Weekly Thoughts
Bless this Food? 11/27/08
Hi all,
I've been thinking about the stark differences between the Jewish prayer before a meal and the way we so often pray.
Hebrew prayers before a meal bless God who is the Source of the food, we tend to "bless the food". They don't ask that God would "bless it to our bodies" nor "bless this food which we are about to receive." They merely thank God for being the Source of the meal. Period.
My grandparents asked "Who would like to return thanks?"; perhaps that's closer to the Hebrew way.
So with these thoughts before the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US, I have listed below the various Hebrew prayers spoken before a meal both in Hebrew and English.
A general "catch all" prayer
Ba-ruch a-tah A-do-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-o-lam,
she-ha-kol ni-h'yeh bid-va-ro.
Blessed are You, HaShem, our God, King of the Universe,
by whose word everything comes to be.
Non bread foods which contain grain: (cakes, dumplings, pastries, etc)
Ba-ruch a-tah A-do-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-o-lam,
bo-rei mi-nei m'zo-not.
Blessed are You, HaShem, our God, King of the Universe,
who creates variety of sustenance.
Before wine or juice:
Ba-ruch a-tah A-do-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-o-lam,
bo-rei p'ri ha-ga-fen.
Blessed are You, HaShem, our God, King of the Universe,
who creates the fruit of the vine.
For eating the fruit of a tree:
Ba-ruch a-tah A-do-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-o-lam,
bo-rei p'ri ha-eitz.
Blessed are You, HaShem, our God, King of the Universe,
who creates the fruit of the tree.
This holiday, let us not limit our giving of thanks to an earthly level as we sit around the table with our families - I'm thankful for friends, I'm thankful for our house - that's all well and good, but let us turn upwards to God, the Source of all good things. Let us not ask him for anything, let's humble ourselves and thank Him, the Creator.
Some thoughts this day, have a great holiday,
John Fenn
