The Two Yehi Ratzon Prayers at the End of the Amidah

The two Yehi Ratzon ("May it be Your will") prayers that appear at the conclusion of the silent Amidah serve distinct purposes: the first is a personal plea for protection from sin and negative character traits, while the second is a prayer for the restoration of the Temple service and acceptance of our prayer as a replacement for sacrifice. They represent two different dimensions of our relationship with God — inner spiritual repair and external, communal worship.

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Key Takeaways

• The first Yehi Ratzon (attributed to Mar bar Ravina) focuses on personal moral and spiritual protection — guarding one's tongue, avoiding sin, and asking God to open one's heart to Torah.
• The second Yehi Ratzon (attributed to Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi or associated with the conclusion of prayer) pivots outward — asking that the Temple be rebuilt and that our prayers be accepted as the korbanot (sacrifices) once were.
• The first is deeply inward and individual; the second is communal and eschatological (focused on redemption).
• Both prayers appear in the Talmud [Berakhot 17a] as personal prayers recited by Amoraim after their Amidah.
• Together they form a complete spiritual arc: personal tikkun (repair) → national redemption.

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Detailed Analysis

The First Yehi Ratzon — Mar bar Ravina's Prayer

The first Yehi Ratzon originates in the Talmud [Berakhot 17a], where it is recorded as the personal closing prayer of Mar bar Ravina after he finished his Amidah:

"My God, guard my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking deceitfully... Let my soul be silent to those who curse me, and let my soul be as dust to all. Open my heart to Your Torah, and let my soul pursue Your commandments..."

This prayer is intensely personal and introspective. Its themes include:

• Protection of speech — one of the most emphasized areas of Jewish ethics (shmirat halashon)
• Humility — asking to be "as dust" before those who insult
• Torah study — asking God to open the heart
• Nullification of evil designs — asking that those who plot against us be foiled

The prayer concludes with a plea: "Do this for the sake of Your Name, do this for the sake of Your right hand, do this for the sake of Your Torah, do this for the sake of Your holiness."

This Yehi Ratzon is essentially a personal mussar (ethical self-improvement) prayer — a moment of vulnerability and self-accounting after standing before the King.

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The Second Yehi Ratzon — The Prayer for Temple Restoration

The second Yehi Ratzon, which begins "Yehi ratzon milfanecha... sheyibaneh Beit HaMikdash bimhera b'yameinu" — "May it be Your will... that the Holy Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days" — shifts the focus entirely.

This prayer:

• Asks for the rebuilding of the Temple (Beit HaMikdash)
• Requests that God grant us our portion in the Torah
• Asks that we worship Him there as in ancient days

The theological grounding for this prayer is deeply connected to the idea that prayer (tefillah) was instituted as a replacement for the Temple sacrifices (korbanot). This principle appears explicitly in [Berakhot 26b], where the Talmud debates whether prayer was established corresponding to the daily tamid offerings or to the prayers of the Patriarchs.

The Rambam (Maimonides) in [Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Tefillah 1:5] emphasizes that while prayer is a Torah obligation, the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah (Men of the Great Assembly) formalized it in part to compensate for the loss of Temple service.

By ending the Amidah with a prayer for the Temple's return, we acknowledge the incompleteness of prayer as a substitute and express longing for the fuller, restored service.

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Why Are They Said in This Order?

The sequencing is significant:

| Order | Prayer | Focus | |-------|--------|-------| | 1st | Mar bar Ravina's prayer | Personal spiritual repair | | 2nd | Temple restoration prayer | Communal/national redemption |

Rav Soloveitchik (the Rav) noted that one must first achieve personal teshuvah and inner rectification before one can meaningfully pray for national redemption. You cannot ask for the Temple to be rebuilt while your inner "temple" — the heart — is in disrepair. The order thus reflects a spiritual logic: fix yourself first, then pray for the world.

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The Connection to Eit Ratzon (A Time of Will/Favor)

Both prayers relate to the concept of eit ratzon — a time of Divine favor — which appears in the verse from Psalms [Psalms 69:14]:

"וַאֲנִי תְפִלָּתִי־לְךָ יְהֹוָה עֵת רָצוֹן" — "As for me, may my prayer to You, O Lord, be at a time of favor (eit ratzon)"

The Talmud [Berakhot 8a] identifies the Amidah itself — specifically when prayed with the congregation — as an eit ratzon. These closing Yehi Ratzon prayers are thus an attempt to extend and capitalize on that moment of Divine openness before stepping away from prayer.

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Practical Notes

• Sephardic and Ashkenazic siddurim may arrange or slightly vary the wording of these prayers.
• The first Yehi Ratzon is also said responsively after Kedushah d'Sidra (the u'va l'Tzion section of Shacharit) in some communities.
• Some authorities hold that one should not interrupt between the two prayers; others permit a brief pause.

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For personal guidance on the precise custom of your community regarding these prayers, consult your local rabbi or posek.