Jewish Blessings for Everyday Situations and Special Moments, Explained by Rabbis
The concept of “blessings” gets tossed around widely and casually these days. After all, what is social media without a slew of (sincere or ironic) #blessed captions?
But in Judaism, blessings are an essential and meaningful practice for holiday observance and for every day. “The word ‘blessed’ comes up more and more in popular culture — ‘too blessed to be stressed’ sort of thing,” says Rabbi Diana Fersko, Senior Rabbi at The Village Temple in New York City. “Usually, posts like this tend to be transactional and material. But blessings, from a Jewish context, are quite the opposite.”
Rather, she says, Jewish blessings are “relational and theological.” That is, “they reflect the connection between people and the connection between people and G-d. They express gratitude for a vast range of human experiences.”
Indeed Jewish blessings exist for everyday essentials (such as Jewish blessings over food and other Jewish daily prayers), as well as for Jewish holidays and milestone events (like Jewish wedding blessings) — and even for ordinary occurrences that are actually extraordinary and miraculous when viewed through the perspective of gratitude (such as seeing a rainbow or a shooting star).
Rabbi Lisa Sacks of Bet Torah in Mount Kisco, NY, says blessings “help us see the wonder in the world that we can easily miss in our busy lives. And they remind us that we are links in the chain of tradition, part of a rich and vibrant heritage.”
She notes that blessings are a crucial aspect of Jewish tradition, “so much so that the sages of our tradition recommend saying 100 per day.” (Sound like a lot? Consider just how many blessings exist for both special and utterly commonplace circumstances.)
Edana Appel, Director of Camp and Family Programs at the Westside Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles, underscores the importance of prayer for Jewish people as not just a way to connect with the divine, but with the entire community — past, present, and future.
“Many American Jews who practice regular prayer would say that it helps them to slow down, to mark moments that might get lost without the prayer associated with it,” she says. “Prayer is also something that allows people to feel connected to the global Jewish community as well as the generations of Jews. A critical part of prayer is about connection to other Jews as opposed to a connection only to the divine.”
Feeling daunted? Start small. “Many Jewish blessings are about showing gratitude for the simple things that are happening around you,” Appel says. “The easiest way to begin incorporating Jewish blessings into everyday life is to start with a practice of gratitude for one or two things like waking up in the morning. Once you have created this practice, you can delve deeper into the words and the meaning.”
Ahead, find some of the most common and versatile Jewish blessings, as well as some more unique prayers in Judaism to add to your repertoire.
Prayer for waking up in the morning: Modeh Ani
Modeh ah-nee lifanecha, Ru-ach chai v’kayam, she-hechezarta bee nishma-tee b’chemlah rabbah emunatecha.
I thank You, living and enduring King, for You have graciously returned my soul within me. Great is Your faithfulness.
“Modeh Ani is a blessing we are commanded to say every morning because in the simplest terms, we are thankful for waking up because not everyone wakes up every day,” Appel explains. “Obviously, the words of the blessing have a much more loaded implication, but overall the blessing is trying to help us slow down and show gratitude.”
Blessing over bread: Hamotzi
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha’olam Hamotzi lechem min ha’aretz.
Blessed are You, Eternal our G-d, Ruler of the universe Who brings forth bread from the earth.
Appel notes that the Hamotzi is a familiar blessing over food, “but if you actually look at the words it is about being thankful that there is grain that comes from the earth,” she says. “It is really not just about stuff coming from the ground but about showing gratitude for all the steps that happen that takes something from the ground to our table — the plants, sun, water, farmers, farmworkers, bakers, chefs, factories, truck drivers, grocery store workers, and all of the other things."
This is among the most common of all Jewish blessings because we eat multiple times a day, of course. And beyond that, Appel says, “the process of saying the blessing has become part of the culture of Jewish preschools, day schools, summer camps, youth groups, et cetera.”
Prayer for lighting candles
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha’olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Shabbat.
Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, Ruler of the Universe, who has sanctified us with commandments, and commanded us to kindle the lights of Shabbat.
“Some of the most popular blessings are those we say on Friday nights as we gather for the Sabbath meal,” Rabbi Sacks explains, such as the ritual lighting of the candles.
Prayer over wine: Kiddush
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, boreh p'ri hagafen.
Blessed are You, G-d, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
“We pray over food and wine to express our gratitude for what we are about to consume,” Rabbi Fersko says. “It reminds us of G-d’s constant presence in our lives even when we are participating in a mundane activity like eating. It’s also a moment of relationship — everyone says the blessings together so the feeling is familial, communal, and joyous.”
Prayer for blessing children
Yevarechecha Adonai veyishmerecha. Ya’er Adonai panav eilecha viyechuneka. Yisa Adonai panav eilecha veyasem lecha shalom.
May G-d bless you and keep you. May G-d shine light on you and be gracious to you. May G-d turn toward you and grant you peace.
“We offer this blessing at a wedding, a bar or bat mitzvah, or at the end of a worship service,” Rabbi Fersko says. “There is something special, spiritual, and just complete to me about this blessing.”
Blessing for a first time: Shehecheyanu
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech Haolam, shehechiyanu, v’kiy’manu, v’higianu lazman hazeh.
Blessed are you, the Eternal our G-d, Ruler of the Universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this moment.
“It’s a blessing for the first time you do something or just to mark a special moment. It can be used for the first night of a holiday, for the loss of a first tooth, for the arrival of spring, for the first time a child chants from Torah, for traveling to a new place, and for any time you want to mark something new,” Rabbi Fersko explains.
Appel describes this common blessing as “a marker of time and an appreciation for a moment that could only exist in that moment — these people, this day, this hour, this holiday, this celebration.”
Blessing to affirm Jewish faith: Shema
Sh'ma Yisra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.
Hear, Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One.
“This is considered the quintessential prayer that comes directly from the Torah,” Appel explains. “The words directly reflect the main tenet of Judaism — there is only one G-d. You can say this prayer whenever you want. It is said in every prayer service, you can say it before you go to bed, it can be said literally any time.”
She adds, “It is often the prayer famously said when many individuals were being publicly put to death for being Jewish that they say the Shema as the ultimate act of faith and bravery.”
Prayer after going to the bathroom: Asher Yatzar
Baruch a-tah ah-doe-nai, elohaynu melech ha-olam, ah-share yah-tzar et ha-ah-dam bih-choch-mah, u-varah bo nih-kah-veem nih-kah-veem, chah-loo-leem chah-loo-leem, gah-loy vih-yah-doo-ah lif-nay kee-say kih-voe-deh-chah, she-eem yih-pah-tay-ach eh-chod may-hem, oh yee-sah-tare eh-chod may-hem, ee ef-shahr lih-hit-kah-yem vih-lah-ah-mode lih-fah-neh-chah ah-fee-loo shah-ahh ehh-chot. Baruch a-tah ah-doe-nail, row-fay kole bah-sahr ooh-moff-lee lah-ah-sote.
Blessed are You, Adonai, our G-d, King of the universe, who formed man with wisdom and created within him many openings and many hollow spaces. It is obvious and known before Your Seat of Honor that if even one of them would be opened, or if even one of them would be sealed, it would be impossible to survive and to stand before You even for one hour. Blessed are You, Adonai, who heals all flesh and acts wondrously.
“It feels weird to say and I do not think many people know it even exists, but it shows us, once again, how Judaism has a focus on slowing down and showing gratitude for something many of us don't even think about,” Appel says of the rather esoteric recitation. “The blessing forces us to take a moment and be grateful for a body that works and allows us to accomplish the things we do every day."
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