Protection from Evil

When You Need a Shield Against the Darkness

When you feel threatened, whether by a specific person, a dangerous situation, or an unseen danger, turning to Hashem for protection is the first step of tefillah.

You are not the first person to stand where you stand right now. For over three thousand years, Yidden have turned to Kapitel 91 of Tehillim in exactly this kind of moment. Chazal call it the Shir Shel Pega’im (the Song Against Afflictions). The Gemara in Shevuos 15b calls it the song against harmful spirits and plagues, and records that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi would recite it as protection before sleep. It was written for moments of genuine danger.

This kapitel, composed b’ruach hakodesh by Moshe Rabbeinu, opens with a promise: there is a place where evil cannot reach you. Not a physical place. A spiritual one. B’seiser Elyon, in the hidden shelter of the Most High. That is the shelter this tefillah provides.

Before You Say This Tefillah

Before saying this tefillah, take a moment to focus. You are about to speak to the One who guards you. Keep your kavanah simple:

Master of the Universe, he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, in the shadow of the Almighty he rests. I want to be there, in that protected place. The world is full of evil and I need protection. For He will command His angels to guard you in all your ways. Guard me from all evil, from all harm, from all enemies. 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, through whom Hashem worked salvation, so may You save me. Ribbono Shel Olam, I care for Your children. Please care for me.

Kapitel 91: The Full Prayer

This is the Shir Shel Pega’im, the kapitel the Gemara (Shevuos 15b) describes as a song against afflictions. It has stayed in our hands ever since. When you say these sixteen pesukim, you are wrapping yourself in the same protection your ancestors carried through the midbar.

What These Words Mean for You

Yoisheiv b’seiser elyoin “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High”

The kapitel opens with a single word that changes everything: seiser, hidden. The Zohar teaches that this refers to a spiritual space above all natural forces.

It is not a place you travel to. It is a place you enter through trust. When you feel surrounded by evil, when the threats are too big to fight on your own, Moshe Rabbeinu is telling you: there is somewhere they cannot reach you. Seiser. Hidden. Concealed. Hashem hides you. Not behind a wall, but inside His own presence. Loi siro mipachad loilo, meicheitz yo’uf yoimom “You need not fear the terror by night, or the arrow that flies by day”

Night terrors and daytime arrows. Moshe covers both.

The fear that creeps in when the house is dark and your mind races, and the danger that comes openly in broad daylight. Maybe you know exactly what threatens you. Maybe you feel it but cannot name it. This passuk tells you: neither kind of evil has power over the one who shelters in Hashem. Pachad. A deep, gripping dread. The tefillah does not pretend that dread away. It answers it. A related tefillah that speaks to this same yearning is the prayer against fear. Many who carry this need also turn to a prayer for safety during war for comfort. Ki mal’ochov y’tzaveh loch, lishmor’cho b’chol d’rochecho “For Hashem’s angels will be ordered to guard you wherever you go”

This is one of the most well-known pesukim in all of Tehillim. Hashem does not simply protect from a distance.

He sends mal’achim (angels) to walk with you. Y’tzaveh. To command. To dispatch. These are not random guardians. They are dispatched on orders. When you say this tefillah and feel alone, remember: Hashem has already sent help. You may not see them, but they are on every side of you. Yikro’eini v’e’eneihu, imoi onoichi v’tzoro “When they call on Me, I will answer them; I will be with them in distress”

The last three pesukim of this kapitel shift. Hashem Himself begins to speak.

And what does He say? When you call, I answer. When you are in trouble, I am with you. Tzoro. A narrow, pressing distress. Hashem does not wait for the danger to pass before He arrives. He is with you inside it. That is the heart of this kapitel. Protection is not the absence of danger. It is the presence of Hashem in the middle of it.

How to Say This Prayer

Many people say Kapitel 91 before going to sleep. The Gemara in Shevuos 15b connects it to nighttime dangers, and there is a long minhag to recite it as part of Krias Shema al HaMitah (the bedtime Shema). But this tefillah belongs to any hour when you feel threatened. Say it in the morning before you leave the house. Say it when you feel a sudden wave of fear in the middle of the day. Say it whenever your heart tells you something is wrong.

Before you begin, set your kavanah. You might say in your own words: “Hashem, the world around me feels so full of danger right now. I feel vulnerable. I want to rest in Your shadow, completely safe. Please send Your angels to guard me and shield me from every enemy. I trust in Your protection.”

Tefillah and tzedakah strengthen each other. Your tefillah is your heart reaching up to Hashem, and your tzedakah is your hand reaching out to another Yid. When both rise together, they carry more weight. After saying this tefillah, give tzedakah in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness. You are asking Hashem to hear your cry in the combined merit of this great tzaddik and your own act of chesed. Then say: Elokah d’Meir aneni!

Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness

The Gemara (Avodah Zarah 18a-18b) tells how Bruria asked Rabbi Meir to rescue her sister, who had been imprisoned by the Romans. Rabbi Meir approached the guard, offering him money and teaching him to say “Elaha d’Meir aneni!” — “God of Meir, answer me!” — if he was ever in danger. When the guard asked for proof, Rabbi Meir threw a clod of earth at nearby man-eating dogs. They lunged to devour him, and when he called out the words, the dogs turned away. The guard was convinced and released her, later on using these powerful words to miraculously save his life when he was caught.

That is the same cry you are making right now. You feel surrounded. You need protection that goes beyond what your own hands can do. Giving tzedakah in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness is not davening to Rabbi Meir. It is asking Hashem to hear your tefillah in the combined merit of this tzaddik and your own chesed.

Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities was founded in 1799. The talmidei chachamim atRabbi Meir’s grave in Tiberias daven for those who reach out to them. The charity supports talmidei chachamim and the poor in Eretz Yisrael. When you give, your tzedakah and your tefillah rise together.

Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness

A Brachah for Your Safety

Turning to Hashem in moments of fear is the ultimate act of emunah.

May He shelter you b’seiser Elyon, in that hidden place where no evil can reach. May the mal’achim walk on every side of you, guarding you in all your ways. May the threats fall away, a thousand on your left and ten thousand on your right, and none of them touch you. May you feel Hashem’s presence with you in your tzara, keeping you safe from all harm.

You can submit a prayer request to the scholars at the tomb of Rabbi Meir in Tiberias at no cost. They will daven for your protection 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.

Submit a Free Prayer Request