Understanding Nishmat Kol Chai & The Pollard Connection

Justice4JP Release - July 11, 2003

  • Click here for the PDF file of The Pollard/Nishmat Kol Chai Prayer Card (3.2 MB)
  • Click here for the English Translation of Nishmat Kol Chai Prayer. (Addendum #1)
  • Click here for of HaRav Ben-Tov's Commitment Form for Nishmat Kol Chai. (Addendum #2)

What is Nishmat Kol Chai?


Nishmat Kol Chai is a song of praise and thanksgiving to the Almighty. Apart from its place in the Jewish liturgy on the Sabbath and Holidays and at the Passover Seder, Nishmat Kol Chai is a powerful "segula" which brings great blessing to whomever says this prayer at any time. People in need of a livelihood, marriage, children, health and/or healing, protection from danger, and success in all endeavors, can pray for these things by saying Nishmat Kol Chai. While praying Nishmat Kol Chai a person can keep other people in mind for a blessing or a healing as well.

What is Zikui HaRabim?


Any person who facilitates or enables the public to do a mitzvah is doing a meta mitzvah called Zikui HaRabim, "giving merit to the many". Our sages tell us that the blessing that accrues from Zikui HaRabim is immeasurable and continues throughout the generations until eternity for the individual and for their descendants.

What is the Pollard Connection to Nishmat Kol Chai?


With the blessing of His Eminence HaRav Mordecai Eliyahu, Esther and Jonathan Pollard have undertaken an initiative to make it possible for EVERYONE to say Nishmat Kol Chai! How? By doing a mass distribution of this prayer along with a Special Prayer for Jonathan. By doing Zikui HaRabim in this manner, enormous merit will accrue both for Jonathan and for the Jewish People and this can only help to speed Jonathan's release and the redemption of the Nation.

About the Pollard/Nishmat Kol Chai Card


Working under the guidance of HaRav Eliyahu, the Pollards have produced a Pollard/Nishmat Kol Chai prayer card for public distribution, free of charge. It is a pocket-sized card, folded in 3, which includes a Special Prayer for Jonathan Pollard, Teffilat HaDerech (the travellers' prayer) and the full text of Nishmat Kol Chai. Whoever says the prayers on this card will not only merit blessing for themselves and their loved ones, they will be adding to Jonathan's merit, praying for his release, and at the same time adding to the merit of the Jewish People. The first run of thousands of cards came off the press today. Distribution in Israel, G-d willing, will begin early next week.

How You Can Get A Card


If you are in Israel cards will be made available at holy sites and other public places of worship, as well as handed out to individuals, B"H. Details to follow on the web.

For those overseas, the professional

PDF file

of the prayer card is available on the J4JP web site. You can print it out yourself or you can share the PDF with a local printing company to order professional copies.

The Nishmat Kol Chai Card is Not Copyrighted


HaRav Mordecai Eliyahu instructed the Pollards to publicize that they hold no copyright on the Pollard/Nishmat Kol Chai card which they have designed. They are happy to have others reprint the cards from the professional

PDF file

and to have others share in the merit of Pidyan Shvuyim and Zikui HaRabim through mass distribution of the cards.

To assist those wishing to reprint for mass circulation: the original Pollard/Nishmat Kol Chai cards were professionally printed on 2 gram paper, both sides, and then laminated. A blue process was used for the background at the time of printing (see

PDF file

.) and all type is in black. The cards measure 4 inches tall by 9 inches wide, or 11 mm tall by 23 mm wide. Each card is scored to allow the card to fold neatly in 3, so that the final result is a folder 3 inches by 4 inches which easily fits into a pocket or wallet. The prayer Nishmat Kol Chai occupies the interior 3 panels of the card, with the Special prayer for Jonathan Pollard, Tefillat HaDerech on the exterior.

The only restriction on the use of the professional

PDF file

is that cards must be distributed free of charge. We ask that no funds be solicited and no monetary gain be sought at any stage of production when using the Pollard/Nishmat PDF file. No blessing will result for anyone exploiting this card commercially at any level of production.

What To Do With the Cards when Jonathan is Released?


Use them even more! The Pollards worked closely with HaRav Mordecai Eliyahyu when composing these cards to ensure that all of the prayers on the card (3 in number) will remain just as valid once Jonathan is released as they are now in praying for his release. Whoever prays from these cards - whether Nishmat Kol Chai or the Special Prayer for Jonathan Pollard, or Tefillat HaDerech - will be the principal beneficiary of all the blessings. The one who prays will benefit from the prayers as much or even more than Jonathan. This will remain true even when Jonathan is out.

Immeasurable blessing will result for all who involve themselves in the great mitzvah of pidyan shvuyim by using this card to daven for Jonathan Pollard, and in the mitzvah of Zikui Harabim for all who make this card available to others and to the public at large.

On behalf of Jonathan and Esther Pollard, J4JP wishes all participants a hearty yashar koach and hatzlacha rabba (much success)! We thank you for joining us in these great mitzvahs! May the Almighty hear and answer all of our prayers and all the prayers of all Israel to the good, and soon! Amain!

Post Script:A Word of Caution:

The Pollard/Nishmat Kol Chai Card & printed copies of the PDF File contain the name of the Almighty and are therefore holy. Care must be taken to keep the card out of unholy places and to handle the card and printouts as you would a Siddur. This includes disposal as well.
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