Talking to God 2: Blessings

The Sages taught in a Tosefta: "A person is forbidden to benefit from this world, without blessing. And anyone who benefits from this world without blessing, embezzles sacred property." What is his remedy? He should go to a Sage.

(1) It is an affirmative mitzvah, from the Torah, to say blessings after a meal, as it is said, "And you will eat and be satisfied and bless the Lord, your God" (Deuteronomy 8:10). The Torah only requires this when one is satisfied; for it is said, "eat and be satisfied and bless." And it's a rabbinic mitzvah that if one ate as little as an olive, one blesses afterward.

(2) It is also a rabbinic mitzvah to bless over each food first, and then afterward enjoy it. Even if one intends to eat or drink only the tiniest amount, one blesses first and then enjoys. Similarly, if one will smell a good aroma, first bless and then enjoy. And anyone who enjoys without blessing, embezzles sacred property. And similarly it is a rabbinic commandment to bless after anything one eats or anything one drinks, if the drink is at least a revi'it in volume and the food is as big as an olive. But tasting in cooking doesn't require a blessing, neither before nor afterward, as long as it doesn't come up to the volume of a revi'it.

(3) And just as one blesses over enjoyment, so one blesses over any mitzvah at all, and then performs it. And in addition the sages established many blessings of praise and thanksgiving and petition, in order to remember the Creator always, even when we are neither enjoying something nor doing a mitzvah.

(4) All blessings accordingly fall into three categories; blessings of enjoyment, blessings of mitvzot, and blessings of acknowledgement, by way of praise, thanksgiving and or petition, in order to remember and revere the Creator always.

(5) The forms of all the blessings were established by Ezra and his Court. It is improper to change them, or add to or delete from any one of them. Anyone who alters the forms that the Sages set in blessings is definitely wrong. And any blessing which does not mention God's name and sovereignty is not really a blessing, unless it is in directly conjunction with a related one.

(1) Bless You, Lord our God, King of the world, Who has sanctified us with God's commandments and commanded us to engage in words of Torah.

(2) And please, Lord, our God, make the words of Your Torah pleasant in our mouths and in the mouths of all of Your people, the House of Israel. And may we and our offspring [and the offspring of our offspring] and the offspring of Your people, the House of Israel - all of us - know Your Name and learn Your Torah for its own sake. Bless You, Lord, Who teaches Torah to God's people, Israel.

(3) Bless You, Lord, our God, King of the world, Who chose us from among all the nations and gave us God's Torah. Bless You, Lord, Who gives the Torah.

1. Bless You, Lord our God, King of the world, Who feeds the whole world, with God's goodness, with grace, kindness, and compassion. God gives food to all living things, for God's kindness is infinite. And in God's great goodness, we have never lacked for food, nor may we ever lack it, for the sake of God's great name. For God feeds and sustains all, does good to all, and prepares food for all of God's creations. Bless You, Lord, who feeds all.

2. We are grateful to You, our God, for giving our ancestors a good, wide, delightful land, and for taking us out, God, from the land of Egypt, and redeeming us from the house of slavery, and for Your covenant that You have stamped in our bodies, and for Your Torah that You have taught us, and for Your laws that You have let us know, and for life, grace, and kindness that You have granted us, and for eating food that You always feed and sustain us with, and we bless You. May Your name be blessed in every living creature's mouth, forever and ever! as it says: "And you will eat and be satisfied and bless the Lord, your God for the good land that God has given you." Bless You, God, for the land and the food.

3. Have compassion, Lord our God, on your people Israel, and on Jerusalem Your city, and on Zion where Your glory rests, and on the Kingdom of the House of David Your anointed, and on the great and sacred House that is called by Your name. Our God, our Parent, see us, feed us, provide for us, sustain us, and let us flourish, and let us be at ease, Lord our God, from our our troubles; and please, do not make us need, Lord our God, either the gifts of human beings or their loans -- but only your full, open, broad and overflowing hand; so that we will never be shamed or embarrassed for ever. And build Jerusalem the holy city soon in our days! Bless you, God, who in compassion builds Jerusalem - Amen!

4. Bless You, Lord our God, King of world, the God, our Parent, our King, our Great one, our Creator, our Redeemer, our Designer, our Holy One the Holy One of Jacob, our Shepherd the Shepherd of Israel. The good King who is good to all, Who every single day has been good, is good, will be good to us! He has given us, he gives us, he will forever give us grace, kindness, and compassion, and generosity, salvation, success, blessing and triumph, comfort, sustenance and food, compassion, life, peace, and everything good; and will never let us lack any goodness.

Rav Naḥman said: Moses established for Israel the blessing of: "Who feeds" when the manna came down for them. Joshua established the blessing of the land when they entered the Land. David and Solomon established "Who builds Jerusalem": David established “…on Israel Your people and on Jerusalem Your city…," and Solomon established “…on the great and Holy House…” They established "Who is good and does good, at Yavneh, referring to those slain at Beitar. Rav Mattana said: On the day that the slain of Beitar were brought to burial, they established "Who is good and does good," at Yavneh.

Put good and blessed peace, grace, kindness, and compassion, on us and on all of Your people Israel.

Bless us, our Father, all of us as one, in the light of Your face. For in the light of Your face You have given us, Lord our God, a Torah of life and the love of kindness, and generosity, and blessing, and compassion, and life, and peace. It is good in Your eyes to bless Your people Israel every season and every hour with Your peace. Bless You, God, Who Blesses God's people Israel with peace.

One who built a new house or bought new vessels says, “Blessed is Who has kept us alive.” One blesses over the evil as he blesses over the good and over the good as he blesses over evil.

One who cries out over what is past -- that is a vain prayer. Such as? If his wife was pregnant and he says, “May it be his will that my wife bear a male child,” this is a vain prayer. If he is coming home from a journey and he hears the sound of screaming in the town and says, “May it be his will that this is not from my household,” this is a vain prayer.

May it be Your will, Lord our God and the God of our ancestors,

that You walk us in peace, lead our steps in peace, guide us in peace, and make us reach our desired destination, in life and in joy, and in peace [and bring us home in peace].

May You rescue us from the hand of every foe, ambush, bandits and cruel animals along the way, and from all kinds of calamities that try to come to the world.

May You let us be seen in grace, kindness, and compassion in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who see us.

For Your are the God who hears prayer and pleading.

May You hear the sound of our supplication, because You are the God who hears prayer and supplications. Bless You, Who hears prayer.

(On hearing thunder) Bless You, Lord our God, King of the world, whose power and force fill the world.

(On hearing good news) Bless You, Lord our God, King of the world, Who is good and does good.

(On hearing bad news) Bless You, Lord our God, King of the world, the true Judge.

(On seeing a rainbow) Bless You, Lord our God, King of the world, Who remembers the covenant, and is faithful in God's covenant, and will uphold what God has spoken.

Bless You, Lord our God King of the world, Who formed the human being wisely, creating many openings and many hollow places. It is clear and known before the seat of Your glory that if one of them should be opened, or one of them blocked, it would be impossible to exist and to stand before You even for a single hour. Bless You, God, Who heals all flesh, and does wonders.

Bless You,Lord our God, King of the world, Who formed the human being his God's image, in the likeness of God's own form, and prepared for humanity, out of its own material, a perpetual building. Bless You, Lord, Who forms the human being.