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 no bracha on the four cups of wine
Most of the time when doing a mitzvah, we say a bracha on the performance of the mitzvah itself (eating matza, lighting hanukkah candles, etc). On seder night, one of the most famous mitzvot is ...
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Contesting the line between Torah and secular knowledge [closed]
Isn't it the case that the Rambam, for one, thought that astronomy, medicine, mathematics, for examples, were a part of Torah knowledge? At least the line for him is not simple and clear cut (eg see ...
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Sucking a citrus fruit: Kaf Hachayim
The Kaf Hachayim, OC 202:63:
ומיהו המוצץ משקה מן הפרי חשוב אוכל ומברך ברכתו הראויה לו ושיעורו בכזית לברך ברכה אחרונה. פר״ח בספרו מים חיים סימן ז׳ חס״ל אות י״ד. והיינו דוקא במוצצם ע״י לעיסה שנותנם ...
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Don't rely on rov for general blessings, but do for tevila
The Mishnah Berurah (215:20) brings from the Chayei Adam (Kelal 5) and Pri Megadim (Pesicha LeHilchos Berachos) that even if there's sfek sfeka (a double doubt) telling you to make a blessing, we don'...
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Forgot to say the brocho on teffilin can I say it now?
Theoretically:
If one puts on teffilin and forgot to say the brocho can he say it now?
What should he do if he already took them off?
Sources please!
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Besamim on a Cinnamon Bun or Danish
Motzei Shabbos when making Havdala one realizes he has no cloves, cinnamon sticks or any other spice to make the Beracha (blessing on fragerences) Borei Minei Besamim. Can the person take a cinnamon ...
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Kiddush levana – intensity of moonlight required in areas of light pollution
The answer to this question
came from Mishna Berura 426:3 which defines the light from the moon on which one can make the blessing as follows:
ג) ונהנין מאורה - דהיינו בעת שזריחתה ניכרת ע"ג קרקע. ...
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Does one make a shehecheyanu on "used" jewelry?
If someone is going to be wearing a "used" piece of expensive jewelry for the first time (as in, it was previously worn by a different person as opposed to being new from the store), do they make a ...
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What happens if an individual accidentally says Aneinu before Re'eh instead of during Shema Koleinu?
Let’s say that a congregant, who’s normally supposed to say Aneinu in Shema Koleinu instead of before Re'eh, accidentally says it as a stand-alone Beracha before Re'eh. He doesn’t realize until well ...
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Can a husband and wife recite the Grace After Meals?
I was taught that Jews do Grace After Meals (birchas/birkat hamazon) and that it is only done if there are three or more men.
But what if it’s just the husband and wife, in public or at home? Are we ...
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Saying bracha on dairy product before 6 hours have run? [duplicate]
Is there an accepted practice on what you are supposed to do if you thought 6 hours had run and say a bracha on a glass of milk but then you realize right before drinking it that it has not been 6 ...
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Said the wrong brocho, now what?
If someone was putting on his tallit and instead of saying the brocho on the talit he said the brocho on teffilin.
Then 10 seconds pass
What should he do (theoretically)?
Possible answers:
Take ...
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Birchas Ha'Gomel and probabilistic dangers
There are many questions of the type "Is Bh"G said after X". The simplified understanding of the Gemmorah in Brochos 54b (see Rash"i "צריכין להודות - כשיוצאין מן הסכנה:") is that the 4 cases present [...
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Minimum amount of food to eat after bracha before speaking
My understanding is that after making a bracha, one should eat the food without a "hefsek" (interruption). Is there a minimum amount of food that one is required to eat after the bracha and before ...
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Translate the beginning of the blessing "Asher Yatzar"
The blessing said after leaving the rest room begins:
אשר יצר את האדם בחכמה
Who created man with wisdom
Does "with wisdom" mean:
1 - G-d used His wisdom when creating man? or
2 - G-d ...
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Why do we make a Brocho on Pidyon Haben
At the Pidyon Haben ceremony, the father makes a blessing:
ברוך אתה ה׳ אלקינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על פדיון הבן
There is a famous rule from the Rashba (Shu"t, V1 §18) that we do not ...
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How Shelo Asani Goy - We Are! [duplicate]
How do we say Shelo Asani Goy when we are referred to as a nation - albeit a holy one - in Shemos 19:6
וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ־לִי מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹשׁ אֵלֶּה
הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר ...
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Source for blessing "Livnot Bayit Ne'eman B'Yisrael" [duplicate]
A classic blessing for a bride and groom is they should merit to build a לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת נֶאמָן בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל - a reliable house in Israel.
The only source I could find for this expression is the Mi ...
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Why fight the Midianites with such a huge army?
G-d promises the Israeli Nation that (Lev 26,6):
וְרָדְפוּ מִכֶּם חֲמִשָּׁה מֵאָה, וּמֵאָה מִכֶּם רְבָבָה יִרְדֹּפוּ
וְנָפְלוּ אֹיְבֵיכֶם לִפְנֵיכֶם לֶחָרֶב׃
Five of you shall give chase to ...
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Sefek with brachos
lf I ate olives and I have a sefek by the bracha acronah. Sefek number 1 is maybe I ate a kezayis. Even if I didn’t, maybe a berya (whole item) requires a bracha. By sefirat Ha'Omer , if I have a ...
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What blessing does a midget say on seeing himself?
Following "reciting-the-blessing-of-meshaneh-habriyos-who-makes-creatures-different":
what does a man that falls into that category, e.g. a midget, says upon himself?
Does he have to see himself (...
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Can one say both Meshaneh Habriyot as well as Shekacha .. B'olamo for the same creature, sequentially?
ברוך...שככה לו בעולמו is said upon seeing beautiful trees or creatures (animals or people).
O.C. 228 says (translation copied from this question
for seeing a person with a dark, very red, or ...
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Blessing for indistinguishably unrecognizable corn
Halachic authorities rule that very similar products, such as different brands of Corn Flakes, have different blessings. See, e.g., Rabbi Dovid Haber, writing for the Star-K, and citing Rav Moshe ...
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Reciting the blessing of "Meshaneh Habriyos" ("who makes creatures different") on human beings
Based off the gemara on Berachos 58b, the Shulchan Aruch in Orach Chaim 225:8-9 writes:
for seeing a person with a dark, very red, or albino white complexion- or a person who is bent over because ...
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May one make a bracha on a secondary rainbow?
A regular rainbow has the red on the "outside" of the bow and violet on the inside.
Occasionally, one may see a secondary, dimmer, "reverse" rainbow where the color order is reversed where red is on ...
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Explaining the borei nefashos brocha
Can someone help me with this? The structure of the brocha is that we are thanking Hashem:
(1) who creates numerous living things with their deficiencies;
(2) for all that Hashem has created (al kol ...
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Why are the number of blessings in the Amidah linked to Psalm 29?
The Gemoro in Berochos 28b asks about the 18 blessings in the Amidah:
גמ׳ הני שמונה עשרה כנגד מי
Corresponding to what were these eighteen blessings instituted?
The Gemoro offers three ...
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Should the Torah be covered or uncovered during the Aliyah blessings?
Some feel that if the Torah is not being read, then it should be covered, while some feel that since the blessing is on this Torah, it should be uncovered during the blessings (but not for the call to ...
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Are birchat hoda'ah on the idea or the thing?
There are brachot said on phenomena and events. According to the instructions in the Artscroll, one says the lightning/thunder and rainbow blessings no more than once each day unless clouds dissipated ...
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Do the works on sacrifices require Blessings to validate the intent?
Disclaimer: this is not a Halachic question and I didn't research much yet.
There's a whole subject of having wrong thoughts when bringing a sacrifice and performing numerous actions by the owner or ...
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Why not fulfill the birchat hashachar with the leader?
In many Shuls, the Shaliach Tzibbur starts the morning service by saying the list of brachot of Birchot hashachar. After that the individuals repeat these brachot to themselves. Why do the ...
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Women answering "amen" to a bracha over a man's mitzvah [duplicate]
Can/should a woman answer "amen" to a bracha a man makes over a mitzvah specific to men? For example, tzitzis, tefillin, etc.
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Blessing or no blessing before counting the Omer?
When you count the Omer during Maariv, you can say the blessing that precedes the count only if you have not missed a day of counting. If you missed a day, you can say Amen to the blessing said by ...
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Is there a practical difference between different types of Berachos?
Berachos tend to be grouped into different categories, as Berachos on pleasure (ברכות הנהנין), on Mitzvos (ברכות המצות), on events (ברכות ראיה ושמיעה), etc.
As far as I’m aware, the general halachos ...
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Detergent smell during davening
When one realizes during davening that there is a smell of detergent on ones hands (chlorine), even though the hands were washed with water prior to davening, is the prayer void and does the person ...
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Why is the bracha of Asher Yatzar limited only to urination and defecation?
In viewing the words of Asher Yatzar, there is no mention of waste elimination, excretion or anything even indicating a specific bodily activity. All it mentions is the wonders of the bodily structure ...
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Converting in the middle of the omer [duplicate]
If a non-Jew converts in the middle of the omer, would they count the omer that night with a bracha?
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Why aren't shoes, belt, and head covering included in the bracha of "Malbish Arumim?"
The Shulchan Aruch in Orach Chaim 46:1 (codifying the gemara on Berachos 60b) lists the morning brachos that one makes upon waking up.
Among them:
Getting dressed
"כשלובש יברך "מלביש ערומים
...
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Why isn't the bracha of "אשר נתן לנו תורת אמת" included in the daily Birkas HaTorah?
For Birchos HaTorah in the morning we recite (at least acc to Minhag Ashkenaz):
1) "לַעֲסוק בְּדִבְרֵי תורָה" followed by "וְהַעֲרֶב נָא"
2) "נותֵן הַתּורָה"
Question:
Why don't we also make ...
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What is the source for the bracha "enwrap ourselves"? [duplicate]
Where are we commanded to enwarp ourselves in a tallis (לְהִתְעַטֵּף בַּצִּיצִית)?
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'Tadir' and Brachos
There is a rule 'תדיר ושאינו תדיר, תדיר קודם'. Loosely translated: When faced with two mitzvos, one must first perform the one which occurs more frequently.
Q: When it comes to bracha achrona, we ...
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Are there any brachos for "touching" something?
4 of the 5 senses explicitly have berachos:
Taste- Shehakol food, blessings on fruits & vegetables etc (see: OC 202-207)
Smell- Pleasant fragrances (OC 216)
Hearing- Thunder (MB 227:5)
Seeing-...
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How long does the bracha "lashev b'sukka" last?
On Succos, how many times a day does one say "lashev b'sukka"?
- Once a day at the onset of daylight?
- Once at day and once at night"?
- Every time one enters the succa to eat?
- Other?
And why?
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What is the logic behind the Maharil's explanation of why we don't say שעשה ניסים on Pesach?
My Haggadah cites the Maharil in Minhagim, Hilchos Hahagadah as having asked why we don't say שעשה ניסים on Pesach. He rejects the explanation brought by others that it's because we say לפיכך חייבים ...
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Why is the beracha of Shehechiyanu phrased in the plural?
The Bracha of Shehechiyanu reads as follows:
ברוך...שהחיינו וקיימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה
...that He kept us alive and sustained us and brought us to this time.
Why is Shehechiyanu phrased in the ...
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Birkas haTorah: Can you read any piece of Torah?
When we make birkas haTorah in the morning, we follow it up with Bemidbar 6:24-26 (יברכך...), followed by the beginning of Peah in the Mishna and Tosefta. Do those sections need to be read? If I ...
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Who decides whether it's normal to eat something in a certain fashion?
The Shulchan Aruch in several places writes that if something is eaten in an abnormal fashion, it gets a Shehakol rather than its usual bracha.1
What defines whether something is a "normal" way of ...
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What berachos should be made when Moshiach comes?
I supose shehecheyanu or hatov vehameitiv, but I'm not sure about this. Are there something more specific than that? What are the mekorot dealing with berachos to be made when Moshiach comes?
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Can one smell orla tree blossoms?
Follow-up to Can I make a bracha on smelling roses that may be orla?
As per SA YD 294:1, orla only applies to trees which were planted for eating.
Can one smell the blossoms of a tree planted for ...
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B’racha achrona on sunflower seeds?
If one eats a k’zayit of sunflower seeds including the flavored shell, which he spits out, but less than a k’zayit of the seeds themselves, which he swallows, does he need to say an after b’racha?