Blessings · Waking and the table
What is the Asher Yatzar blessing?
Asher Yatzar is the berachah (blessing) said after using the bathroom. In it we thank Hashem that the body was formed with wisdom, with its openings and passages, and that it goes on working as it should.
Gratitude for the body
We rarely notice the body until something fails. Asher Yatzar turns that around: it teaches us to give thanks precisely in an ordinary, private moment, for the quiet miracle that everything opened that should open and closed that should close. It names a truth the sages saw plainly — that our life rests on a balance so fine that we could not stand before the Holy One, blessed be He, for even an hour if it slipped.
Where it comes from
The blessing is set out in the Talmud, Berakhot 60b, among the blessings the sages attach to the passages of an ordinary day. There it is placed as the words to be said upon leaving the bathroom — a berachah for the wisdom with which the human body was formed.
What to do
After using the bathroom and washing the hands, say Asher Yatzar. Many keep the text posted or in a siddur so it can be said in full and with attention rather than by rote. For the wording and the customs you should follow, your rabbi is the right guide.
Source: Talmud, Berakhot 60b.
So that this small daily thanks does not slip past unnoticed, Barkai (the blessings of the day; the sky and place tell you the moment) keeps Asher Yatzar within easy reach.
Open Barkai