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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Thanks for the wars
In Al Hannisim we say:
v'al hamilchamot she-asita la-avoteinu
Loosely translated:
And for the wars which you made for our Forefathers
Why are we thanking Hashem for wars?
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Minimum Halachic Definition of Bread
This is sort of the counter question to Mezonos bread. At what point does a grain based admixture transition between bread and non bread?
To clarify:
The general position of Sephardic Jewry is that ...
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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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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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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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What to do if you said the morning Brachot out of order?
Halachipedia here states that the Shulchan Orach and Mishneh Berurah write that if one accidentally says Zokef Kefufim before Matir Assurim, it might not be best to go back and say Matir Assurim. ...
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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 is the beracha on meat 'only' שהכל?
The order of berachot before eating foods are as follows (Mishna Berurah 211:35): HaMotzei, Mezonot, Hagafen, HaEtz, HaAdama, and Shehakol.
I seems as though the more חשוב the food is, the greater ...
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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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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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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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What's the Bracha Rishona on oatmeal/oat flakes with cold milk?
What's the Bracha Rishona on oatmeal/oat flakes with cold milk? Is it Pri Adama or Mezonot?
Do we need extra Sheakol on milk?
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Source (Ashkenazi) for kissing Tefillin at Bracha of Yotzer Or?
The Ashkenazi ArtScroll Siddur says to kiss your Shel Yad at “Yotzer Or” and Shel Rosh at “Borei Choshech”. What’s the source for this?
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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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No Bracha on Kibud Av Va'eim?
Why do we not make a Bracha (e.g. every morning) on the mitzvah of honoring one's parents?
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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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Does Rav Sa`adya Gaon hold that t'philin require one b'rakha or two?
I see in the Sidur HaRasa"g that he makes a seemingly strange comment about the b'rakha(oth) of t'philin. He states:
התפילין כשמהדקים של היד על היד ושל ראש על הראש צריך לברך אקבמ"ו להניח תפילין
...
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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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Is a silent/mental bracha considered valid?
It appears to be the custom everywhere to say brachot out loud that others can hear.
However, I recall that Shimon Bar Yochai in the Gemara prescribes saying your brachot very quietly and in all ...
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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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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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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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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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Making a mistake in Brachot
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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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