Questions tagged [blessing]
Questions about short prayers called b'rachos ("benedictions" or "blessings"), generally said to praise/thank God for specific events.
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בָּרוּךְ אֱלֹקֵינוּ שֶׁבְּרָאָֽנוּ לִכְבוֹדוֹ - What is the background of this prayer?
What is the background of this prayer? I'd like to know who composed it, when, if there was any reason that it was composed, and what the intentions of the composer were that we should absorb when ...
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Advice for when to say "Boreh Nefashot" [duplicate]
Boreh Nefashot, the after-bracha (blessing) for all foods not covered by Hamotzi and Me'en Shalosh, is tricky, because it covers the things one might partake of often.
Example, someone has a drink on ...
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Which peshat Torah or Tanach passage supports the reaction of Joseph when Israel places a right hand of blessing over the head of the younger son?
Which peshat Torah or Tanach passage supports the negative reaction of Joseph when his father Israel (in Genesis 48:14) places a right hand of blessing over the head of the younger son of Joseph?
This ...
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Meeting gedolim in EY [closed]
does anyone have any addresses or Shiurim on where to meet gedolim in Eretz Yisroel? I am hoping to meet Rav Gershon Edelstein, R' Shalom Arush, R' Asher Weiss, The Yanuka, Rav Itche Meir Morgenstern ...
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A Meta reason for the two spellings of Binyomin
The word בנימן is spelt בנימין when he is born, this spelling is used around ten times. Otherwise, it is spelt with one י, why is this? I am not looking for a pshat answer. I am looking for a Drosh or ...
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Can non-Jews say "shalom"?
Can non-Jews say "shalom"? I did, two nights ago, spontaneously to some other, I assume, non-Jews. I only did so because I have had it said to me and it felt "cool" to be blessed. ...
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Bracha on Kiddush Hachodesh
Did the beit din make a bracha each month on the mitzvah of kiddush hachodesh in the times of the Sanhedrin? If yes, what was the language of the bracha?
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Bracha on Unloading and raising up animals
Does one make a bracha over the mitzvot of unloading an exhausted animal, or raising up a collapsed animal?
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Bracha over searching kosher signs
Is there a bracha that is made over searching the kosher signs of animals, whether animals, birds or fish - given that the Rambam lists these as individual mitzvot.
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Bracha on Mechiat Amalek
Is there a bracha to be made over killing Amalekites? If so, what is the nusach of this bracha?
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Bracha on asteroid that was deflected by humans
If you see a large enough river, you say עושה מעשה בראשית. This is only if the river is as it was originally created and its path has not been changed by human activity (OC 228:1-2).
If you see a ...
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What Brachot were made over the temple services?
I am currently working on a project devising a list of all Brachot ever made in the history of yiddishkeit. So far I have 198, based on prevalent practice today as well as various poskim and, gemara, ...
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Brachos on mitzvos no longer practiced [closed]
I am currently working on a project devising a list of all Brachot ever made in the history of yiddishkeit. So far I have 198, based on prevalent practice today as well as various poskim and, gemara, ...
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Can I have a cup of water to clean my teeth and to wash down my food after eating, without a Bracha?
Is this like using water to take a pill or is this considered drinking the water?
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Do I make an after-bracha after drinking water?
I heard once that I only make a bracha before drinking the water, is this true?
Thanks!
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לישב בסוכה the second night if you've been in the sukkah continuously
Let's say you were in the sukkah on the first day of Sukkos, outside Israel, and said לישב בסוכה. You have not interrupted your stay in the sukkah. Now it's the second night. Do you say the bracha ...
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Bracha of leshev basuccah sitting down
The Mishna Berura says in three places (that I know of) that every birchas hamizvah must be said standing up (סי' ח' ס"ק ב', סי' תפט שעה"צ ס"ק ז', וסי' תקפה ס"ק א-ב). If this is ...
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Should a man say a bracha if immersing in a mikvah?
Should a man say a bracha, according to halachic sources, when immersing in a mikvah? (since there is no obligation on him).
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What would be the Bracha Rishona for a certain blended combination of foods?
According to Ashkenazim: What would be the Bracha Rishona for a mixture of pureed pumpkin, applesauce and cinnamon? It is a smooth puree (no chunks or identifiable bits). The pumpkin and applesauce ...
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Difference between B'racha She'eina Tzaricha and B'racha L'vatala
I've seen both these terms in halachic sources, in reference to a B'racha that should not have been made. But I'm not sure what the difference is.
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Meaning of "gives sight to the blind"?
In the morning blessings, we say a bracha that uses the phrase "gives sight to the blind". What does this phrase mean? Who are the blind who have been given sight? Does the phrase refer ...
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Why is there no mention of Rosh Chodesh after the Haftara?
After the reading of the haftarah, a series of b'rachot is said. The final one, on Shabbat ends, "m'kadesh hashabbat." On the 3 r'galim, "m'kadesh yisra'el v'haz'manim" (and on ...
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Rambam and lightning
I have heard that the Rambam paskens that one should make a bracha of ״בורא מאורי האש״ on seeing lightning. I know the Rambam says in hilchos brachos (10:14) that one should make the bracha we’re used ...
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Why is only the bracha achrona d’oraita and not also the bracha rishona?
Is there a definitive, consensus explanation for the following: Why is only the bracha achrona d’oraita and not also the bracha rishona? Why was the latter “required”, if you will, to be d’rabbanan? ...
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Three-fold repetitions
What’s the deal with Judaism and saying things 3 times in a row? Like in the end of Tefilat Haderech we repeat a pasuk 3 times, by Kiddish Levanah we repeat a lot of things 3 times (like “shalom ...
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Beracha of Knowledge
We say in the 4th beracha of shemoneh esrei that G-d gave us knowledge and we thank him for this. Yes, obviously everything comes from G-d, but in the beginning of humankind we had no knowledge, and ...
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Wasn't Yaakov afraid to create envy between Ephraim and Menashe?
When Yosef took his sons to receive a bracha from his father, Yaakov switched his hands to put his right hand over Ephraim, the youngest brother. When Yosef questioned him about that, Yaakov said that ...
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Is a Shehakol blessing required when drinking water in order to not become thirsty?
The Sulchan Aruch in Orach Chayim 204:7 rules:
השותה מים לצמאו מברך שהכל ולאחריו בנ"ר אבל אם חנקתיה אומצא ושותה מים להעביר האומצא אינו מברך לא לפניו ולא לאחריו:
Whomever drinks water to quench ...
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Where does it say that one who already said the morning blessings can go and repeat them as prayer leader?
I was told that someone who had already said the morning blessings can go and repeat them as prayer leader. This was said even though it seems to me that no-one relies on the prayer leader to acquit ...
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Prayer leader does not mention מלך in blessing - should I not say אמן
Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 214 says
כל ברכה שאין בה הזכרת שם ומלכות אינה ברכה
Any blessing which does not mention Hashem's name and Kingship is not
a blessing.
If a prayer leader in a blessing ...
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A bracha on a tallit gadol and not kosher T"Katan
Does partially intentionally wrong kavanah make a bracha a bracha levatalah?
If I put on my tzitzit and notice that a string is missing (or something else which would invalidate it as proper tzitzit) ...
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Bracha of לשמוע קול שופר if you don't know musaf
On Rosh Hashanah, the common practice (as far as I know) is to blow shofar before musaf and during musaf; before the first set, we say the bracha לשמוע קול שופר, and this bracha covers all the shofar ...
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Why are there different נוסחאות when making a bracha over a mitzvah? [duplicate]
How come some of the berachos we say over mitzvah have the נוסח of :
אשר קדשנו במצוותיו וציוונו על אכילת מצה,על נתילת ידים, etc.
While over other mitzvahs we say
אשר קדשנו במצוותיו וציוונו לקבוע מזוזה,...
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Why are blessings preceded by suffering?
In Torah there are about 6 or 7 people/groups I can think of whose suffering preceded some blessing. The first is Abraham’s prolonged childlessness and his subsequent test to sacrifice his son. The ...
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How do berry plants "die in the winter" compared to Ha'etz trees?
In Rema OC 203:2 one of the reasons given why we don't make Ha'etz on berries is because its shoots die during the winter and a new set of shoots and buds grow out from its roots during the summer, ...
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why don't we say a brocho on the Hagadah?
B"H
the rule is is that we usually say brochos over Mitvos that we do.
Since it's a Mitzvah to tell over the story of going out of Egypt on the first night of Pesach [as it even says in the ...
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At a seder, If each kos has its own pri hagafen bracha, why does the afikoman not have its own al achilat matza bracha? [duplicate]
At an Ashkenazi seder, If each kos has its own pri hagafen bracha, why does the afikoman not have its own al achilat matza bracha?
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Why is there no birkas hamitzva on kiddush?
There's a general rule that there's a birkas hamitzva before performing a mitzva. How come no blessing is recited before the mitzva of kiddush?
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Why is Maatanos Levyonim not mentioned in regards to the bracha of שהחיינו?
The Mechaber (692:1) writes that one makes a שהחיינו on the megillah . The Mishna Brurah notes that one should have in mind the mitzvah of Mishloach Manos and Seudas purim when the bracha of שהחיינו ...
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Amen on a bracha levatala/sheino tzricha
May a person respond amen to a bracha levatala or a bracha sheino tzaroch as the words of the bracha in and of themselves are true or is this improper?
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Why is a beracha levatala considered saying G-d's name in vain?
If for example one was holding a piece of pineapple and with concentration made the bracha of HaEtz, with the intention to praise G-d for creating fruit, and then afterwards realizes that he made the ...
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Loss of not making a bracha on a mitzva
Berachot 35b:
Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa said: Anyone who derives benefit from this world without a blessing, it is as if he stole from God and the community of Israel
This is commonly applied to the ...
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Question about shacharit/ma'ariv at home (ashkenazi) [closed]
I'm somewhat new to practicing Judaism in my daily life, and don't live anywhere near a minyan that I could daven shacharit and ma'ariv with (outside of shabbat). I know that a lot of people cut ...
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Is it appropriate to say Baruch Dayan Ha'emes for someone who commits suicide?
Baruch Dayan Ha'emes is the brachah associated with bad news. More specifically, it has become known as the brachah to say when hearing of the news of someone's passing.
Is it appropriate to say ...
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Chart for wrong Bracha Rishona?
I found this neat chart for what to do when you have said a wrong Bracha Achrona, and whether or not it was effective after the fact. I am curious, does anyone have a similar chart which will tell me ...
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What bracha to say first, cooked wheat (mezonos) or olives?
According to this ordering
"A land of wheat, barley, grapes, figs and pomegranates,
a land of olives which produce oil, dates which produce honey." (Deuteronomy 8:8)
It is undecided as to ...
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A barmitzvah boy saying shehechiyanu on new tefillin when wearing them prior to barmitzvah
Following on from this question and assuming that you make the bracha of shehechiyanu on new tefillin...
If a barmitzvah boy has the custom to start wearing his tefillin early. So for example, in ...
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Did Yisasschar have a choice not to accept his blessing?
The passuk right after Yaakov blessed Yissaschar "יששכר חמור גרם" (ויחי פ' מט יד)" which Rashi explains to mean that he'll be strong like a donkey donkey to hold the "עול התורה&...
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Is there a formal Jewish way of wishing someone a safe journey?
Before someone you know goes on a trip, such as a flight, it is polite to wish them a safe journey. In English, one might use some variation of "safe travels" or "have a safe trip"....
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What prayers should one recite in times of great fear?
During situations of great fear, we tend to look to God for comfort and guidance to free us from those fears. I was curious if there was a specific prayer related to fear and being freed from fear ...
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