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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Why do we say berachot on hanukah if it’s post-Torah [duplicate]
Since Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Torah, why do we say bercahot with hashem’s name, especially lehadlik ner which includes “asher kiddishanu bemitzvotav”. If hanukah is not part of the ...
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Friday night kiddush in shule - is this a bracha l'vatalla?
For those shules that have the minhag to make Kiddush in shule on Friday night - why is this not a bracha l'vatalla?
Yes, I am aware that the Gemara mentions this was done in the shules in those days ...
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Blessing on an Aveira?
Would one make the birchas Ha'airusin and Sheva brachos if one was mesader kiddushin for a couple that were prohibited to marry by a negative prohibition in the Torah, but where kiddushin does take ...
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Blessing for softening hearts?
I am not certain if such a thing exists but does anyone know a prayer or blessing for the softening of the heart of parents. I am going through a lot in life and need their support but sadly they are ...
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Eating reduces spritual sensitivity and Yitzchak Avinu wanting a meal before giving his berachot - contradiction?
There is a principle in mussar that overeating desensitises/spoils our mood for learning and davening with kavana (see Hachsharat HaAvrechim ch.9 for example). E.g. if one is very into one's learning, ...
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Is there any special mitzvah connected with the upcoming “March for Israel” rally on November 14 at the National Mall in Washington DC?
Upon reflection, the last time there was a potentially world altering convergence of Jews in the United States was for the Freedom Sunday for Soviet Jewry Rally on December 6, 1987. It was estimated ...
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Shehecheyanu on eyeglasses
Does one recite the blessing/berakha of Shehecheyanu on getting new eyeglasses or no? As always, sources are always appreciated.
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Positioning of yaaleh veyavo
Why is "yaaleh veyavoh" after the blessing of רצה in 18 on normal days ? Additionally why is its postion changed during the yom tov tefilot ?
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The bracha on Hallel and interruption during the Crusades
The correct bracha on real Hallel (as opposed to Rosh Chodesh and the end of Pesach) is לגמור את ההלל. The Maharam advised people to instead say לקרוא את ההלל because if you say לגמור and then miss a ...
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Talking between lulav and hoshanos
Before the shofar blowing, usually there's an announcement not to make a hefsek until after the last tekios post-Musaf.
Is there something similar for lulav? Should you not talk between the bracha ...
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Birkat Habanim (Blessing of the sons) on Shabbat Yom Tov, Shabbat Rosh Hashana and Shabbat Yom Kippur
Those who bless their sons in Birkat Habanim, every Sabbath evening when returning from synagogue. Should the father bless his sons on Shabbat on that falls on Yom Tov falls? and how will he behave ...
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Why can't we look at Birkat Kohanim if the Kohanim are covered by a tallit?
The Peninei Halacha writes (here) that:
He should not look at the Kohanim or at anything else, so as not to distract his thoughts from the berachah (Shulchan Aruch 128:23; Mishnah Berurah 89).
The ...
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Why do we say "shel Yom HaKippurim" for Yom Kippur candlelighting but "shel Yom Tov" for all other Yom Tovim?
I recognize that Yom Kippur is special, VERY special. But Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Pesach and Shavuot aren't exactly chopped liver, as the saying goes. And it is no more difficult to say "shel Rosh ...
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Baruch hu ubaruch shemo - why omitted sometimes?
Why is "Baruch hu ubaruch shemo" omitted during the reciting of certain brachot such as meggilah and shofar?
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What comes first - apple in honey or pomegranate?
If one is planning on eating the pomegranate, which is one of the seven species, during the meal on Rosh Hashanah, should he eat that first, or does the apple in honey come first?
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A medicinal drink turning into a pleasure drink mid-guzzle
I am not, to my knowledge, thirsty, but I need to take a pill with water, so I do so without a beracha (see Shulchan Aruch OC 204:7). As I swallow the pill, I realise that I am enjoying the water, and ...
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Why no brocho on geirushin?
B"H
Brochos are said before doing (almost?) all mitzvos, specifically those connected with a specific action.
Before getting engaged to a woman there is a brocho.
It is a mitzvah that if one is ...
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Removing tefillin, Uva Letziyon, and יהי רצון שנשמור חקיך
There used to be, according to Minhag Eretz Yisrael, a bracha that was said on removing tefillin: אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו לשמור חקיו. The Shulchan Aruch rules not to say it, and as far as I know, ...
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Saying berachot "in your heart"?
It seems that l'chatchila one should say berachot out loud to fulfill one's obligation (see for example Shulchan Aruch here). The stipulation of the SA is that if the blessing is inaudible, one is ...
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Pidyon ha-Ben on multiple occasions? Blessing or not?
I once heard that a certain figure (I believe the GR"A but may be mistaken) made sure to redeem his son from different Kohanim upon meeting them at different junctures in his life. The idea being ...
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Is there a special blessing for wearing the Bigdei Kehuna?
Would the Kohanim recite a blessing upon wearing the Bigdei Kehunah, and if yes, what was it, and would they recite a blessing for each garment individually, or one for all of them?
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Different names for "Birchas Kohanim"
Where did the different names for the "priestly blessings" come from?
Duchaning , Birkas Kohanim, Nesiat Kapayim etc..
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After-blessing for water that was covered by wine that was covered by bread
If one drank wine, and then drank water or juice, and forgot to bentch for what he drank, or if he did not need to bentch for the wine because it was from Kiddush, and then he had a meal right ...
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Honeysuckle Flower
Are they primarily for fragrant smell or for kids to taste the nectar?
Do any of the Brochos Books discuss the honeysuckle for blessings for fragrance or for eating?
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After-blessing upon drinking during a meal, when no longer feeling satiated but thirst is still quenched
If one is no longer feeling satiated from the meal he had, for which he can no longer recite Birkas Hamazon, would he still need to recite Al Hagefen or Borei Nefashos
for what he drank during his ...
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Does one need to have the water fountain running while reciting the blessing?
When one recites a blessing, the item upon which the blessing is recited must be in front of him.
The question is: if one is drinking from a water fountain, would he need to have it running while ...
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Does an unnecessary blessing still count as a valid blessing?
If someone accidentally recited a blessing unnecessarily, e.g. he made a Berachah on a secondary ingredient for which he shouldn’t have, being that he already recited the Berachah for the main ...
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When can you make a bracha mentally?
The Taz to SA Orach Chaim 62:4 says in exigent cirumstances you can make a bracha mentally instead of verbalizing it:
מזה יש ללמוד במי שצמא בלילה במטתו שא"א לו ליטול ידיו ולברך יהרהר הברכה בלבו ...
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Beracha of משנה הבריות for a dead animal?
Other questions, here and here, discuss saying the beracha of משנה הבריות when seeing various animals.
Does the same apply if the animal is dead?*, **
Some examples where this can happen: 1) Seeing a ...
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Can I drink water in middle of the night without washing my hands?
If we are unable to say Hashem’s name with impure hands (in this case caused by sleeping) and I wake up in the middle of the night extremely thirsty, would I need to get out of bed and wash netilas ...
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Making a mistake in Brachot
BH
If you say a Bracha and make a mistake on the words Baruch or Ata or Elokeinu or Melech or HaOlam do you have to say the bracha over and if you do is it considered Levatalah because you say the ...
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Does a hybrid count as a fruit from the seven species?
If a hybrid of two different fruits from the seven species was grown, does it still count as a fruit from the seven species, or is it considered a fruit of its own, with regards to Bikkurim and the ...
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Tofel and Ikar - In the case of a mixture of Tofel and Ikar, what happens if some spoonfuls are just Tofel?
I have just done some learning on this and a question I didn't see answered was the following case:
One has a mixture of food, let's say a stew. They decided that the Ikar was the meat, and the ...
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What's the point of a bracha before eating?
B"H
The Gemara in Brochos says that anyone who benefits from this world with a brocho is as if he benefited from "holy sacrificial food" (which should only be eaten by a kohen etc.)
The ...
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Where does the version of Hamapil that is different from the Gemara come from?
Many of my Siddurim have a version of Hamapil that’s not the same as the one given in Brachos 60b. Others have the version found in that Gemara.
Where, and why, does the variant version come from?
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Why is the bracha on mashed potatoes "haadama" despite being mashed up but the bracha on applesauce is "shahakol" unless there are pieces in it?
Why is the bracha on mashed potatoes "haadama" despite being mashed up but the bracha on applesauce is "shahakol" unless there are pieces in it that are not mashed up?
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Shabbat Blessings Question
My family is Christian but we are trying to observe Shabbat following the Jewish traditions.
I am struggling to get an understanding of exactly how this is done.
I know that you have the Kiddush, ...
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Elokai Neshama (etc) - what to do if in the middle one realises the preceding Asher Yatzar was invalid?
Brachot that do not begin with "Baruch Atah" are generally supposed to follow another Beracha (see Berachot 46a, Mishneh Torah, Berachot 11:1 for more information).
If one is in the middle ...
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How does timing work for shechiyanu on fruits?
For purposes of reciting shechiyanu, how do we determine if I am having a fruit for the first time "this season"? Do I need to have gone a whole year (or some other period of time) without ...
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Is it OK to stutter while saying brachot? [duplicate]
Is it halachically acceptable to repeat words due to stuttering while saying a Bracha, as long as all the words are said?
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Does it still count as a Bracha if one stuttered and repeated words?
What if someone has a stutter and they tend to repeat words when doing a Bracha. As long as they said all of the words, does it still count as a Bracha?
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Does one still fulfill the Mitzvah of Tzitzit even if one didn’t make a Bracha on it? [duplicate]
Is it true that a person still fulfills the Mitzvah of Tzitzit even if they don’t say the Bracha for it? And that would apply to other Mitzvot, such as Tefillin, correct?
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Why don’t we say ״המלביש ערומים״ in the morning blessings?
It says (Yerushalmi Berachos 6:1) that the reason we don’t say ״motzi lechem min ha’aretz”(which would have been more preferable) but “hamotzi”, is in order to separate between the מ״ם of “ha’olam” ...
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Two Riddles on Brachos [closed]
I was eating at a family's house on Shabbos, and one the sons receives a dvar Torah to share with the family, along with two irrelevant riddles, typically halachic edge-cases. This week, the riddles ...
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Bread is no longer the staple food it was; implications for the Hamotzi blessing?
Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayyim 177:1 states
Food that you want to eat during a meal: if they are things that are
connected to the meal (באים מחמת הסעודה) - that is, things that are
people normally ...
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Non-Jews' obligation to make berachot over food
Are non-Jews themselves required to recite berachot before and after eating?
According to this for e.g., one is obligated to insist that guests and anyone one gives food to should make a beracha over ...
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Resources on learning blessings on food
I would love to start saying brachos (blessings) before and after food. What resources would you recommend for learning the blessings, and for knowing which ones to select in what order? (Yes, “ask ...
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Talking to other people inside a bracha
A bracha always starts and/or ends with ברוך אתה ה'. However, in a few selected brachos, we also talk to other people in the second person in the middle of the bracha.
Examples:
The bracha in a ...
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Theological issues to certain brachot
According to the way many people understand the Rambam in Mishneh Torah but especially in Moreh Nevuchim, and many other Jewish Philosophers, when the Torah uses any words to describe Hashem, they are ...
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Saying a bracha right before one is niftar - is it significant?
I have heard many times that it is a big zechus or one to say a bracha, specifically Shehakol, as their last words here on earth before they pass away.
I am looking for a source for this. Any ...
