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Why do we say in Birchas HaShachar Shelo Asani Goi - why do we not say SheAsani Yehudi or SheAsani Yisrael?

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3 Answers

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Magen Avraham- we want to delineate the levels of praise (see @RCW). [We need to start with some level of praise that we have mitzvos. If we would start praising Hashem that we are free or male, that doesn't mean we have mitzvos. We would have to begin by praising Hashem for "making me a Yisrael",] then you have included in that language that you are a free male and can no longer delineate. (Brackets added by me to explain MA) (O.C. 46:9)

Taz- if the brachos were said in a positive language, a person may erroneously think that gentiles or women are lower creations on the creation ladder (as in thank G-d I'm Jewish). By saying a blessing "that He did not make me...", he is saying that every category has a powerful purpose in the world and are necessary creations, but I bless Hashem for not creating me as one of the other necessary categories, since as a result I have a greater obligation in mitzvos. (O.C. 46:4)

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Good sources... – RCW Jun 27 '11 at 1:15
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One answer given is that we hold like Beis Shamai who said "better for man not to have been created", so we do not say a bracha for being created.

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Given by whom, please? – msh210♦ Jun 26 '11 at 17:07
The Magen Avraham O.C. 46:9 (see my link above) brings this answer as "some answer" without a source. R' Akiva Eiger there says this also appears in the 2nd drush of Maharam Mintz. – YDK Jun 27 '11 at 15:10
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The basic Shevach, praise, of those blessings is praising Hashem for obligating us in the system of Mitzvot, commandments. We recognize there are different levels of obligation. We are appreciative that we have a greater level of obligation of commandments. A non-Jew is only obligated in seven mitzvot commanded to Noach. A slave and a woman are obligated in 613 mitzvot, but not in positive commandments that are time bound. (See Eitz Yosef quoting the Levush. He also explains the difference in obligations between women and slaves) By creating different blessings and expressing it in the negative it highlights each of the various categories of levels of obligation. Thus giving a greater praise to Hashem.

See @YDK explaining Magen Avraham

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How does phrasing it in the negative give greater praise to God than saying thanks for making me a free person and a Jew? These seem to express more happiness/thanks/acceptance of our specific status, rather than just "well thanks for not making me something less". – Monica Cellio♦ Jun 26 '11 at 21:20
It is a good question, I was thinking about it. What is being highlighted is the specific level of obligations in Mitzvot. The catagories that are identified in Halacha are a non-jew, slave, and woman. So by expressing it in the negative it allows it to express it in those categories. Furthermore it helps clarify and highlight what the praise is about. By highlighting these categories one can determine that the praise is regarding obligation in Mitzvot. Is that more clear? I may need to edit the above. Thank you Monica. – RCW Jun 26 '11 at 21:43
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But it seems to me that it says more about mitzvot to say "thank you for giving me the obligations of a man, free man, Jew", instead of saying "thanks for not merely giving me the lesser obligations of a woman, slave, gentile", so while they both are about taking on obligations, the positive version seems to do so more clearly. But of course I'm bringing my own modern perspective, and I don't know what the rabbis who formulated it were thinking. Does that help clarify my question? – Monica Cellio♦ Jun 27 '11 at 1:56
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@Monica Celio, see my plagiarism of RCW's answer explaining the Magen Avraham. – YDK Jun 27 '11 at 3:43

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