of over 71 works. In his commentary on the Book of Tehillim called Yosef Tehilot, the Chidah writes that saying Tehillim regularly prevents calamities and diseases.
A very popular segulah (propitious action) originating from the Chidah is that of saying Tehillim following a method that became known as Tehillim Hachidah. When a person you know is sick or in danger, the verses of Tehillim that start with the same letters as the letters of that person’s Hebrew name are very effective as prayers for protection for that person. Therefore, the Chidah recommends you go through the Hebrew spelling of the person’s name, letter by letter, saying all the pesukim in Tehillim associated with each letter. For example, if the person’s Hebrew name is Chava (חוה), you would first say all the Tehillim verses that begin with the first letter ches (ח), then do the same for vav (ו) and heh (ה), continuing with the rest of their Jewish name.
Finding all the Tehillim verses that begin with a specific letter is an arduous undertaking, but today it has been made easy, with the publication of Tehillim Hachidah. You can buy Tehillim Hachidah, a book that has all the Tehillim verses arranged according to the Hebrew letters of the alphabet.
Jewish Prayer for Protection from Evil Eye
Another prayer that’s part of the Chidah’s legacy to us is a Jewish prayer for protection from evil eye. The Chidah wrote this prayer for a person to say on behalf of someone else, if they are concerned that that person may have been looked at with an evil eye by another person. The evil eye is when someone looks at another person’s good fortune with jealousy and anger, invoking Heavenly judgment on the person.
Most Jewish sources tell us that the evil eye won’t bother someone who isn’t worried about its negative effect. But if someone is worried about this, saying this Jewish prayer for protection from evil eye can help them be calm.
The prayer from the Chidah is followed by Psalm 91, which, as mentioned above, is a chapter that’s particularly powerful as part of prayers for protection.
Add Impact to Prayers for Protection
To add power to your prayers for protection, it’s best to donate or pledge money to tzedakah (charity) as an additional merit for protection from danger. Whether you are praying for yourself, someone you know, or the Jewish nation, giving tzedakah is a good deed to accompany your prayers.
Where should you donate your charity? The Chidah writes that giving tzedakah to the poor people living in Israel is a strong priority. During the Chidah’s lifetime, he spent many years traveling to distant countries to collect money for the poor communities of Israel, as he knew that this was an important and meritorious task. The poor of Israel were literally dependent on these funds for their survival.
If you are saying prayers for Israel, it is very fitting to include a donation to a charity that supports Israel. This way, you can employ both physical and spiritual means to support Israel as you say Tehillim for Israel war and give a donation for Israel’s needy.
RMBH Charities Supporting Israel’s Needy
RMBH Charities works to support Israel’s needy in every way possible, including the poor families of Israel who struggle to feed their families and provide the basics, brides who want to get married but can’t afford to set up a household, and sick children who need extensive medical treatment.
When Israel was at war, we reached out to soldiers and victims alike to ensure that they had everything they needed. From cooking meals for the IDF, to providing emotional support to victims and their families with chizuk (encouragement) to keep going, RMBH focused on offering practical and emotional support for those struggling. You can be part of RMBH Charities’ mission to help the most needy in Israel by donating today.
When you donate to RMBH to add impact to your prayers for protection, you gain a powerful merit. This merit serves as a protection for you and your family.
For an even greater merit with the same donation, the rabbis of RMBH can pray for your protection as well. This way, you not only get the merit of the donation, but also the merit of their prayers for protection on your behalf as well.
Tehillim for Success in Every Situation
Jewish Prayer for Healing the Sick
Prayers for Strength, Success in Life and Specific Requests
