BLESSINGS/BRACHOT
Blessings as Thanks
We say blessings as thanks to God for the good we receive from Him; this is a form of acknowledging and expressing gratitude (hakarat ha’tov).
Having an appreciation for the physical world and the beauty and goodness in it is a means of relating to God through Creation. People can maintain a continual awareness of, and relationship with, God by saying blessings:
We say blessings as thanks to God for the good we receive from Him; this is a form of acknowledging and expressing gratitude (hakarat ha’tov).
Having an appreciation for the physical world and the beauty and goodness in it is a means of relating to God through Creation. People can maintain a continual awareness of, and relationship with, God by saying blessings:
- Before and after eating,
- After waking in the morning,
- At various types of life experiences, and
- In many other situations.
Blessings Formulations
Some blessings begin with Baruch ata adonai only; some blessings continue with eloheinu melech ha'olam. The shorter blessings come at the end of long (compound) blessings.
ReasonThere is no mention of malchut at the end of a blessing.
How To Say Blessings
When saying blessings or prayers, it is generally best to say the words of the blessing or prayer out loud since doing so can help you to concentrate on what is being said. (The main exception is the amida prayer.)Normally, you should stand while saying blessings before doing a mitzva, unless the mitzva is done while seated (in which case you sit when saying the blessing).
REASON So there is no delay between saying the blessing and doing the mitzva.
NOTE Although there is not necessarily any need to stand while doing mitzvot, many mitzvot are done while standing due to the nature of the mitzva or for convenience.
If you find you have made an error in saying a blessing or prayer, you may correct your error without having to repeat any previous parts if you do so within 2.5 seconds of having made the error.
Note Blessings (brachot) and Prayers (tefilot) are in separate sections in this website, even though prayers have blessings within them.
-
BLESSINGS/BRACHOT
-
Blessings: General Rules
- Blessings: Doubt (Safek) Whether You Said
- If Doubt Whether You Said a Blessing (except for Birkat HaMazon)
- If Doubt Whether You Said Birkat HaMazon
- If Doubt Whether You Said Blessings on Torah Study
- Blessings: Saying for Someone Else
- Blessings: For Someone Else: Mitzva/Birchot Mitzva
- Blessings: For Someone Else: Pleasure/Birchot Nehenin and Praise-Thanks/Shevach V'Hoda'a
-
Blessings: Types
-
Blessings: Food
- Blessings: Food: General Rules
- Food When No One Will Bless: Feeding
- Food When No One Will Bless: Selling
-
Food Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona)
-
Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona): General Rules
- Fore-Blessings (Bracha Rishona): Priorities
- Fore-Blessings (Bracha Rishona): Priorities
- Fore-Blessings (Bracha Rishona): Which Level To Say
- Fore-Blessings (Bracha Rishona): Minimum Measurements
- Until When May You Eat without a New Fore-Blessing
- Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona): Food Categories
- One Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona) per Food Category
- Fore-Blessings (Bracha Rishona): HaMotzi and Desserts
- Fore-Blessings (Bracha Rishona): HaMotzi and Desserts
- Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona): Identifiable Produce
- Which Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona) on Identifiable Produce
- Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona): When Not Thirsty
- Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona) When Drinking To Prevent Thirst
- Fore-Blessing When Drinking To Swallow Pill
- Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona): Incorrect Blessing
- Incorrect Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona) If Food Is/Is Not before You
-
The Food Fore-Blessings (Bracha Rishona): Specifics
-
I. HaMotzi
- Fore-Blessing: Bread-Like Foods
- Fore-Blessing: Bread or Mezonot
- Fore-Blessing: Small Amount of Pizza/Other Bread-Like Mezonot
- Fore-Blessing: Sprouted Wheat Bread
- Fore-Blessing: Bread/Cakes of Only Rice Flour
- Fore-Blessing: Bread/Cakes of Rice Flour and Mezonot Flour
- Fore-Blessing: Unbaked Dough
- Fore-Blessing: Bulgur Wheat/Tabouli
-
II. Borei Minei Mezonot
-
Borei Minei Mezonot: Which Grains
- Fore-Blessing: Which Grains: Non-Five Grains: In Whole or In Part
- Fore-Blessing: Which Grains: Non-Five Grains: In Whole or In Part
- Fore-Blessing: Which Grains: Non-Five Grains: Rice
- Fore-Blessing: Which Grains: Non-Five Grains: Tortillas
- Fore-Blessing: Which Grains: Non-Five Grains: Mezonot/Non-Mezonot Combinations
- Fore-Blessing: Which Grains: Mezonot/Non-Mezonot Combinations: Ice Cream Cone
- Fore-Blessing: Which Grains: Mezonot/Non-Mezonot Combinations: Pie
- Fore-Blessing: Which Grains: Mezonot/Non-Mezonot Combinations: Turkey with Bread Stuffing
-
Borei Minei Mezonot: Which Grains
- III. Borei Pri HaGafen
-
I. HaMotzi
- Food Fore-Blessings (Bracha Rishona): Special Cases
-
Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona): General Rules
-
After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona)
-
After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): General Rules
- After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Minimum Measurements
- Introduction to After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Minimum Measurements
- After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Time Limits
- After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Correspondence with Fore-Blessings (Bracha Rishona)
- Correspondence between Fore- and After-Blessings
- After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Incorrect
- Correct After-Blessing after Incorrect After-Blessing
- Correct After-Blessing after Incorrect Fore-Blessing
-
After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Changing Location
- After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Changing Location: Inside to Outside, Outside to Inside
- After-Blessings: Start Meal Inside, Intend To End Outside
- After-Blessings: Start Snack Inside, Did Not Intend To End Outside
- After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Changing Location: Bread or Mezonot
- After-Blessings: Changing Location: Continuing To Eat Bread or Mezonot
- After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Changing Location: Traveling
- After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Changing Location: Traveling
- After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Changing Location: Food within View
- After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Changing Location: Did Not Intend To Continue Eating
- After-Blessings: Changing Location: Inside Vehicle, Outside Vehicle, Return
-
The Five After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona) General Rules
- I. Al HaMichya
- II. Al HaGafen
- III. Al Ha'Eitz
-
V. Birkat HaMazon
- Birkat HaMazon: How Much Food
- Eating Enough Bread To Say Birkat HaMazon
- Eating Enough Mezonot To Say Birkat HaMazon
- Birkat HaMazon: If You Planned To Eat Minimum Amount of Bread and Did
- Birkat HaMazon: If You Planned To Eat Minimum Amount of Bread and Did Not
- Birkat HaMazon: Location
- Birkat HaMazon: Location: Switching Seats
- Birkat HaMazon: Location: Eating in Two Places--No Prior Intention
- Birkat HaMazon: Location: Eating in Two Places--Prior Intention
- Birkat HaMazon: Mezuman and Minyan
- Birkat HaMazon: Reason for Mezuman
- Birkat HaMazon: Seating for Minyan or Mezuman
- Birkat HaMazon: Eating for Mezuman
- Birkat HaMazon: Eating for Minyan
- Birkat HaMazon: Women's Mezuman and Minyan
- Birkat HaMazon: Until When To Join Mezuman
- Birkat HaMazon: How To Join Mezuman and Continue Eating
- Birkat HaMazon: How Many Men Needed for Baruch Hu U'Varuch Shemo
- Birkat HaMazon: Standing Up to Honor God
- Birkat HaMazon: Table
-
After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): General Rules
-
SheHecheyanu
- SheHecheyanu: Acquisitions
-
SheHecheyanu: New Fruits
- SheHecheyanu: New Fruits: When To Bless
-
The Great Outdoors
-
Tefilat HaDerech
- Tefilat HaDerech: When To Say
- Tefilat HaDerech: When To Say: Leaving Your
- Tefilat HaDerech: When To Say: Starting Journey
- Tefilat HaDerech: When To Say: City Limits
- Tefilat HaDerech: Boat
- Al Netilat Yadayim or Al Tevilat Yadayim
- Al Netilat Yadayim or Al Tevilat Yadayim: Water Fit or Not Fit
- Blessings: Scents
- Blessings: Scents: When To Say
- Blessings: Scents: The Four Blessings
- Blessings: Scents: Minimum Scent
- Blessings: Scents: Sniffing First
- Blessings: Scents: All Scents in that Category
- Blessings: Scents: Hesech Da'at
- Kiddush Levana
-
Tefilat HaDerech
-
Blessings: Food
-
Blessings: General Rules