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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5 votes
2 answers
138 views

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 ...
-2 votes
1 answer
104 views

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 ...
3 votes
0 answers
40 views

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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4 votes
0 answers
106 views

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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2 votes
2 answers
116 views

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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5 votes
1 answer
193 views

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 ...
5 votes
0 answers
42 views

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. ...
3 votes
1 answer
152 views

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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5 votes
1 answer
56 views

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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1 vote
1 answer
203 views

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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2 votes
0 answers
17 views

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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3 votes
0 answers
54 views

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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2 votes
1 answer
111 views

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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5 votes
1 answer
174 views

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 ...
8 votes
4 answers
326 views

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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11 votes
1 answer
327 views

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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-1 votes
2 answers
154 views

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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6 votes
1 answer
1k views

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 ...
0 votes
2 answers
98 views

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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0 votes
1 answer
94 views

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 ...
1 vote
0 answers
224 views

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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4 votes
0 answers
86 views

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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1 vote
0 answers
133 views

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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3 votes
1 answer
459 views

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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3 votes
0 answers
50 views

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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7 votes
1 answer
80 views

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 ...
2 votes
1 answer
100 views

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 ...
6 votes
2 answers
578 views

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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2 votes
1 answer
88 views

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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1 vote
0 answers
33 views

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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5 votes
1 answer
161 views

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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0 votes
0 answers
37 views

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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1 vote
0 answers
107 views

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 ...
4 votes
2 answers
101 views

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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2 votes
1 answer
50 views

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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5 votes
1 answer
108 views

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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2 votes
1 answer
96 views

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?
3 votes
1 answer
124 views

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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1 vote
1 answer
65 views

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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0 votes
0 answers
25 views

What is the source for the bracha "enwrap ourselves"? [duplicate]

Where are we commanded to enwarp ourselves in a tallis (לְהִתְעַטֵּף בַּצִּיצִית)?
  • 7,715
5 votes
1 answer
142 views

'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 ...
  • 7,569
10 votes
2 answers
315 views

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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4 votes
1 answer
152 views

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?
  • 7,715
5 votes
1 answer
176 views

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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8 votes
1 answer
157 views

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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1 vote
1 answer
57 views

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 ...
  • 18.7k
5 votes
0 answers
60 views

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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5 votes
3 answers
542 views

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?
1 vote
1 answer
60 views

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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3 votes
0 answers
559 views

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?
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