Blessings Part 6: Connecting To God Throughout the Day

Three Types of Blessings

Maimonides (Moses the son of Maimon) was a 12^th century Spanish Jewish leader who wrote about Jewish law and philosophy and is regarded as one of greatest rabbis in history. In his book of laws called the ‘Yad Chazaka’ (The strong Hand of God) he writes that all blessings fall into three categories:

1. Benefit Blessings–recited when partaking of material enjoyments (birkot nehenin)
2. Command Blessings–recited when fulfilling religious duties (birkot hamitzvot)
3. Thanksgiving Blessings–which have the character of praise, thanksgiving and supplication (birkot shevach)

The rabbis in their wisdom saw that blessings don’t only relate to food; one can find a way to connect with God throughout one’s day in short spurts at any point of engagement in life. When one eats an apple, sees the Alps, hears of a tragedy, smells a flower, prays the afternoon service, goes to the bathroom, goes to an historical site, takes a lemon off a tree, and even sees a beautiful person—all these represent an opportunity to bless God.

Birkot Hanehenin (Blessings of benefit)

The most important aspect of blessings of enjoyment and benefit relates to eating food. Every time we put something in our mouth the rabbis mandated that we first recite a blessing to God. The Talmud (Berachot 35a) presents a famous prohibition: “It is forbidden for one to derive enjoyment from (food in) this world without a blessing.” Thus, the blessing is dependent on what it means to ‘enjoy’ or derive benefit from food. If one has no enjoyment a blessing is not recited. Therefore medicine (particularly if it is in pill form and is bitter) has no blessing associated with it.

There are six fundamental blessings we recite before eating all foods. Here are the blessings with their translations and transliterations:

Birkat Hamotzi—on bread
Baruch ata Ado’nai eloheinu Melech haolam hamotzi lechem min Haaretz.
ברוך אתה א-ד-נ-י אלהינו מלך העולם המוציא לחם מן הארץ

Blessed are you God, king of the universe who brings forth bread from the earth.

Borei minei mezonot—on grains
Baruch ata Ado’nai eloheinu Melech haolam borei minei mezonot

ברוך אתה א-ד-נ-י אלהינו מלך העולם בורא מיני מזונות

Blessed are you God, king of the universe who creates various sustaining foods (from specific types of grains).

Borei pri hagefen—on wine
Baruch ata Ado’nai eloheinu Melech haolam borei pri hagefen.
ברוך אתה א-ד-נ-י אלהינו מלך העולם בורא פרי הגפן
Blessed are you God, King of the universe who creates fruits of the vine.

Borei pri haetz—on fruit
Baruch ata Ado’nai eloheinu Melech haolam borei pri haetz.
ברוך אתה א-ד-נ-י אלהינו מלך העולם בורא פרי העץ

Blessed are you God, King of the universe who creates fruit of the tree.

Borei pri haadama—on vegetables
Baruch ata Ado’nai eloheinu Melech haolam borei pri haadama.
ברוך אתה א-ד-נ-י אלהינו מלך העולם בורא פרי האדמה
Blessed are you God, King of the universe who creates the fruit of the ground.

Shehakol—on milk products and meat, candy, artificial foods
Baruch ata Ado’nai eloheinu Melech haolam shhakol nihya bedvaro
ברוך אתה א-ד-נ-י אלהינו מלך העולם שהכל נהיה בדברו

Blessed are you God, King of the universe who created everything with His words.