וְאֶֽעֶשְׂךָ֙ לְג֣וֹי גָּד֔וֹל וַאֲבָ֣רֶכְךָ֔ וַאֲגַדְּלָ֖ה שְׁמֶ֑ךָ וֶהְיֵ֖ה בְּרָכָֽה׃
I will make of you a great nation, And I will bless you;I will make your name great,And you shall be a blessing.
שֶׁלֹּא תְּהֵא בִּרְכַּת הֶדְיוֹט קַלָּה בְּעֵינֶיך
one should not take the blessing of
an ordinary person lightly. God nods in approval and acceptance of the prayer. If a mere mortal can deliver a blessing directly to God, surely people can serve as blessings to one another!
Debbie Friedman:
Mi shebeirach avoteinu [May the one who blessed our fathers]M'kor hab'racha l'imoteinu [the source of blessing for our mothers] May the source of strength, Who blessed the ones before us, Help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing, and let us say, Amen.
Mi shebeirach imoteinu [May the one who blessed our mothers] M'kor habrachah l'avoteinu [the source of blessing for our fathers]Bless those in need of healing with r'fuah sh'leimah, [a complete healing] The renewal of body, the renewal of spirit, And let us say, Amen
תניא אמר רבי ישמעאל בן אלישע פעם אחת נכנסתי להקטיר קטורת לפני ולפנים וראיתי אכתריאל יה ה׳ צבאות שהוא יושב על כסא רם ונשא ואמר לי ישמעאל בני ברכני אמרתי לו יהי רצון מלפניך שיכבשו רחמיך את כעסך ויגולו רחמיך על מדותיך ותתנהג עם בניך במדת הרחמים ותכנס להם לפנים משורת הדין ונענע לי בראשו וקמשמע לן שלא תהא ברכת הדיוט קלה בעיניך
Similarly, it was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha, the High Priest, said: Once, on Yom Kippur, I entered the innermost sanctum, the Holy of Holies, to offer incense, and in a vision I saw Akatriel Ya, the Lord of Hosts, one of the names of God expressing His ultimate authority, seated upon a high and exalted throne (see Isaiah 6).And He said to me: Yishmael, My son, bless Me.I said to Him the prayer that God prays: “May it be Your will that Your mercy overcome Your anger,and may Your mercy prevail over Your other attributes,and may You act toward Your children with the attribute of mercy,and may You enter before them beyond the letter of the law.”The Holy One, Blessed be He, nodded His head and accepted the blessing. This event teaches us that you should not take the blessing of an ordinary person lightly.
וַאֲבָֽרְכָה֙ מְבָ֣רְכֶ֔יךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ֖ אָאֹ֑ר וְנִבְרְכ֣וּ בְךָ֔ כֹּ֖ל מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הָאֲדָמָֽה׃
I will bless those who bless youAnd curse the one who curses you;And all the families of the earthShall bless themselves by you.”
Rabbi Soloveitchik
The Torah says that man was created male and female and was commandedto procreate. This refers not only to physical activity, but to intellectual and spiritual growth as well. In the language of kabbalah, "male" refers to a giver and"female" refers to a recipient. A person who aspires to spiritual growth must be both male and female, able to impart to others whatever spiritual gifts he or she has to offer, and able to receive from others what they can contribute towards his or her (i.e., the recipient's) growth.This was the blessing to Avraham recorded in our verses: You shall be a blessing to others, because you will give to them. And, those who bless you, shall beblessed, indicating that Avraham will also receive from others