A Project Genesis website

Prayers to Help with Infertility

Question

Is there a prayer for children/fertility I can say every day?

Answer

I myself was childless for the first eleven years of my marriage, so I understand your frustration and yearning, and hope that your prayers will soon be answered along with those of all other Jewish women who are still yearning for children.

The prayers which I personally found meaningful and used to try to say with more intensity were these:

1. Psalms 128

2. The blessing of “Asher Yatzar” recited when leaving the bathroom.

3. The Blessings over the Torah which are part of Morning Blessing, especially the first one “… la’asok bedivrei Torah…veniheyeh anachnu vetze’etzainu…kulanu yod’ei shemecha….”

4. The special “Yehi Ratzon” (“May it be Your will…”) prayer said when lighting Shabbos candles (that is not daily but only on Friday, obviously)

Also you should ask G-d for children in your own words AND — very important — you should keep names of other women who are dealing with infertility issues — childless women or women who have one child and have not succeeded in having more yet — women who can’t get pregnant or who suffer frequent miscarriages — and you should pray for them with special intensity and ask them to pray for you.The Talmud says one who prays for someone else and he needs the same thing, he will be answered first. Praying for another means you realize that others are in the same situation and you don’t focus only on yourself but care for others as well. It’s also helpful to say a quiet prayer in your own words when immersing in the Mikva.

May your prayers soon be answered along with those of all other Jewish women waiting for children.

–Toby Katz

Follow-up question

Question

Thank you so much for your reply Toby. Is there anywhere I could find the blessings you mention written phonetically? (Psalm 128, Asher Yatzar and the Torah blessings). Thank you so much.

Answer

I don’t know of a place where you can find these prayers written phonetically, but if you don’t read Hebrew, you can say them in English. The “asher yatzar” is on pg 14 of the ArtScroll Siddur — the last blessing of the page. The Torah blessings are on the top of page 16. These blessings are technically blessings which are recited before Torah learning each morning (just as we recite blessings before doing any other Mitzva, eg, before lighting Shabbos candles). In order to fulfill the Mitzva of Torah learning (which you have just recited a blessing for) you should read, in Hebrew or English, all the paragraphs on pg 16. These are brief passages of Torah learning to be recited immediately after the blessings for Torah learning.

The reason I mentioned these blessings in particular is because they contain the sentence, “May we and our offspring and the offspring of Your people, the House of Israel, all of us, know Your Name and study Your Torah…”

The ArtScroll Siddur has the whole book of Psalms at the back but unfortunately not with translation, but there is an ArtScroll Tehillim (Psalms) which is well worth acquiring if you don’t already have it.

If you really want to say these prayers in Hebrew, my suggestion is: rather than learn them phonetically in English letters, you should try one of the tapes or computer programs available for learning Hebrew. Or find someone to teach you in your area. Hebrew is a much easier language to read than English — even if you don’t understand what you’re reading — because it is a purely phonetic language with just 22 consonants and seven vowels to learn, and unlike English, each vowel is pronounced just one way. G-d-willing you will soon have children and you don’t want them to be embarrassed that their mother can’t read the siddur. :- )

I wish you all the very best and may your prayers be answered speedily along with those of all other Jewish women who yearn for children.

–Toby Katz