haMotzi
This is sung before meals where there is bread.
Hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz
We give thanks to God for bread
Our voices join in song together
As our joyful prayer is said:
Baruch atah adonai,
Elohaynu melech ha'olam
Hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz
Modeh Ani
This is sung first thing in the morning upon waking up
-- even before Good Morning, Boker Tov. :-)
Modeh ani l'fanecha
melech chai v'kayam
Shehechezarta
bi nishmati b'chemla raba
Sh'ma Yisroel
This is the last thing that we sing before we go to bed at night.
Sh'ma Yisroel, adonai elohenu, adonai echad!
Hear, oh Israel! The Lord, our G-d, the Lord is one!
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Brachot
When you're growing up, one of the things that you work really hard at is learning to be polite. No pushing, no shoving, and remembering to say please and thank you. Well, along with saying thank you to your parents or friends when they give you something, you should also try to remember to say thank you to God. That's why we have brachot -- it's a Jewish way of saying thank you to God. Here are some of the brachot that we say in our family, and, if you like, you can probably find lots more as well, 'cause we have a lot for which to be grateful. :-)
Eating Various Foods
Before we eat something, we generally stop for a few moments to thank God with a brachah, and there are different brachot for different types of food. If you're having a full meal with bread, the easiest thing to do is to sing or say haMotzi, as the brachah for bread makes it unnecessary to say any of the others. But if, for instance, you are having milk and cookies, you should say both shehakol for the milk and mezanot for the cookies.
- haMotzi - Bread, rolls, bagels, matzah
haGafen - Wine or grape juice
Mezanot - Grain products that aren't bread (cake, cookies, spaghetti)
haEtz - Things that grow on trees (apples, cherries, walnuts)
haAdamah - Vegetables & fruits that grow on the ground (potatoes, watermelon, bananas, strawberries)
Shehakol - Everything else (ice cream, candy, hot dogs)
haMotzi
The blessing when eating bread
Baruch atah adonai, elohaynu melech ha'olam hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.
haGafen
The blessing when drinking wine or grape juice
Baruch atah adonai, elohaynu melech ha'olam boray p'ri ha'gafen.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
Mezanot
The blessing when eating cakes, cookies, and other things made from grain
Baruch atah adonai, elohaynu melech ha'olam boray meenay mezanot.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates different kinds of nourishment.
haEtz
The blessing when eating things that grow on trees (fruit & nuts)
Baruch atah adonai, elohaynu melech ha'olam boray p'ri ha'etz.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the tree.
haAdamah
The blessing when eating things that grow on the ground (fruit & vegetables)
Baruch atah adonai, elohaynu melech ha'olam boray p'ri ha'adamah.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the ground.
Shehakol
The blessing when eating everything else(milk, meat, & manufactured products)
Baruch atah adonai, elohaynu melech ha'olam she'hakol nihiyeh bidvaro.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, at whose word all things come into existence.
Return to Top | IndexMaking Shabbat
Various brachot are used at the beginning of shabbat, including:
 | Candle Lighting Blessing of the Children Kiddush - an expanded haGafen Washing of Hands haMotzi |
Candle Lighting
Different families have different customs concerning how many Shabbos candles are lit, etc. Instead of worrying about matches, we light an extra "helper candle", as in Chanukah, and use it to light the other candles, which allows children to light their own candles safely. After the candles are lit, close your eyes, make three circles around the flames with your hands, place your hands over your eyes, and recite the blessing. At that point Shabbos has officially begun, so when we open our eyes we exchange kisses and say "Good Shabbos" to each other.
Baruch atah adonai, elohaynu melech ha'olam, asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu, l'hadliq ner shel Shabbat.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who has commanded us to kindle the Shabbos light.
Return to Top | IndexBlessing of the Children
Place both of your hands on your child's head and say the following:
For Boys:
Yesimcha Elohim k'Ephraim v'chi Menashe
May God bless you as He blessed Ephraim and Manashe.
For girls:
Yesimech Elohim k'Sarah, Rivka, Rachel v'Leah.
May God bless you as He blessed Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.
The following can then be added for both:
May God bless you and keep you.
May God cause His face to shine on you and be gracious to you.
May God lift up His face to you and give you peace.
Kiddush
Honest, it will get done Return to Top | IndexWashing of Hands
This blessing is meant to be said before every meal where there is bread. We don't always manage that, but we do make it a part of our challah ritual on Shabbat. And like many rituals, different traditions exist as to how its done. We fill a two-handed washing cup in the kitchen with water and while holding the cup in our left hand, pour a little water over the right hand three times. Then reverse the cup, and pour a little water over the left hand three times. While drying our hands we recite the blessing and then we're supposed to be quiet until after motzi is said. There's something about mandated silence that can be very difficult for children, so particularly when there are a lot of people, wait to be among the last to wash and hum to keep them amused and occupied.
Baruch atah adonai, elohaynu melech ha'olam, asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu, al netilat yadayim
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who has commanded us about washing our hands.
Return to Top | IndexHavdalah
Just as there are special rituals and brachot to welcome shabbos, there are also special brachot to end shabbos. These rituals make up Havdalah or "separation", because we're leaving shabbat and returning to the rest of the week. The blessings used are:
Blessing of the wine
Blessing of the Spices
Blessing of the Lights
Hamavdil, the final blessing
Blessing of the Spices
Baruch atah adonai, elohaynu melech ha'olam, borei minei v'samim
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates fragrant spices
Return to Top | IndexBlessing of the Lights
Baruch atah adonai, elohaynu melech ha'olam, borei m'orei ha'esh
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the lights of fire
Return to Top | IndexHamavdil, the final blessing
Baruch atah adonai, elohaynu melech ha'olam, hamavdil bein kodesh lechol, bein yisroel la'amim, bein or lechoshech, bein yom hashevi'i lesheishet yemai hama'aseh. Baruch atah adonai, hamavdil bein kodesh lechol. Amen.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who has made a distiction between the holy and the ordinary, between light and darkness, between the people of Israel and other people, between the seventh day and the six other days of the week. Blessed are You, Lord our God, who has made a distiction between the holy and the ordinary.
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