'Ana b'Koach': A powerful prayer for a New Year

“Ana b’Koach” is a powerful prayer written in the first century, and since then it has been recited at the beginning of phases of prayers that reflect an ascent in holiness. 

Some of the times it is recited are before the morning and afternoon prayers, at the beginning of Shabbat, and also before retiring for sleep. “Ana b’Koach” is said to be a segula, a kind of spiritual remedy. It asks to be released from all that entangles us, to be healed and protected, and for God to bestow kindness and goodness upon us.

Kabbalists find deep meaning in the prayer’s complex structure. The prayer is divided into seven lines of six words each; the first letters of the words of each line are a six-letter name of God, and together they compose the 42-letter name of God. Each line corresponds to a day of the week and to the attributes of God connected with that day. Furthermore, Kabbalists tie the 42-letter name, by means of permutations, to the first 42 letters of Genesis. 

This combination of letters takes us back to the time of creation and to the original energy that built the world. Thus “Ana b’Koach” is an especially appropriate prayer for the beginning of the year.

The power of Ana b'Koach

Yoram Raanan’s painting Ana b’Koach was a piece that he grappled with for many months, and its realization came in a flash of inspiration. The painting began with vertical lines that gave a feeling of energy flowing, rising joyfully upward, with delicate horizontal lines weaving in and out within the upward flow. The light-colored vertical areas looked like golden curtains framing an inner sanctuary. 

Raanan was moved by the light, color, and movement, the magical otherworldly feeling, but he felt that something was missing. He kept looking at the painting but did not know what to do.

Creating a work of art is often about exploring the unknown and then refining or defining it, allowing new insights to arise. For Raanan, the unknown was the center of the painting, the space between strong vertical fields. After much time, the answer came in the form of the letter alef, which he painted on the top right of the inner space.

“Alef is basic. It was a beginning to give the painting a new dimension. Bet was the natural progression, followed by gimmel.” As the letters flowed down from above, they became lighter and smaller and more subtle as they descended the canvas.

What fell into place were the letters (alef-bet-gimmel, and then surprisingly, yud-tav-tzade), the first letters of the six words of the first line of “Ana b’Koach.” This line translates as “With the power of the greatness of Your right hand, release the bonds of exile from your people.” 

“Greatness” in Kabbalah is kindness, which comes from God’s ability to create worlds and creatures out of nothing and give them life. 

Each line of the prayer transmits an uplifting energy, but especially this first line, which pleads for God’s mercy in freeing us from all that entangles us, and is often translated as setting all captives free.

The dominant color of the painting is blue, which is unique in its power to arouse feelings of depth and height and a yearning for higher worlds. The lighter shades of blue produce feelings of tranquility, while the darker shades have more power and energy. The blues mix with iridescent pink and golden lemony yellow, which glow against the ultramarine background. 

The painting is lit from within by warm turquoise hues vibrating against cooler ultramarine blue. The total effect is one of calmness and serenity.

May the words of this prayer give us both the calmness and the energy to overcome obstacles as we call upon God to bless us, to have mercy on us, and to grant us a New Year of justice and peace, give us new life, and free all captives.  ■

Meira Raanan is the author of Art of Revelation: A Visual Encounter with the Jewish Bible, a commentary on the paintings by her husband, Yoram Raanan. She also teaches Jewish meditation. Esther Cameron is a poet, scholar, and essayist living in Jerusalem. She is editor-in-chief of The Deronda Review.