(א) דין השכמת הבוקר ובו ט סעיפים:
יתגבר כארי לעמוד בבוקר לעבודת בוראו שיהא הוא מעורר השחר:
(1) One should strengthen [themself] like a lion to get up in the morning to serve [their] Creator, so that it is [they] who awakens the dawn.
SOURCES
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by Non-Binary Hebrew Project
מודֶת אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּם, שֶׁהֶחֱזַרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְּחֶמְלָה, רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ
Modet ani l'fanecha, melech chai v'kayam, shechezarta bi nishmati, b'chemla, raba emunatecha
I am thankful before You, living and enduring King, for you have mercifully restored my soul within me. Great is Your faithfulness
A ּBLESSING FOR CHEST-BINDING FOR TRANS, NON-BINARY, AND/OR GENDER NON-CONFORMING JEWS
by Rabbi Elliot Kukla & Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari
ברוך את יי אלוהינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצוותיה וצירה עצמית
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who hallows us with mitzvoth, commanding us to re-create ourselves.
Baruch at Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha'olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvoetha v'tzivanu al mitzvat y'tzirah atzmit.
AN ASHER YATZAR BLESSING FOR MANY GENDERS
by Rabbi Elliot Kukla
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who formed the human body with skill, creating the body's many pathways and openings. It is well known before Your throne of glory that if one of them be wrongly opened or closed, it would be impossible to endure and stand before You.
May the day come when it is also well known that if just one unique body within Your creation is not allowed to make its distinctive beauty manifest in the world, it is impossible for all of Your creation to thrive and rise each day joyfully before You.
Blessed are You, Source of All Life and Form, who implanted us with the ability to form ourselves --- molding, changing, transitioning, and adorning our bodies --- so that the fullness of our many genders, the abundance of our desires, and the diversity of our souls can be revealed.
ברוכה אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם אשר יצרה את בני ובנות אדם לחוה בחכמה.
ּBlessed are You, Adonai our God, who has made me Your partner in daily completing the task of my own formation.
B'rucha atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha'olam yatzrah et b'nei v'not adam v'chavah b'chochmah.
ASHER YATZAR PRAYER FOR RECOGNIZING THE DIVINE IMAGE IN ALL OUR BODIES
by Rabbi Emily Aviva Kapor
Asher Yatzar (the “bathroom blessing”, traditionally said every morning and after every time one goes to relieve oneself) has always rung hollow to me, at best, and at worst has been a prayer not celebrating beauty but highlighting pain.The original version praises bodies whose nekavim nekavim ḥalulim ḥalulim (“all manner of ducts and tubes”) are properly opened and closed—yes, in a digestive/excretory sense, but it is quite easy to read a reproductive sense into it as well. What do you do if the “ducts and tubes” in your body are not properly opened and closed, what if one is open that should be closed, or vice versa?
The prayer goes on to say that if one of the “ducts and tubes” that should be open was closed, or vice versa, “it would be impossible to stand and become established in Your presence”. The ableist implications of this have always also rung hollow. Many people cannot stand. Many people can stand, and it is not impossible for them to be established in the Divine presence despite the imperfections of their bodies. There’s a whole range of experiences here. How can we affirm these experiences rather than continue to celebrate the normativity thrust upon us by a normative society? That’s something I struggle with every day. This is my attempt at changing that.
The Hebrew word be-ḥokh’mah means “with wisdom”, and it has the same syntactic ambiguity as in English: did God create by utilizing God’s own wisdom in our creation, or did God create humanity to embody wisdom as part of our deepest strata of being? I think it can be both, but it can be often difficult for us—disabled people, transgender people, all sorts of people with non-normative bodies—who often feel disconnected and pained about our bodies, to have to hear repeatedly that God “made us with wisdom”, for a reason. I think you can read it as the latter: we have been given wisdom—the wisdom to recognize the divinity within each of us, the sacredness of our essence, the power and potential for continuous creation and re-creation. That’s what it means to be created in God’s image: God may be a creator, but so are we. We are creators, and that is a sacred and beautiful task.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה
יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ
מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם,
אֲשֶׁר יָצַר אֶת הָאָדָם בְּחׇכְמָה,
וּבָרָא בָֽנוּ נְקָבִים נְקָבִים חֲלוּלִים חֲלוּלִים.
מוֹדוֹת אֲנַֽחְנוּ לָךְ, שֶׁנָּתַֽתָּ בְּכֹּחֵֽנוּ
לְהַכִּיר בִּקְדֻשָּׁת צֶֽלֶם אֱלֹהִים,
לְהִתְיַצֵר לְאֹֽרֶךְ יָמֵֽינוּ,
וּלְהִתְקַיֵּם לְפָנֶֽיךָ.
מָה רַבּוּ מַעֲשֶֽׂיךָ יְיָ,
כֻּלָם בְּחׇכְמָה עָשִֽׂיתָ. (תהלים קד:כד)
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ,
רוֹפֵא כׇל בָּשָׂר וּמַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת׃
Praised are You,
our God,
who transcends time and space,
for You formed human beings with wisdom,
creating in us all sorts of ducts and tubes.
We are grateful to You for enabling us
to recognize the holiness of the Divine Image,
to continuously create and recreate ourselves,
and to establish ourselves in Your presence.
How diverse are Your works, God—
You have made them all with wisdom!
Praised are You, God,
Healer of flesh, Maker of wonders.
BIKOT HA'SHAHAR [SELECTIONS]
סידור מסורתי, ברכות השחר
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם. שֶׁעָשַׂנִי בְּצַלְּמוֹ
Conservative Siddur, Morning Blessings
Blessed are you, Hashem, our G-d, ruler of the world, who has made me in your image.
(יא) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁעָשָׂה לִי כָּל־צָרְכִּי:
(11) Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who provided me with all my needs.
A MORNING BLESSING FOR NON-BINARY JEWS
by Rabbi Ahuva Zaches
ברוכה את יי אלוהינו כוח העולם אשר ברה את האדם זכר ונקבה.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Power of the Universe, who has made beings both [neither] masculine and feminine.
B'ruchah at Adonai Eloheinu Ko'ach ha'olam asher bara et a'adam lachar un'keivah.
A MORNING BLESSIMG FOR TRANSGENDER JEWS
by Ariel Zitny
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, who has molded my soul from contradictions. From apparent opposites You have created me, and from within dichotomies I can see the plurality of Your creation.
ברוך אתה יי אלוהינו בוראת העולם שעשני טרנס.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Creator of the World, who has made me trans.
Baruch Utah Adonai Eloheinu boreit ha'olam, she'asani trans.
MORNING BLESSINGS, QUEERED
by Rabbi Ariel Stone
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, who has molded my soul from contradictions. From apparent opposites You have created me, and from within dichotomies I can see the plurality of Your creation.
ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם שעשני כרצונו
For a non-binary person:
Barukh atah Ad-nai Eloheynu melekh ha’olam sheh’asani kirtzono
I give thanks to G*d for making me according to the divine will
ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם שהפכני לאיש
For a trans man:
Barukh atah Ad-nai Eloheynu melekh ha’olam sheh’haf’khani l’ish*
I give thanks to G*d for transforming me into a man
ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם שהפכני לאישה
For a trans woman:
Barukh atah Ad-nai Eloheynu melekh ha’olam sheh’haf’khani l’ishah
I give thanks to G*d for transforming me into a woman
ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם שעשני לבקש
For one who questions:
Barukh atah Ad-nai Eloheynu melekh ha’olam sheh’asani l’vakesh
I give thanks to G*d for making me a seeker
ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם שעשני כרצונו
For a (gender)queer person:
Barukh atah Ad-nai Eloheynu melekh ha’olam sheh’asani kirtzono
I give thanks to G*d for making me according to the divine will
QUEER MORNING BLESSINGS /
birkot hashachar
Dori Midnight & Randy Furash -Stewart
(caress your eyes)
Blessed are you, AWAKENER, life of all worlds, who removes sleep from my eyes and slumber from my eyelids.
(feel your feet upon the solid ground)
Blessed are you, GENEROUS CREATRIX, who stretches forth the earth upon the waters.
(receive light, take in your surroundings)
Blessed are you, SACRED FLAME, who illuminates and shines upon everyone and everything.
(dust off your shoulders, run your hands across your limbs, touch the fabrics touching you)
Blessed are you, HOLY FASHION DESIGNER, who delights in the way we dress ourselves as altars.
(move from tightness to stretching wide)
Blessed are you, LIBERATION WORKER, who moves us to stretch and expand towards freedom.
(feel yourself)
Blessed are You, DIVINE APPLE ORCHARD, who delights in my delight and is praised by my pleasure.
(touch your heart)
Blessed are you, NAMELESS AND INFINITE, who made us in your image and reminds us that all bodies are sacred and holy.
(place a crown upon your head and lift your chin)
Blessed are You, WINGS OF GOLD, who crowns my people, all people, with splendor.
(Take a breath that fills your whole body, hold it for a moment, and let it out)
Blessed are you, HOLY BREATH, who fills me with this gift every day.
(open your palms in front of you)
Blessed are you, ABUNDANCE, who helps me remember I have everything I need.
(let your body move as it wants to move)
Blessed are you, THE WAY, who meets me where I am.
(close your eyes and rest)
Blessed are you, SOURCE OF LIFE, who I draw on for strength and who reminds me that rest is a sacred act.
(embrace yourself )
Blessed are you, FABULOUS ONE, who loves me just as I am.
(place your hand somewhere that needs extra love)
Blessed are you, WEAVER OF BEING, who shaped the human being with wisdom, making for us all the openings and vessels of the body. It is known that we are miracles and all bodies are miracles.
Blessed are You, YOU OF MANY NAMES, for revealing infinite paths of healing.
TALMUD SOURCES
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To renew your faith in the morning, do not involve yourself in any worldly activity or speech when you get out of bed; just to go to the bathroom, wash, then meditate, thinking of the Creator of the world with full concentration--that God is one, Single and Unique.
Look through your window at the sky and the earth and recall the verse, "Lift up your eyes on high and see--who created all of this?" (Isa. 40:26), and think that God created it all out of absolute nothingness. And think, "How many are Your works, O Lord, with wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creations (Ps.. 104:24). Think of how great God's works are, in the creation of the heaven and the earth and all that is in them--inanimate and animate--plants, animals, humans, creatures great and wonderful. "God created the ocean and all that is in it, the awesome whales, God formed the mountains and created winds and fire."
זמן תפלת השחר מצותה שיתחיל עם הנץ החמה כדכתיב יראוך עם שמש ואם התפלל משעלה עמוד השחר והאיר פני המזרח יצא ונמשך זמנה עד סוף ד' שעות שהוא שליש היום ואם טעה או עבר והתפלל אחר ד' שעות עד חצות אע"פ שאין לו שכר כתפלה בזמנה שכר תפלה מיהא איכא: הגה ואחר חצות אסור להתפלל תפלת שחרית (ב"י בשם הרשב"א פרק תפלת השחר) וע"ל ריש סימן ק"ח:
The Laws of Prayer [i.e. the Amidah] and its [Proper] Time, containing 8 s'ifim
The time for the morning Tefillah (i.e. Amidah): its commandment is that it should begin with the "blossoming" (i.e. rising) of the sun, as it is written, "They will revere You with the sun (Psalm 72:5)." And if one prayed from the [time of] "the pillar of the morning" (i.e. dawn) and the appearance of the east has become light, one has fulfilled [one's obligation]. And its time continues until the end of four hours which is a third of the daytime. And if one erred or transgressed and prayed after the fourth hour until noon, even though one does not have the [same] reward as praying at its [proper] time, in any case there is still a reward of prayer. Gloss: And after noon it is forbidden to pray the Tefillah of the morning (Beit Yosef in the name of the Rashba [Rabbi Shlomo ben Adret], Chapter: "Morning Prayer") . And see below, the beginning of Siman 108].
From when does one bless on the tsitsit [that they put on]? In the morning from the time when [there's enough light that] one can tell the difference between the tekhelet in it and the white in it. And if [they] put it on at dawn or later, some say they make a blessing, and this is our practice (The Mordekhai in the second chapter of Megillah). And if they dons [tsitsit] earlier than that, such as during [the time of year when we recite] slichot, they do not make a blessing over it [right away], and when it becomes light they handle [the tsitsit] and makes a blessing (Tashbets).
On a similar note, Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Anyone who relieves [themself], washes [their] hands, dons phylacteries, recites Shema, and prays, the verse ascribes credit to [them] as if [they] built an altar and offered a sacrifice upon it, as it is written: “I will wash in purity my hands, and I will encircle the altar of the Lord” (Psalms 26:6). Rava said to [then]: Do you not maintain, Master, that one who does so, it is as if [they] immersed [their] entire body, as it is written: “I will wash in purity,” and it is not written: “I will wash my hands”?
כי שמע קול תרנגולא לימא
ברוך אשר נתן לשכוי בינה להבחין בין יום ובין לילה
כי פתח עיניה לימא
ברוך פוקח עורים
כי תריץ ויתיב לימא
ברוך מתיר אסורים
כי לביש לימא
ברוך מלביש ערומים
כי זקיף לימא
ברוך זוקף כפופים
כי נחית לארעא לימא
ברוך רוקע הארץ על המים
כי מסגי לימא
ברוך המכין מצעדי גבר
כי סיים מסאניה לימא
ברוך שעשה לי כל צרכי
כי אסר המייניה לימא
ברוך אוזר ישראל בגבורה
כי פריס סודרא על רישיה לימא
ברוך עוטר ישראל בתפארה
Upon hearing the sound of the rooster, one should recite:
Blessed…Who gave the heart [sekhvi] understanding to distinguish between day and night.
Upon opening one's eyes, one should recite:
Blessed…Who gives sight to the blind.
Upon sitting up straight, one should recite:
Blessed…Who sets captives free.
Upon dressing, one should recite: Blessed…Who clothes the naked, as they would sleep unclothed.
Upon standing up straight, one should recite:
Blessed…Who raises those bowed down.
Upon descending from one’s bed to the ground, one should recite:
Blessed…Who spreads the earth above the waters, in thanksgiving for the creation of solid ground upon which to walk.
Upon walking, one should recite: Blessed…Who makes firm the steps of man.
Upon putting on [their]
shoes, one should recite:
Blessed…Who has provided me with all I need, as shoes are a basic necessity.
Upon putting on [their] belt, one should recite:
Blessed…Who girds [our people] with strength.
Upon spreading a shawl upon [their] head, one should recite:
Blessed…Who crowns [us] with glory.
REFLECTIONS
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- How do you bless the day ?
- How do you access gratitude ?
- How do you adorn your queer body ?
- What orients you to embodying your values ?