When your mother is the one who needs healing, these are the words Dovid HaMelech gave us to carry her before Hashem.
When Your Mother Is the One Who Needs Healing
She took care of everyone. She was the one you called when something went wrong. And now she is the one lying in bed, and you are the one standing beside her, not knowing what to do with your hands.
There is a heaviness that comes when a mother falls ill. It does not matter how old you are. Something inside you turns back into a child, watching the person who always made things better, and realizing you cannot make this better for her. That feeling is not weakness. It is love. And Hashem sees it.
You are not helpless. You have a prayer for sick mom that Dovid HaMelech composed b’ruach hakodesh for every Yid who would ever stand beside a sickbed. Kapitel 41 of Tehillim speaks directly about illness, about the sickbed, about asking Hashem to heal and sustain. When you open your mouth and say these words for your mother, you are doing something real. You are placing her before the Rofei cholei amo Yisrael, the One who heals the sick of His people.
Before You Say This Kapitel
Before you begin Kapitel 41, take a quiet moment. Let go of the updates, the phone calls, the worry running through your mind. Just stand before Hashem. He already knows your mother is sick. He already knows how much it hurts you. Speak to Him simply, the way a child speaks to a father:
Master of the Universe, my mother is sick, and my world is turning upside down. She who cared for me all my life, and now I stand helpless. Hashem supports all who fall, support my mother, heal her, and restore her strength. God of Meir, answer me.
If giving tzedakah, add:
In the merit of the tzedakah I give in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, so may You heal my mother. Ribbono Shel Olam, I care for Your children, please care for my mother.
Kapitel 41: The Full Prayer
Pronunciation guide: ch — a soft sound from the throat, as in “Bach.” ei as in “hey.” ai as in “eye.” oi (Ashkenazi) rhymes with “boy.” a (Sephardi) as in “father.”
Hebrew
לַמְנַצֵּחַ מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד׃ אַשְׁרֵי מַשְׂכִּיל אֶל־דָּל בְּיוֹם רָעָה יְמַלְּטֵהוּ יְהֹוָה׃ יְהֹוָה יִשְׁמְרֵהוּ וִיחַיֵּהוּ וְאֻשַּׁר בָּאָרֶץ וְאַל־תִּתְּנֵהוּ בְּנֶפֶשׁ אֹיְבָיו׃ יְהֹוָה יִסְעָדֶנּוּ עַל־עֶרֶשׂ דְּוָי כׇּל־מִשְׁכָּבוֹ הָפַכְתָּ בְחׇלְיוֹ׃ אֲנִי־אָמַרְתִּי יְהֹוָה חׇנֵּנִי רְפָאָה נַפְשִׁי כִּי־חָטָאתִי לָךְ׃ אוֹיְבַי יֹאמְרוּ רַע לִי מָתַי יָמוּת וְאָבַד שְׁמוֹ׃ וְאִם־בָּא לִרְאוֹת שָׁוְא יְדַבֵּר לִבּוֹ יִקְבׇּץ־אָוֶן לוֹ יֵצֵא לַחוּץ יְדַבֵּר׃ יַחַד עָלַי יִתְלַחֲשׁוּ כׇּל־שֹׂנְאָי עָלַי יַחְשְׁבוּ רָעָה לִי׃ דְּבַר־בְּלִיַּעַל יָצוּק בּוֹ וַאֲשֶׁר שָׁכַב לֹא־יוֹסִיף לָקוּם׃ גַּם־אִישׁ שְׁלוֹמִי אֲשֶׁר־בָּטַחְתִּי בוֹ אוֹכֵל לַחְמִי הִגְדִּיל עָלַי עָקֵב׃ וְאַתָּה יְהֹוָה חׇנֵּנִי וַהֲקִימֵנִי וַאֲשַׁלְּמָה לָהֶם׃ בְּזֹאת יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־חָפַצְתָּ בִּי כִּי לֹא־יָרִיעַ אֹיְבִי עָלָי׃ וַאֲנִי בְּתֻמִּי תָּמַכְתָּ בִּי וַתַּצִּיבֵנִי לְפָנֶיךָ לְעוֹלָם׃ בָּרוּךְ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵהָעוֹלָם וְעַד הָעוֹלָם אָמֵן וְאָמֵן׃
Ashkenazi transliteration
Lamnatzeiach mizmoir l’Dovid. Ashrei maskil el-dol b’yoim ro’o y’malteihu Hashem. Hashem yishm’reihu vichayyeihu v’ushar bo’oretz v’al-titneihu b’nefesh oiy’vov. Hashem yis’adennu al-eres d’voi kol-mishkovoi hofachto v’cholyoi. Ani-omarti Hashem chonneini r’fo’o nafshi ki-chotosi loch. Oyvai yoim’ru ra li mosai yomus v’ovad sh’moi. V’im-bo lir’ois shov y’dabbeir libboi yikbotz-oven loi yeitzei lachutz y’dabbeir. Yachad olai yislachashu kol-soin’oi olai yachsh’vu ro’o li. D’var-b’liyya’al yotzuk boi va’asher shochav loi-yoisif lokum. Gam-ish sh’loimi asher-botachti boi oicheil lachmi higdil olai okeiv. V’atto Hashem chonneini vahakimeini va’ashall’mo lohem. B’zois yoda’ti ki-chofatzto bi ki loi-yoria oiy’vi oloi. Va’ani b’summi tomachto bi vatatziveini l’fonecho l’oilom. Boruch Hashem Eloihei Yisro’eil meiho’oilom v’ad ho’oilom omein v’omein.
Sephardi transliteration
Lamnatzeach mizmor le-David. Ashrei maskil el-dal beyom ra’a yemaltehu Hashem. Hashem yishmerehu vichayyehu ve’ushar ba’aretz ve’al-titnehu benefesh oyevav. Hashem yis’adennu al-eres devai kol-mishkavo hafachta vecholyo. Ani-amarti Hashem chonneni refa’a nafshi ki-chatati lach. Oyvai yomeru ra li matai yamut ve’avad shemo. Ve’im-ba lir’ot shav yedabber libbo yikbotz-aven lo yetze lachutz yedabber. Yachad alai yitlachashu kol-sone’ai alai yachshevu ra’a li. Devar-beliyya’al yatzuk bo va’asher shachav lo-yosif lakum. Gam-ish shelomi asher-batachti bo ochel lachmi higdil alai akev. Ve’atta Hashem chonneni vahakimeni va’ashallema lahem. Bezot yada’ti ki-chafatzta bi ki lo-yaria oyevi alai. Va’ani betummi tamachta bi vatatziveni lefanecha le’olam. Baruch Hashem Elohei Yisra’el meha’olam ve’ad ha’olam amen ve’amen.
English translation
For the leader. A psalm of David.
Happy is the one who is thoughtful of the wretched; in bad times may Hashem keep them from harm.
May Hashem guard them and preserve them, and may they be thought happy in the land. Do not subject them to the will of their enemies.
Hashem will sustain them on their sickbed; You shall wholly transform their bed of suffering.
I said, “Hashem, have mercy on me, heal me, for I have sinned against You.”
My enemies speak evilly of me, “When will he die and his name perish?”
Each of them who comes to visit speaks falsely, storing up evil thoughts, speaking them once outside.
All my enemies whisper together against me, imagining the worst for me.
“Something baneful has settled in him; he shall not rise from his bed again.”
My ally in whom I trusted, even someone who shares my bread, has been utterly false to me.
But You, Hashem, have mercy on me; let me rise again and repay them.
Then shall I know that You are pleased with me: when my enemy cannot shout in triumph over me.
You will support me because of my integrity, and let me abide in Your presence forever.
Blessed is Hashem, God of Israel, from eternity to eternity. Amen and Amen.
Kapitel 41 is one of the most direct tefillos in all of Tehillim for someone who is ill. Dovid speaks about the sickbed itself, about the whispers of those who have given up hope, and about turning to Hashem when no one else can help. When you say this prayer for sick mom, you are bringing her into the presence of the One who sustains and heals.
When saying this kapitel for your mother, hold her Hebrew name in your heart: bas, for example, “Sarah bas Rivkah.”
What These Words Mean for You
Hashem yis’adennu al eres d’voi
“Hashem will sustain them on their sickbed.”
Yis’adennu. He will support.
Kol mishkovoi hofachto v’cholyoi
“You shall wholly transform their bed of suffering.”
Hofachto. Turned over.
Chonneini r’fo’o nafshi
“Have mercy on me, heal me.”
Chonneini. Have mercy on me.
B’summi tomachto bi
“You will support me because of my integrity.”
Tomachto. You uphold me firmly.
How to Say This Prayer
There is no single right time to say a prayer for sick mom. Some say it first thing in the morning, before the day starts pulling them in every direction. Others wait until night, when the house is quiet and there is room to feel what you feel. Say it whenever you can bring your whole heart to it.
You can say it sitting or standing, at home or at the hospital. If the Hebrew feels too difficult right now, say it in English or use the transliteration. Hashem hears the cry of a child davening for a mother in every language.
Before you begin, set your kavanah. You might say quietly: “Hashem, my world feels like it is turning upside down right now. My mother, who has cared for me my entire life, is sick. I feel so helpless watching her suffer. I am turning to You because You support the fallen and heal the broken. Please, Hashem, send a complete healing to my mother, restore her strength, and give us the comfort of seeing her well again.”
Tefillah and tzedakah have always gone hand in hand. When you daven Kapitel 41 and also give tzedakah in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, you are bringing two powerful things together: the tefillah of your heart and the chesed of your hands. After the kapitel, you may add: Elokah d’Meir aneni!
You may find additional comfort in the prayer before surgery, a tefillah that speaks from the same place.
Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness
The Gemara in Avodah Zarah (18a-18b) tells the story of Bruria’s sister. She was condemned by the Romans to a house of shame. Rabbi Meir approached the guard with a bribe, teaching him to say “Eloka d’Meir aneni!” — “God of Meir, answer me!” — if he was ever in danger. When the guard asked for proof, Rabbi Meir said the words and nearby dogs that had been ready to attack turned away. The guard was convinced and released her. For generations, Yidden have linked these words with turning to Hashem for salvation at times of need.
When your mother is sick and you feel like there is no way forward, this is the same cry. You are not davening to Rabbi Meir. You are asking Hashem to hear your tefillah in the combined zechus of this great tzaddik and your own act of tzedakah.
The Gemara in Shabbat 12a teaches that when visiting the sick on Shabbos, we say, “Shabbos hi milizok, u’refuah kerovah lavo” — Shabbos is not a time for crying out, and healing is near to come. Rabbi Meir adds, “yecholah hi she’terachem.” Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 287:1 codifies the Shabbos wording said to the sick. In that spirit, supporting Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities helps Yiddishe families in Eretz Yisrael honor and keep Shabbos, and that zechus stands on behalf of those who give.
Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities was founded in 1799. The funds support talmidei chachamim and families in need in Eretz Yisrael, and the scholars at the kever of Rabbi Meir in Tiberias daven for those who reach out to them. When you give tzedakah in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, your chesed rises together with your tefillah for your mother’s refuah.
Questions About Davening for a Sick Mother
Kapitel 41 of Tehillim is a deeply fitting kapitel for illness. As a prayer for your sick mom, it can speak powerfully to the child who watches a parent suffer. The kapitel itself speaks about the sickbed. It asks Hashem to sustain the sick person, to turn the illness, and to heal. Saying it with kavanah, while having your mother’s Hebrew name in mind, can make it a personal tefillah for her refuah.
Yes. You can speak to Hashem in your own words at any time. A prayer for my mom who is sick does not require special knowledge — only a sincere heart. Kapitel 41 gives you the words of Dovid HaMelech, which carry a deep power in our mesorah. Even if you read it slowly in English, it counts.
Rabbi Meir was one of the greatest Tannaim. The Gemara tells us that his tefillah rescued Bruria’s sister from captivity when there seemed to be no way out. Giving tzedakah in his zechus is asking Hashem to hear our own prayer in the combined merit of this tzaddik and our act of chesed. Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities supports talmidei chachamim and families in need in Eretz Yisrael.
Either one is good. Some people find the morning gives them strength to face the day. Others find that nighttime, when things are quiet, is when the heart opens most fully. The most important thing is that you bring real kavanah. Say it when you can be present with the words.
God of Meir, answer me.” These are the words Rabbi Meir taught to rescue Bruria’s sister from captivity, and Hashem answered. Saying them after Kapitel 41 is an expression of emunah that Hashem hears your tefillah for your mother, even when the situation feels beyond reach.
A Brachah for Your Mother’s Refuah
Your mother is sick and your heart is heavy. That itself is already a tefillah. Hashem sees a child who loves their mother this deeply.
May Hashem send a refuah sheleimah to your mother, a healing of body and of spirit. May He sustain her on her sickbed, transform her suffering into recovery, and restore her strength. May you see her well again, b’ezras Hashem, and may you share many more good years together. And may you, who carry this worry, find the menuchas hanefesh that comes from placing your mother in Hashem’s hands.
You can submit a prayer request to the scholars at the kever of Rabbi Meir in Tiberias at no cost, and they will daven for your mother’s healing by name through Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities. And if you would like to give tzedakah in Rabbi Meir’s zechus as well, your kindness will rise together with your prayer.
