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: 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: Correcting a Mistaken Blessing
- Correcting a Mistaken Blessing
- Retracting a Blessing after Third or Fourth Word
- Food Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona)
- 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
- Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona) in Vain (Bracha L'Vatala)
- Making a Conditional Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona)
-
The Food Fore-Blessings (Bracha Rishona): Specifics
- 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
- HaMotzi: Washing Hands
- HaMotzi: Washing Hands: When To Wash
- HaMotzi: Washing Hands: Finding Water
- HaMotzi: Washing Hands: Finding 4 fl. oz. Container
- HaMotzi: Washing Hands: Procedure
- HaMotzi: Being Touched by Unwashed Hands
- HaMotzi: Speaking after Washing
- HaMotzi: Forgot To Wash
- 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
- Fore-Blessing: Raw or Cooked Grains
- Fore-Blessing: Raw or Cooked Grains: Porridge/Oatmeal
- Fore-Blessing: Raw or Cooked Grains: Rolled Oats/Muesli
- Fore-Blessing: Raw or Cooked Grains: Granola
- Fore-Blessing: Raw or Cooked Grains: Granola Bars
- Borei Minei Mezonot: Intended as Meal or Snack
- Fore-Blessing: Bread-Like Crackers
- Fore-Blessing: Bread Sticks
- Fore-Blessing: Crackers
- SheHakol: How Often
- SheHakol: Drinking Water Once
- SheHakol: Drinking Water Again
- SheHakol: Drinks while in Flight
- Fore-Blessings: Unusual Fruits and Vegetables
- Bracha Rishona: Coconut Water
- Bracha Rishona: Fiddleheads
- Bracha Rishona: Hydroponic Vegetables
- Bracha Rishon: Olives
- Bracha Rishona: Popcorn
- After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Minimum Measurements
- Introduction to After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Minimum Measurements
- After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Time Limits and Falling Asleep
- After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Falling Asleep for more than 30 Minutes
- After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Falling Asleep for less than 30 Minutes
- 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: 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
- 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
- Bracha Meruba BaBayit HaZeh
- Bracha Meruba BaBayit HaZeh: Inside Jewish Home
- Bracha Meruba BaBayit HaZeh: Outside Jewish Home
- Migdol or Magdil
- Birkat HaMazon on Musaf Days: Migdol or Magdil
- Birkat HaMazon Once Shabbat Ends: Migdol or Magdil
- Ve’al Shulchan Zeh SheAchalnu Alav
- Ve'al Shulchan Zeh SheAchalnu Alav When Alone
- Ve'al Shulchan Zeh SheAchalnu Alav If No Table
- SheHecheyanu: New Fruits: When Travelling
- SheHecheyanu: New Fruits: Visiting Place Where Fruit Is Available Year Round
- SheHecheyanu: New Fruits: Visiting Place Where Fruit Is Not Available Year Round
- SheHecheyanu: New Fruits: On Which Forms To Bless
- SheHecheyanu: Cooked Fruit
- SheHecheyanu: Dried Fruit
- SheHecheyanu: Imported Fruit
- SheHecheyanu: New Fruit with Juice
- Tefilat HaDerech: What To Say
- Tefilat HaDerech: What To Say: Main Blessing
- Tefilat HaDerech: What To Say: For Others
- Tefilat HaDerech: What To Say: Phrases (Psukim)
- 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
- Blessings: Storms
- Blessings: Thunder
- Blessings: Lightning
- Blessings: Thunder/Lightning: Which First
- Blessings: Thunder/Lightning: How Often
- Kiddush Levana: When To Say
- Kiddush Levana: When To Say: Molad
- Kiddush Levana: When To Say: Custom not To Say
- Kiddush Levana: When To Say: Night
- Kiddush Levana: When To Say: When No Dark
- Kiddush Levana: When To Say: Shabbat