Tehillim · A Psalm for the moment
Which Tehillim do we say for someone who is ill?
For a refuah (healing) it is customary to say Tehillim (Psalms) 20, 30, 41 and 103, mentioning the ill person by their own name and their mother's name, and to join the prayer to tzedakah (charity).
The psalms for healing
When someone is unwell, the Jewish instinct is not only to hope but to act with words. The custom is to say Tehillim (Psalms) 20, 30, 41 and 103 for their refuah, their healing. Psalm 20 is the classic — the prayer that the Eternal answer on the day of distress. As you say them, name the person the way the tradition asks: by their own name and by their mother's name, so the plea is unmistakably about this one soul.
Where this comes from, and its companion
This is custom, the practice of Jewish communities across generations. It does not travel alone: the tradition joins these psalms to tzedakah (charity), because turning toward the vulnerable in the same breath as we pray is itself part of the asking. Words and deed go up together.
What to do
Say Tehillim 20 first, then 30, 41 and 103, naming the person as ben or bat — son or daughter of — their mother. Set aside even a small amount for tzedakah as you do. This is orientation, not a medical or halachic ruling; for a serious situation, lean on your doctors and bring your rabbi and community close.
Source: Custom; Tehillim 20, 30, 41 and 103.
When a name is anxious on your heart, Kolí (the Tehillim for the moment you are living) opens Psalm 20 with a place to hold that name, so the prayer is ready before you are.
Open Kolí