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Answers · Blessings

The blessings of the day

When to say a berachah and which one — waking, the table, the sky, the moments that surprise you. Each answer names its source.

30 answers, each with its source

Waking and the table

What is the Modeh Ani?Modeh Ani is the first words on waking: a brief thanks to Hashem for returning the soul. So short it can be said before washing hands.What is netilat yadayim (the ritual washing of the hands)?Netilat yadayim is the ritual washing of the hands, poured from a vessel over each hand, on waking and before bread, each with its blessing.What are the morning blessings (birkot hashachar)?The morning blessings, birkot hashachar, are short berachot said at dawn, thanking Hashem for daily gifts: sight, clothing, standing, walking.What blessing is said before bread?Before bread we say Hamotzi, 'who brings forth bread from the earth,' after washing the hands. It covers the whole meal.What blessings are said before eating? The sixThe six blessings before food: hamotzi for bread, mezonot for grains, hagafen for wine, ha'etz for tree fruit, ha'adamah for the ground, shehakol for all else.What is Birkat Hamazon?Birkat Hamazon is the blessing after a bread meal, commanded in the Torah. It has four blessings: for food, the Land, Jerusalem, and goodness.What is the Asher Yatzar blessing?Asher Yatzar is the blessing said after using the bathroom, thanking Hashem that the body was formed with wisdom and works as it should.In what order are the blessings said at the table?Bread comes first at the table; among fruits, the seven species of the Land take priority. Here is the order of blessings and its source.What are the blessings over the Torah (Birkot HaTorah)?Birkot HaTorah, said each morning before learning, thank Hashem for the gift of Torah and the privilege of studying it (Berachot 11b).

The sky and nature

What blessing do you say when you hear thunder?On hearing thunder, the blessing ends 'shekocho ugvurato malei olam' — whose strength and power fill the world. Said once per storm.What blessing do you say when you see lightning?On seeing lightning, the blessing ends 'oseh maaseh bereshit' — Maker of the work of creation. The same words serve comets, mountains, and deserts.What blessing do you say when you see a rainbow?On seeing a rainbow, say the blessing that recalls the covenant with Noah — zocher habrit. Source: Berachot 59a. Said once, on seeing it.What blessing do you say when you see the sea?For the great sea, oseh et hayam hagadol; for other seas and rivers, shekocho ugvurato malei olam. Sources: Berachot 54a; Shulchan Aruch OC 228.What blessing do we say when we see mountains, deserts, or great rivers?Over mountains, deserts, and great rivers we say 'oseh maaseh bereshit' — Hashem who makes the work of creation (Berachot 54a).Do thunder and lightning have the same blessing?No. Lightning and thunder each carry their own blessing in Berachot 54a; when they come together, the tradition sets an order.What is Birkat Ha'ilanot?Birkat Ha'ilanot is said once a year in Nisan, on first seeing fruit trees in blossom, in thanks for a world lacking nothing (Berakhot 43b).What is Kiddush Levana?Kiddush Levana is the monthly blessing over the new moon, said standing and outdoors, from about three days after the molad until mid-month. Source: Sanhedrin 42a.

Encounters and moments

What blessing do you say when you see a great sage of Torah?On seeing a great Torah sage, bless Hashem 'who has apportioned of His wisdom to those who revere Him' (Talmud, Berachot 58a).What blessing do you say before a king or head of state?On seeing a king or head of state, bless Hashem 'who has given of His honor to flesh and blood' (Talmud, Berachot 58a).What is the Hagomel blessing?Hagomel is the thanksgiving blessing said before a minyan after surviving real danger: sea or desert travel, serious illness, or captivity.What blessing do you say over a pleasant fragrance?There is no single blessing for scent; the words change with its source, whether trees, herbs, aromatic fruits, or fragrant oils (Berakhot 43b).What blessing do you say over good or bad news?Over good news you say Hatov vehametiv; over death or loss, Baruch dayan ha'emet, the blessings for both joy and sorrow (Mishnah Berakhot 9:2).What blessing do you say when reunited with a loved one?Seeing a dearly loved person after twelve months apart, the tradition has you bless Hashem 'mechayeh hametim,' who revives the dead (Berachot 58b).What blessing do you say at the place where a miracle happened?At the place a miracle saved you, bless Hashem 'she'asah li nes bamakom hazeh' — who did a miracle for me here (Talmud, Berachot 54a).What blessing do you say over new clothes?Over a meaningful new garment worn for the first time, say Shehecheyanu (Talmud, Berachot 59b; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 223).When do we say Shehecheyanu?Say Shehecheyanu at new or joyful moments: a festival's start, a season's first fruit, something new, or glad news (Berachot 54a).What is Tefilat Haderech, the traveler's prayer?Tefilat Haderech is the Jewish traveler's prayer, said once after you leave your city, asking to arrive in peace (Talmud, Berachot 29b).

The hundred blessings

What are the hundred daily blessings?The meah berachot: a hundred blessings a day, traced to King David in the Talmud. Prayer, food, and scents add up to a hundred.How do you reach one hundred blessings in a day?The three daily prayer services supply most of the hundred blessings; food, fragrances, and daily moments complete them. On Shabbat, add fruits.What blessing do you say over a new fruit?Over a fruit new to the season, say Shehecheyanu — thanking G-d for bringing you to this moment — in addition to the usual blessing on the food. Sources: Berachot 54a; SA OC 225.
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