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Introduction to 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:
  • 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.
Talit Gadol: Blessing over Public Talit
You may say the blessing on a public talit gadol available at the synagogue, even though it is not your talit.
Reason It is assumed that the talitot at synagogues are there to be used by anyone.
 
Women: Who May Make Kiddush
For women's obligation to say or hear Jewish festival morning kiddush, see Jewish Festivals: Kiddush: Who May Make.
 
SheHecheyanu by Women
 For items over which especially women say she'hecheyanu, see Items on Which Women Say SheHecheyanu.
HaMapil When You May Not Fall Asleep
Do not say the ha'mapil prayer if you are flying through the night but are not certain that you will be able to sleep.
Note This also applies to anytime when you might not fall asleep at night.
Kadosh in U'Va L'Tzion with the Minyan
Say kadosh three times in u'va l'tzion together with the minyan in order to mimic the angels who say kadosh together with other angels.
Note You should interrupt what you are saying as long as it is permissible to do so, such as before baruch she'amar or after you have finished your amida.
Adonai Sifatai by Prayer Leader
The prayer leader should say Adonai sifatai… quietly before saying the reader's repetition of the amida out loud.
Introduction: Amida: Errors: Amida Additions
If you forgot to say, or incorrectly said, a phrase in the amida, you must correct your errors in:
  • Mashiv ha'ruach
  • Ha'el ha'kadosh
  • Tein bracha/Tein tal u'matar l'vracha
  • Ya'ale v'yavo (except Rosh Chodesh night).
Do not correct errors in other additions/changes if you have already said the blessing for that paragraph, such as:
  • Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Ten Days of Repentance changes (except ha'melech ha'kadosh)
  • Al ha'nisim
  • Aneinu
  • Ya'ale v'yavo (if Rosh Chodesh night).
Note You may correct any prayer error within 2.5 seconds of making it.
Note If you omitted part of the amida that would normally require you to repeat the amida, you do not need to repeat the amida if you intend (have kavana/concentrate from the beginning of the reader's repetition until the end of the repetition) to have your amida covered by the reader's repetition.
Earliest Time for Shema (and Amida)
Earliest time to say shema and amida is 72 minutes before sunrise, b'di'avad, since the guideline is halachic “day.”
Note L'chatchila, you should say shema anytime from 3 minutes before sunrise until the end of the third halachic hour of the day.
Very Early Shacharit: How To Begin
If you must say shacharit very early:
     1. Say birchot ha'shachar;
     2. When you reach the end of yishtabach, if it is:
  • 36 minutes (or less) before sunrise:
    • Pause after the blessing (ending El chay ha'olamim),
    • Put on your talit and tefilin, and
    • Say the appropriate blessings.
  • More than 36 minutes before sunrise:
    • Put on your talit and tefilin WITHOUT saying the blessings. Later, after it is less than 36 minutes before sunrise:
      • Hold your tzitzit and say the tzitzit blessing,
      • Move your tefilin slightly,
      • Say the tefilin blessings (if you are in a place in the prayer service where you are permitted to interrupt).
 
Introduction: Shacharit: When To Begin
B'di'avad, you can say shema and amida as early as 72 minutes before sunrise (alot ha'shachar).  You can put on tefilin and tzitzit/talit even earlier, although you may not say the blessings over them until “mi'sheyakir”—which is later than you can say shema and amida!  (See above.)
Wait for Amen until after Completion of Blessing
Don't say amen to reply to the prayer leader's blessing until he has completely finished the blessing.
Tish'a B'Av: Pre-Fast Meal
You may say birkat ha'mazon with a mezuman or with a minyan during the Nine Days.  But you may not do so at the meal preceding Tish'a b'Av (se'uda ha'mafseket).
Reason Only bread dipped in ashes and a hard-boiled egg should be eaten and that is not a meal for socializing or togetherness.
How To Do Motzi and Matza
The seder leader says the blessing “ha'motzi” while holding the three (which are now 2 1/2) shmura matzas, drops the bottom one, and says the next blessing, al achilat matza.  Everyone takes a small piece from the two top matzas and eats it, along with enough additional shmura matza to fulfill the minimum requirement.
 
Jewish Festivals: Earliest Mincha
The earliest permissible time to say mincha before a Jewish festival is one-half hour after halachic midday, as with all mincha prayers including before Shabbat.
Note You may begin the second day of any Jewish festival as early as plag ha'mincha. You should ideally say mincha before plag and then say ma'ariv after plag; but if you are praying with a minyan, you may say mincha anytime after plag and then say ma'ariv immediately afterward, just as on Shabbat.
Note However, there is nothing gained by saying mincha early before a Jewish festival:
  • We don't want to start Rosh Hashana (Yom HaDin) early and no one wants to start Yom Kippur early.
  • You may not start either seder until after dark on Passover.
  • You could eat in a sukka before dark on either of the first two days of Sukkot, but you would not fulfill the requirement of eating in a sukka since it was not dark.  
  • Likewise, the first day of Shavuot does not begin until after dark.
  • Since you may not say the blessing on eating in a sukka on Shmini Atzeret (which you would have to do if you eat before dark), there is nothing gained by saying mincha and ma'ariv early on that day, either.
So, as a practical matter, the only days on which saying mincha and ma'ariv early would allow beginning the holiday early are the second day of Shavuot, the second day of Rosh Hashana, and the last days of Passover.