What is a blessing?
"In Hebrew, the root that means 'bless' is b.r.kh, and the Sages explain that it means 'to increase' or 'bring down Divine abundance.' - Daniella Levy, Aish
- How might reciting blessings impact your relationship with the Divine? Do you derive meaning from reciting blessings?
- What's the first blessing you think of? Do you have a favorite blessing?
(ד) נִמְצְאוּ כָּל הַבְּרָכוֹת כֻּלָּן שְׁלֹשָׁה מִינִים. בִּרְכוֹת הֲנָיָה. וּבִרְכוֹת מִצְוֹת. וּבִרְכוֹת הוֹדָאָה שֶׁהֵן דֶּרֶךְ שֶׁבַח וְהוֹדָיָה וּבַקָּשָׁה כְּדֵי לִזְכֹּר אֶת הַבּוֹרֵא תָּמִיד וּלְיִרְאָה מִמֶּנּוּ:
(ה) וְנֹסַח כָּל הַבְּרָכוֹת עֶזְרָא וּבֵית דִּינוֹ תִּקְּנוּם. וְאֵין רָאוּי לְשַׁנּוֹתָם וְלֹא לְהוֹסִיף עַל אַחַת מֵהֶם וְלֹא לִגְרֹעַ מִמֶּנָּה. וְכָל הַמְשַׁנֶּה מִמַּטְבֵּעַ שֶׁטָּבְעוּ חֲכָמִים בַּבְּרָכוֹת אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא טוֹעֶה. וְכָל בְּרָכָה שֶׁאֵין בָּהּ הַזְכָּרַת הַשֵּׁם וּמַלְכוּת אֵינָהּ בְּרָכָה אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן הָיְתָה סְמוּכָה לַחֲבֵרְתָהּ:
(ו) וְכָל הַבְּרָכוֹת כֻּלָּן נֶאֱמָרִין בְּכָל לָשׁוֹן וְהוּא שֶׁיֹּאמַר כְּעֵין שֶׁתִּקְּנוּ חֲכָמִים. וְאִם שִׁנָּה אֶת הַמַּטְבֵּעַ הוֹאִיל וְהִזְכִּיר אַזְכָּרָה וּמַלְכוּת וְעִנְיַן הַבְּרָכָה אֲפִלּוּ בִּלְשׁוֹן חֹל יָצָא:
1170-1180 CE
(4) All blessings accordingly fall into three kinds; blessings recited when partaking of material enjoyments, blessings recited when fulfilling religious duties, and blessings of thanksgiving, which have the character of praise, thanksgiving and supplication, and the purpose of which is that we should always have the Creator in mind and revere Him.
(5) The forms of all the blessings were established by Ezra and his Court. It is not proper to vary them, or add to or take aught away from any one of them. Whoever deviates from the form which the Sages have given to the Blessings, is in error. Any blessing in which the name of God and His Sovereignty are not mentioned is not regarded as a blessing, unless it follows immediately another blessing.
(6) All blessings may be recited in any language, provided that the form instituted by the sages is followed. And if the form has been changed, the duty of reciting the blessing is discharged, since the name of God and His sovereignty as well as the subject matter of the blessing have been mentioned, even though in a foreign tongue.
-Is there anything that sticks out to you here? How does this make you feel about blessings for voting, political issues, etc.? Why can we not create our own blessings?
-Consider the context. Ezra is often credited with bringing Jews back to monotheism/consolidating Jewry and Jewish practice. Does that impact how you feel about blessings? Where did you think they originated before this?
A method of speaking to G-d? A gratitude and mindfulness practice?
"Throughout the Bible, G-d expresses concern that we will mistakenly assume that any blessing, abundance, or wealth that comes to us is the work of our own hands. When G-d commands us to offer a bracha after eating and being satisfied from the fruit of the land in Deut. 8:10, G-d explicitly contrasts that act with the potential sin of forgetting that all this abundance comes from G-d (Deut. 8:11-14). The act of saying a bracha is the opposite of assuming all this goodness is because of my own ability or skills.....The act of saying the amidah- of saying any blessing in Jewish liturgy- is an act of speaking to G-d without any mediation. I am able to speak directly to G-d, and the second word of the prayer [atah] leads me into that stance." - Rabbi Elie Kaunfer (President and CEO of Hadar Institute)
- Are blessings necessary in order to speak to G-d?
- Why do you think G-d expresses so much concern, as Rabbi Kaunfer said, of the possibility that we attribute our successes to ourselves only? A common critique of the Torah (often made by Christians and/or atheists) is that the Old Testament G-d is a jealous one. Do you feel that theme/critique is visible from Rabbi Kaunfer's message and this Deuteronomy selection?
An obligation?
(First tractate of Mishnah, 30 BCE-200 CE)
The Sages taught in a Tosefta: One is forbidden to derive benefit from this world, which is the property of God, without reciting a blessing beforehand. And anyone who derives benefit from this world without a blessing, it is as if he is guilty of misuse of a consecrated object. The Gemara adds: What is his remedy? He should go to a Sage.
תניא היה רבי מאיר אומר חייב אדם לברך מאה ברכות בכל יום שנאמר (דברים י, יב) ועתה ישראל מה ה' אלהיך שואל מעמך רב חייא בריה דרב אויא בשבתא וביומי טבי טרח וממלי להו באיספרמקי ומגדי
(Composed in Babylon Talmud, 450-550 CE)
It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Meir would say: A person is obligated to recite one hundred blessings every day, as it is stated in the verse: “And now, Israel, what [ma] does the Lord your God require of you” (Deuteronomy 10:12). Rabbi Meir interprets the verse as though it said one hundred [me’a], rather than ma. The Gemara relates that on Shabbat and Festivals, when the prayers contain fewer blessings, Rav Ḥiyya, son of Rav Avya, made an effort to fill this quota of blessings with blessings on spices [be’isparmakei] and sweet fruit, of which he would partake in order to recite extra blessings.
- Do the obligatory nature of blessings have any impact on their meaning for you? Do you read the blessings quota as a hard number quota, or as a spiritual metaphor for mindfulness and humility?
- Why is forgetting to or abstaining from blessing on the same level as the misuse of a consecrated object?
- Do you feel that it is better to use blessings all the time because you have to, or only when you feel inspired?
"We call a blessing a blessing (or brocho) because that is essentially what it is. With the words of the blessing we bless and thank G‑d for providing us with the food or drink of which we are about to partake. Chassidic teachings explain that all food contains a G‑dly spark of holiness. When we say a blessing before eating, and eat with the intention to serve G‑d, we actually elevate the physical substance of the food into holiness and reunite it with its Divine source.
After we eat, we once again remember G‑d as the ultimate source of our sustenance, as instructed in the Torah, 'And you shall eat and be satisfied and you shall bless Hashem, your G‑d, for the good land which He has given you.' (Deuteronomy 8:10) We do this with the blessings after the meal.
Reciting the blessings before eating adds a whole new dimension to something we do every day, in diverse settings. Eating at home, with friends, at work, while celebrating, hanging out suddenly transcends the mundane and is transformed into something holy."
- "Why a Blessing?" Mitzvah and Traditions, Chabad.org
- Do you connect reciting blessings with mindfulness? Do you feel this way with some blessings, but not others?
- Why is gratitude to G-d such a consistent theme? Do you feel that blessings are moreso an expression of gratitude than a mindfulness practice?
- Has your understanding of blessings deepened? Do you feel more or less inspired to recite blessings?