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In the blessing for healing (Amidah, blessing 8) the words offer an optional section to pray for the sick. However, the form does not offer an option for multiple people.

If one is praying for multiple sick people, does one pray the same section completely over multiple times or enter multiples names, or...?

An actual text word to word showing the option would be helpful.

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It seems clear from Shulchan Aruch (119:1) that you can use any text you like. I use the form found in the ArtScroll sidurim:

‫יהי רצון… שתשלח מהרה רפואה… ל[name] בתוך שאר חולי ישראל.‬

For multiple names, I make it:

‫יהי רצון… שתשלח מהרה רפואה… ל[name] ול[name]… בתוך שאר חולי ישראל.‬

The advantages of this are that it's not (very) redundant (as repeating the entire prayer would be), and that it makes for a grammatical, idiomatic sentence. The disadvantage is that the vowel on the ל before each name varies according to the name (and the vowel on the ו varies accordingly), so you have to make sure you're pronouncing the words right.

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  • +1 Same as mi shebairach that the gabbai includes as many names as needed.
    – Yoni
    Commented May 7, 2014 at 16:36
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    To avoid problems with the vowels that @msh210 mentions, you can use a variant: "Yehi ratzon sheterapeh et .. v'et...v'et". If the list is small, it is probably better to repeat the prayer for each person, individually, as this indicates a greater request since you give each person indvidual attention.
    – DanF
    Commented May 7, 2014 at 17:16
  • @DanF Good recommendation. I like msh210's answer, but for those of us weak on grammar, your solution keeps us from messing up our concentration by thinking about grammatical rules.
    – Mike
    Commented May 8, 2014 at 3:30
  • @DanF Individual attention is probably not a good thing. I can't cite a source now, but there's a reason we say "בתוך שאר חולי ישראל". (Perhaps commentaries on the episode with the Shunamite woman and Elisha?)
    – msh210 ♦
    Commented May 8, 2014 at 6:19
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    My Rabbeim has always told me to say רפואת הנפש ורפואת הגוף לחולים פב״פ ואת פב״פ בתוך שאר חולי ישראל. Completely avoids the ול problem.
    – DonielF
    Commented May 7, 2017 at 13:54

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