Blessings · Encounters and moments
What blessing do you say over good or bad news?
Judaism gives words for both. Over good news you say Hatov vehametiv, "who is good and does good." Over news of death or grievous loss you say Baruch dayan ha'emet, "Blessed is the true Judge."
A blessing for each kind of news
The tradition teaches that we turn to Heaven in sorrow as well as in joy. Over genuinely good tidings one says Hatov vehametiv, "who is good and does good." Over the news of a death or a loss one says Baruch dayan ha'emet, "Blessed is the true Judge." Both are ways of naming that this moment, too, comes from the Holy One, blessed be He.
The source: Mishnah Berakhot 9:2
This teaching is stated in the Mishnah, Berakhot 9:2, and taken up in the Talmud, Berakhot 54a. It asks something demanding of us: to keep faith and find words even when the news is hard.
What to do
When news arrives, name what it is. For a true good tiding say Hatov vehametiv; on hearing of a death say Baruch dayan ha'emet. Because these moments are tender and the details of practice vary, let your rabbi guide you in how and when to say them.
Source: Mishnah, Berakhot 9:2; Talmud, Berakhot 54a.
For the news that arrives without warning, whether joy or grief, may Barkai (the blessings of the day; the sky and place tell you the moment) hold the words ready when you need them.
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