Marking the Next Steps on Your Journey
I’ve talked frequently in this space about the Shehechiyanu prayer — a way of pausing to mark the occasion of doing something for the first time ever or the first time in a given year. But as the school year ends and the summer season begins, I had to wonder if there is a blessing to mark transitions.
“Of course there is,” my friend Etan told me. The Tefilat Haderekh (the wayfarer’s prayer), which is often used as a Traveler’s Prayer, is meant as an assurance in the face of the unknown as we take a new path. Here’s a particularly lovely tribute to Debbie Friedman’s z”l version of this prayer.
Tefilat Haderech
May we be blessed as we go on our way
May we be guided in peace
May we be blessed with health and joy
May this our blessing, amen.
May we be sheltered by wings of peace
May we be kept in safety and in love
May grace and compassion find their
way to every heart
May this be our blessing, amen.
Amen, may this be our blessing, amen.
– Debbie Friedman
We don’t always know when it will be the last time we experience something. Yet, when we reach a transition or conclusion — such as the last day of school, the day before our wedding, or the last night in our home before a big move — it is an opportunity to pause and appreciate all that led up to that moment and center ourselves and our family for what comes next. Whether you use a version of the Tefilat Haderekh or your own words, let me know how you mark the transitions.
May you be blessed as you go on your way,
Sarah
Additional Resources
- Printable Travel Blessing | PJ Library
- Family Travel Tips | PJ Library
- PJ Library in Greater Washington Community Partners
- Request your PJ Library Refer-a-Friend Code