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64-454: (Redirected from Berachot ) Berakhot , Brachot , or Brochos may refer to: Berakhah , a Jewish benediction Any one of the various benedictions; see List of Jewish prayers and blessings Tractate Berakhot of the Talmud, which discusses benedictions, among other topics See also [ edit ] V'Zot HaBerachah , the last of

128-489: A Harachaman for mourners: "The Merciful One is a true God and an honest judge, He deals fairly and He takes fairly, and He has absolute power in His world to do as He wills, for all of His ways are just. And we are His people and His servants. We are always obligated to praise Him and to bless Him. End this evil and our mourning. The mender of Israel's breaches will mend this breach of ours for life and peace." An abbreviated text

192-417: A berakhah answers with amen ; but one who is engaged in prayer may at certain points be forbidden from other speech, including responding amen . With few exceptions, one does not respond amen to his or her own berakha, although other prayers—such as the kaddish —include " amen " in their text. There are three major categories of berakhah : Blessings over food are intended to sanctify

256-519: A shiva house, the ordinary call to prayer is replaced with "Let us bless the Comforter of Mourners, of whose food we have eaten," and congregants respond with "Blessed be the Comforter of Mourners, of whose food we have eaten, and by whose produce do we live. According to Isaac ben Darbolo, an additional prayer should be added after the Rachem blessing: "Comfort, O God,  the mourners of Zion and

320-528: A Gentile may respond "amen" to a Jew's blessing, even when the blessing contains the text, "...Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to...," since by answering "amen," the Gentile is agreeing that the Jew was sanctified with the commandment about to be performed. So too with blessings on foods and smells; one is not required to likewise partake in order to answer "amen." When one person recites

384-428: A blessing for another, and the second says " amen ", it is considered as if the second person recited the blessing by proxy. In this manner, a person can fulfill their obligation to recite kiddush , or recite a blessing before eating, without saying the actual blessing but rather the one word " amen ". When responding amen , it must be pronounced in a proper manner, consistent with its significance in halakha. There are

448-552: A case, some authorities permit the individual to respond amen to the last blessing in order to signal the ending of the series. While there are many examples of series of blessings within the Jewish prayer services, Ashkenazi tradition dictates that amen is not recited at the conclusion of a series of blessings. The one exception to this is in Grace after Meals after the third blessing of Boneh Yerushalayim ; in order to signify that

512-529: A certain predefined amount ( Ke'zayit for a solid food, and Revi'it for a liquid) is consumed within a predefined time period (different for solids and liquids). Blessings recited before the observance of a mitzvah (commandment) begin with the formula "Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us through his commandments and commanded us to..." and mention the specific mitzvah about to be performed. The blessing over fulfilling

576-436: A further seven special blessings are recited. While the seven blessings can only be recited with Panim Chadashot (new people who hadn't been at previous celebrations) and in the presence of a minyan, Devai Haser can be recited even without these requirements as long as there is a Zimmun. Furthermore, according to Talmudic law, Sheha-Simchah bi-m'ono (and presumably Devai Haser ) can be recited for up to thirty days, or even

640-410: A minimum of three adult Jewish males eat bread as part of a meal together they are obligated to form a mezuman (a "prepared gathering") with the addition of a few extra opening words whereby one man "invites" the others to join him in birkat hamazon . (This invitation is called a zimmun ). When those present at the meal form a minyan (a quorum of ten adult Jewish men) there are further additions to

704-497: A minute to more than five minutes. The scriptural source for the requirement to recite a blessing after a meal is Deuteronomy 8:10 "When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the L ORD your God for the good land which He gave you". The process is often referred to as bentsching; the word "bentsch" means to bless. Birkat Hamazon is made up of four blessings. The first three blessings are regarded as required by scriptural law: Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook described

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768-484: A number of ways to respond amen that are discouraged as being either disrespectful or careless. The articulation of the alef ( א ‎, first letter of amen in Hebrew) and its proper vowelization must be clear. If the kametz vowel is rushed and mispronounced as the vowelization of a shva , the amen is termed an amen chatufa , as chatufa is synonym for the shva . Another type of amen chatufa

832-544: A year if the meal was made specifically in honor of the couple; nevertheless, this is not practiced today. At birkat hamazon concluding the celebratory meal of a brit milah (ritual circumcision), in the Eastern Ashkenazic rite, additional introductory lines, known as Nodeh Leshimcha , are added at the beginning and special ha-Rachaman prayers are inserted. In the Western Ashkenazic rite,

896-411: Is He Who is good and does good") is recited by a person when they hear good news that will also benefit others, such as news that one has received an inheritance or when rain begins to fall after a drought. It is also said upon the drinking of additional wine that is different from that drunk previously at the meal. Most blessings begin with the words Barukh Attah Adonai ("Blessed are You, Lord"). When

960-538: Is also forgotten, nothing need be done. When birkat hamazon takes place at the Sheva Brachot (seven blessings) following a traditional Jewish marriage , in Ashkenazic communities special opening lines reflecting the joy of the occasion are added to the zimmun (invitation to grace) beginning with Devai Haser ; in all communities Sheha-Simchah bi-m'ono is added. At the conclusion of birkat hamazon ,

1024-498: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Berakhah The function of a berakhah is to acknowledge God as the source of all blessing. It can be both a declaration of dependence and an expression of gratitude for God and his gifts. Berakhot also have an educational function to transform a variety of everyday actions and occurrences into religious experiences designed to increase awareness of God at all times. For this purpose,

1088-478: Is drunk by everyone present, and functions as the "Third Cup". The practice of a cup of blessing is mentioned in the Talmud . Many have the custom - especially after a Shabbat meal - of sharing a Dvar Torah ("word of Torah"; Yiddish, " vort "), before the invitation. This is based on Pirkei Avot 3:3 : "If three have eaten at one table, and have spoken there words of Torah, [it is] as if they had eaten at

1152-451: Is forbidden to say a " berakhah levatalah " (an unnecessary blessing) so as not to transgress the grave prohibition of taking God's name in vain. The ruling in such cases is to say the blessing in a D'Oraita case, and to not say it in a D'Rabbanan case. The most common context in which an amen is required by halakha is after one hears a berakah recited. In fact, it is prohibited to willfully refrain from responding amen when it

1216-416: Is improper to answer amen . An amen yetoma ( אמן יתומה "orphaned amen ") is one such example of an improperly recited amen . There is a dispute among the halachic authorities as to exactly what constitutes an orphaned amen . One may not respond amen to a beracha le-vatala ( ברכה לבטלה , "blessing made for nought"). Thus, one should not respond amen to a blessing made by someone who

1280-706: Is indicated. The source of this requirement is the verse in Deuteronomy 32:3: "When I proclaim the name of Hashem , give glory to our God." This mandate refers to the mention of the Tetragrammaton , which was only pronounced at certain specific times within the confines of the Temple in Jerusalem . Whoever heard this special name of God mentioned was obliged to respond with Barukh shem kvod malkhuto l'olam va'ed ( ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד , "Blessed be

1344-408: Is merely reciting the blessing for educational purposes (i.e. to learn how to recite it). However, one is encouraged to respond amen to children's blessings, even though they are not obligated in the recitation of blessings. Because one cannot attest to one's own blessing any more than he or she already has by reciting it, responding amen to one's own blessing is redundant and one may not do so. If

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1408-466: Is more generally an affirmation of any declaration. Accordingly, it is customary in some communities to respond amen after each harachaman in Grace after meals and after a mi'shebeirach . When reciting amen , it is important that the response is not louder than the blessing itself. When trying to encourage others to respond amen , however, one may raise ones voice to stir others to respond in kind. Since answering "amen" indicates approval of

1472-481: Is more than one reason why these commandments do not have blessings. Abudarham and Shlomo ibn Aderet suggested a blessing is not recited for tzedakah because the recipient may refuse the gift, and blessings are not recited when it is uncertain whether the mitzvah will be performed. Baruch Epstein suggested that a blessing is not recited on interpersonal mitzvot because the standard blessing text refers to Jews being distinguished from other nations who do not perform

1536-487: Is one that is recited prior to the completion of the blessing it is being recited to follow; this comes from the Hebrew word chatuf ( חטוף ‎, "snatched"). The impatient rush to respond amen before the blessing has even been completed is prohibited. If insufficient stress is placed on the nun ( נ ‎, the last letter of amen in Hebrew) and the mem ( מ ‎, the middle letter) drowns it out, this

1600-401: Is possible only in undesirable circumstances (for example, granting a divorce , or the return of stolen goods). In the case of other commandments (for example, tzedakah "charity"), commentators say it is because there is no fixed amount or limit to the observance of the commandment; however, there is no general agreement regarding the underlying principles. David Abudarham wrote that there

1664-570: Is recited after a meal containing bread or similar foods that is made from the five grains , with the exception of bread that comes as a dessert ( pas haba'ah b'kisanin ) and food that does not possess the form or appearance of bread ( torisa d'nahama ), in which case a blessing that summarizes the first three blessings ( birkat me'ein shalosh ) is recited instead. It is a matter of rabbinic dispute whether Birkat Hamazon must be said after eating certain other bread-like foods such as pizza . Except in teaching situations, Birkat Hamazon

1728-681: Is sometime used when time is lacking. It contains the four essential blessings in a somewhat shortened form, with fewer preliminaries and additions. In liberal branches of Judaism, there is no standard text to be recited and customs vary accordingly. Many Sephardi Jews , especially Spanish and Portuguese Jews often sing a hymn in Spanish (not Ladino as is commonly assumed), called Bendigamos , before or after birkat hamazon . An additional abbreviated form of birkat hamazon in Ladino, called Ya Comimos , may also be said. According to Halakha when

1792-475: Is termed an amen ketufa ( אמן קטופה , "a cut amen "). One must also not recite amen too quickly; one should allocate enough time for the amen as necessary to say ’El melekh ne’eman . Saying an amen ketzara ( אמן קצרה , "short amen ") recited too quickly shows a lack of patience. Although it is not prohibited to say the word amen in vain, the Chazal indicated particular circumstances in which it

1856-512: Is typically read individually after ordinary meals. The blessing can be found in almost all siddurs and is often printed in a variety of artistic styles in a small booklet called a birchon (or birkon , בִּרְכּוׂן ‎) in Hebrew or bencher (or bentscher ) in Yiddish . The length of the different brakhot hamazon can vary considerably, from bentsching in under half

1920-631: The sheheheyanu blessing in kiddush or dispense their obligation by listening to someone else recite it, women generally recite their sheheheyanu during candle lighting . Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank notes that anyone who lit candles should refrain from responding amen to the sheheheyanu blessing during kiddush because it would effectively be an interruption in their fulfillment of reciting kiddush , as they have already recited their sheheheyanu blessing. Birkat Hamazon Birkat Hamazon ( Hebrew : בִּרְכַּת הַמָּזוׂן , romanized :  birkath hammāzôn "The Blessing of

1984-486: The Talmudic sage , Rabbi Meir , declared that it was the duty of every Jew to recite one hundred berakhot every day. The Mishnah of tractate Berakhot , and the gemara in both Talmuds contain detailed rabbinical discussions of berakhot , upon which the laws and practice of reciting blessings are founded. Berakhot typically start with the words "Blessed are You, Lord our God..." One who hears another recite

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2048-449: The appropriate blessing beforehand. There are six types of blessings said before eating different foods: Ha-Motzi/Hamoytsi Mezonot/Mezoynes Ha-gefen/Hagofen Ha-`etz/ho-eytz Ha-’adama/Ho-adomo and She-ha-kol . Additionally, there are 5 blessings said after eating different foods: Birkat Hamazon , Al Hamihya, Al Hagefen, Al Ha’etz and Borei Nefashot. These blessings, however, are only required if

2112-571: The prophets called the Haftarah , and the recitation of Psalms of Praise , and the Psalms of the Hallel . No blessing is recited for the performance of certain commandments. Some commentators have suggested that the reason is that no blessing is said before fulfilling commandments which do not involve any action (for example, leaving the corner of the field for the poor), or the observance of which

2176-599: The Creator at all times. These blessings are said on various occasions, including upon hearing good and bad news; on witnessing awesome natural phenomena such as thunder and lightning, high mountains or the ocean, or a rainbow ; upon visiting a place where miracles have been performed in the past, especially in the Land of Israel , and the Birkat ha-Gomel , upon being saved from danger. The blessing Ha-tov ve-ha-metiv ("Blessed

2240-572: The Food"), known in English as the Grace After Meals ( Yiddish : בענטשן , romanized :  benchen "to bless", Yinglish : Bentsching ), is a set of Hebrew blessings that Jewish law prescribes following a meal that includes at least a kezayit (olive-sized) piece of bread . It is understood as a mitzvah (Biblical commandment) based on Deuteronomy 8:10. Birkat Hamazon

2304-604: The Name of His glorious kingdom for all eternity"). With the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, however, pronouncing the Tetragrammaton was prohibited, and was replaced with the pronunciation Adonai . Although this term bears significant holiness (and is in fact one of the seven names of God) and may not be pronounced without purpose, it may be pronounced when appropriate in prayer and blessings. The aforementioned response for

2368-412: The Talmud and we do not use any of these variations. It is customary for the person leading the zimmun to recite the blessings over a cup of wine called the kos shel beracha (cup of blessing). Although sometimes done at ordinary meals, it is more commonly done on Shabbat and Jewish Holidays , and almost universally done at meals celebrating special events. At a Passover Seder , the cup of blessing

2432-475: The Tetragrammaton, however, is not warranted when one hears Adonai pronounced. The Chazal (Talmudic sages) therefore mandated that one must answer amen at the completion of a blessing outside of the Temple, comparable to the barukh shem that was used in the Holy Temple. However, while " barukh shem is an expression of praise and honour, amen is an affirmation of belief." The Talmud teaches that

2496-459: The Zimmun is recited as normal without any additions, but a long piyyut from Ephraim of Bonn is inserted in the middle of the second blessing; special ha-Rachaman prayers are added, but they are different from those of the Eastern Ashkenazic rite. According to Isaac ben Dorbolo , a mourner is not counted for zimmun or minyan on the first day of mourning. When birkat hamazon takes place in

2560-420: The blessing is being recited on food, one who responds amen to one's own blessing will either cause a hefseik ( הפסק , "[prohibited] interruption") or likely pronounce an amen yetoma , depending on whether one responds immediately or waits until after one swallows some food or drink, respectively. An exception to this rule is a situation in which an individual is reciting a series of blessings; in such

2624-431: The blessing occurs at the beginning of a prayer, the words Eloheinu Melekh ha-Olam ("our God, King of the Universe") are added. There are three types of formulas for benedictions: In certain cases it is doubtful whether a blessing should be said. For example, when someone doesn't remember whether he has already recited the proper blessing or not. One cannot argue to recite the blessing "just to be sure", because it

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2688-426: The blessing of sheheheyanu is added within the kiddush prayer. By listening intently and responding amen to each blessing of the kiddush prayer, all those present can effectively fulfill their obligation to recite kiddush , even though only one person is actually reciting it, via the principle of shomea k'oneh ( שומע כעונה , "One who hears is the equivalent of one who recites"). While men either recite

2752-564: The blessing. Even if one is certain that one's hands are clean (for example, at the Rabbinically instituted rinsing before breaking bread), one still recites the blessing afterwards to avoid confusion. Also contrary to the usual pattern, blessings are said after certain public readings from the Tanakh as well as before it. Examples include the public reading of the Torah , the readings from

2816-524: The commandment is sometimes followed by another blessing (for example, when lighting the Chanukkah candles , the additional berakhah "...who performed miracles for our ancestors long ago at this season" is recited). When a mitzvah is performed for the first time in the year, the She'hecheyanu blessing ("...who has kept us alive and preserved us and enabled us to reach this season") is also added. Contrary to

2880-479: The content of the blessing, it is appropriate to answer "amen" to another's blessing even if one could not halachically recite the blessing oneself. For example, when the kohanim recite the blessing, "...Who has sanctified us with the holiness of Aaron, and commanded us to bless His people Israel with love," the congregation responds "amen," even though they are not descendants of Aaron the High Priest. Likewise,

2944-483: The cover of the bentscher is customized to reflect the event. Some bentschers now feature photography of Israel throughout. There are several services currently available that customize the bentscher using graphics, logos and/or photographs. They often contain other texts such as kiddush and the Shabbat zemirot , in addition to Birkat Hamazon itself. In the early modern era (1563-1780), Birkat Hamazon

3008-533: The end of these four blessings, with the words, al yechasrenu . After these four blessings, there is a series of short prayers, each beginning with the word Harachaman (the Merciful One), which ask for God's compassion. There are several known texts for birkat hamazon . The most widely available is the Ashkenazic . There are also Sephardic , Yemenite and Italian versions. All of these texts follow

3072-407: The first three blessings are biblically mandated , as opposed to the fourth rabbinically mandated blessing, the Talmud mandates that one recite amen at its closing. When responding amen will constitute a hefseik ( הפסק , "[prohibited] interruption"), one should not respond amen . An example of this type of situation would be within the evening kiddush on Jewish holidays , when

3136-568: The grace and the Cup of Blessing will pass to King David , who will accept the honour. The giving of thanks for the food received dates back to the first Jewish Patriarch, Abraham. A Midrash says that his tent for hospitality had openings on all four sides. He invited guests bless the Heavenly source of the food. If they refused, he told them that he would have to pay 10 gold coins for bread, ten for wine and ten for hospitality. To their amazement for

3200-487: The group responds "Blessed is HaShem our God, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived." When 1000 are present, the leader of the Zimmun says "Let us bless HaShem our God, the God of Israel, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived", and the crowd responds, "Blessed is HaShem our God, the God of Israel, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived." When at least 10000 are present,

3264-550: The invitation. A Zimmun of 10 is called a Zimmun B'Shem . The Talmud states that women are obligated to say birkat hamazon and that accordingly, three women can constitute a zimmun and lead it. Accordingly, the Shulchan Aruch rules that three women may choose to make a zimmun among themselves, but are not required to do so. However, ten women cannot make the Zimmun B'Shem , and men and women cannot combine to form

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3328-469: The leader of the zimmun says "Let us bless Hashem our God, the God of Israel, who dwells among the cherubim , of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived," and the multitude responds, "Blessed is Hashem our God, the God of Israel, who dwells among the cherubim, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived." However, the Shulchan Aruch rules like the other opinion in

3392-400: The mitzvah; however, non-Jews do perform interpersonal good deeds. Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg suggested that interpersonal mitzvot are done best out of love and care for the recipient, not out of commandment or coercion, so a blessing which refers to the commandment is not recited. The main purpose of this category of blessings, often called "blessings of praise," is to help remind people of

3456-548: The mourners of Jerusalem, and all those who are comforting themselves because of this loss. Comfort away their mourning, and cheer them from their sadness. As it is said, "Just as a man is comforted by his mother, so I will comfort you, and in Jerusalem you will be comforted." Darbolo, among others, also writes that the Boneh blessing should be altered to conclude, "Blessed are you, O Lord, Comforter of Mourners and Builder of Jerusalem", but other authorities disagree. Darbolo also adds

3520-527: The order of these four blessings as a “ladder of prayer,” as we raise our sights and aspirations. The first blessing refers to one's personal needs; the second, the physical needs of the nation (through the Land of Israel); the third, the nation's spiritual aspirations (Jerusalem and the Temple); and the fourth blessing, our ultimate aspiration to be a “light unto the nations.” The statutory birkat hamazon ends at

3584-471: The physical act of taking nourishment, those recited before performing a commandment serve to prevent the performance of the activity in an unthinking, rote way, and the blessings of praise serve to remind people of the presence of God in all situations. Based on a sugya of the Talmud ( Berkahot 35a), Judaism teaches that food ultimately belongs to the one great Provider, God, and that to partake of it legitimately one must express gratitude to God by reciting

3648-463: The possible exception of the Rosh Hashanah day meal), one must repeat the entire Birkat Hamazon. At later meals, or on Rosh Chodesh or Chol Hamoed , nothing need be done. If one forgets al ha-Nissim , one does not repeat Birkat Hamazon, although one recites a special Harachaman toward the very end, followed by the paragraph Bimei , which describes the respective holidays. If this prayer

3712-497: The same structure described above, but the wording varies. In particular, the Italian version preserves the ancient practice of commencing the second paragraph with Nachamenu on Shabbat. Additional sections are added on special occasions. If one forgets Retzei or ya'aleh ve-Yavo , one inserts a short blessing before the fourth blessing. If this is also forgotten, then at the first two meals of Shabbat and major holidays (with

3776-714: The table of the All-Present , blessed be He..." There is a practice in many Orthodox communities to wash the hands before reciting birkat hamazon . This practice is called mayim acharonim (final waters). While the Talmud and Shulchan Aruch rule this practice to be obligatory, Tosafot and other sources rule it to be unnecessary in current circumstances, and thus many do not perform the practice. Bentschers ( / ˈ b ɛ n tʃ ər / ; or benchers , birkhonim , birkhon , birchon , birchonim ) are small Birkat Hamazon booklets usually handed out at bar and bat mitzvahs, weddings and other celebratory events. Traditionally,

3840-465: The three members of an ordinary zimmun . If three men and three women are present, the three men make the zimmun , and the women are required to answer to it. According to the one opinion in the Talmud , there are special versions of the zimmun if birkat hamazon is said by at least 100, 1000 or 10000 seated at one meal. When 100 are present, the leader says "Blessed is HaShem our God, of Whose we have eaten and of Whose goodness we have lived", and

3904-424: The usual pattern of making a blessing before the commandment, the blessing for relieving one's bodily needs and the blessing for ritually rinsing the hands are both recited afterwards. In the former case, it is forbidden to recite any blessing while one feels one's need, and so the blessing is postponed. In the latter case, one may also not recite the blessing beforehand since clean hands are a prerequisite for reciting

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3968-526: The weekly Torah portions Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Berakhot . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Berakhot&oldid=891089159 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings Hidden categories: Short description

4032-458: The word Amen is an acronym for א ל מ לך נ אמן ( ’El melekh ne’eman , "God, trustworthy King.") The word amen itself is etymologically related to the Hebrew word emunah ( אמונה , "faith") asserting that one is affirming the fundamental beliefs of Judaism. Although amen, in Judaism, is most commonly stated as a response to a blessing that incorporates God's name, amen

4096-531: Was used the title for a book that included a wider variety of prayers that are not part of the daily prayer routine, such as the wedding ceremony and eruv tavshilin , in addition to Birkat Hamazon and kiddush and zemirot. The Talmud relates that at the time of the Resurrection of the Dead , a special feast will take place. Abraham , Isaac , Jacob , Moses and Joshua will all claim unworthiness to lead

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