עברית
Prayer and Blessings
What should one do if they do not know the mother's name of the person they are praying for?
Question
Hello, I wanted to ask:
A. When praying for a refuah shleimah and similar for a Kohen/Levi, should one say "... the Kohen son of so-and-so" or "... the Levi"? Or not?
B. When praying for oneself, do we say the name in the third person as with others? Or do we emphasize that it is myself, for example, "the healing of body and soul for me, the sick so-and-so son of so-and-so"?
C. What is the halacha when praying for parents/grandparents, should one say "my father my teacher" or "my mother my teacher" etc.?
D. What should be done if one does not know the full name or the mother’s name?
E. Is there a limit on the number of names that may be inserted in the yehi ratzon of "refuenu" or in "Shema Koleinu"?
Thank you.
Answer
Greetings,
A. No.
B. When praying for oneself, there is no need to say so-and-so son of so-and-so.
C. It is permissible to add "my father" or "my mother" before or after mentioning their names, but one should not add honorific titles. As written in Sefer Chassidim (Siman 707), a person praying for his father if he is ill should not say "heal my master father" or "my lord father, heal," because David said about Shlomo, "my father," and Elisha said (II Kings 2:14) "Where is Hashem, the God of Elijah?" and did not say "my lord." May His name be blessed.
D. One may mention the father’s name. If that name is also unknown, one may pray using the person’s given name and family name only (see Piskei Teshuvot, Siman 167, note 2).
E. No. Although some have written that one should not pray in this way on a regular basis.
Best wishes,
Hillel Meirs
