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Shabbat and Festivals - Morning Service

Morning Blessings

birchot hashachar

ברכות השחר

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Israeli: ' marks a reduced vowel that Israeli speech drops (b'rachah); when the vowel is pronounced it is written e (lefanecha). - separates syllables that would otherwise run together.

How to read the transliterations

בִּרְכוֹת הַתּוֹרָה

B’rakhot Before Torah Study

Hebrew

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם,
אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לַעֲסוֹק בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה.
וְהַעֲרֶב־נָא יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֶת־דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָתְךָ בְּפִינוּ וּבְפִי
עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְנִהְיֶה אֲנַחְנוּ וְצֶאֱצָאֵינוּ וְצֶאֱצָאֵי עַמְּךָ
בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל כֻּלָּנוּ יוֹדְעֵי שְׁמֶךָ וְלוֹמְדֵי תוֹרָתְךָ לִשְׁמָהּ.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה, הַמְלַמֵּד תּוֹרָה לְעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל.

Israeli

baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam,
asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav vetzivanu la-asok b'divrei Torah.
veha-arev-na Adonai Eloheinu et-divrei Toratcha b'finu uvfi
amecha beit Yisra-el, venihyeh anachnu vetze-etza-einu vetze-etza-ei amecha
beit Yisra-el kulanu yode-ei sh'mecha velomedei Toratcha lishmah.
baruch atah Adonai, hamelamed Torah le-amo Yisra-el.

English

Barukh atah Adonai, our God, ruler of time and space, who has granted us a path to holiness through keeping mitzvot and has charged us to occupy ourselves with the words of Torah. May You sweeten Your Torah’s words upon our lips and upon the lips of Your people, the house of Israel, that we, our children, and every child of Israel’s house come to know Your name and to study Torah for its own sake. Barukh atah Adonai, who teaches Torah to Israel, Your people.

Hebrew

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם,
אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר בָּנוּ מִכָּל־הָעַמִּים, וְנָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־תּוֹרָתוֹ.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה, נוֹתֵן הַתּוֹרָה.

Israeli

baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam,
asher bachar banu mikol-ha-amim, venatan lanu et-torato.
baruch atah Adonai, noten hatorah.

English

Barukh atah Adonai, our God, ruler of time and space, who has selected us from among all peoples, granting us the Torah. Barukh atah Adonai, who bestows the Torah.

Texts for Study

TORAH:

Numbers 6:24–26

Hebrew

יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ.
יָאֵר יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ.
יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם.

Israeli

yevarechcha Adonai veyishmerecha.
ya-er Adonai panav elecha vichuneka.
yisa Adonai panav elecha veyasem lecha shalom.

English

May Adonai bless you and guard you. May the countenance of Adonai shine on you and may Adonai grant you kindness. May the countenance of Adonai be raised toward you and may Adonai give you peace.

MISHNAH:

Mishnah Peah 1:1

Hebrew

אֵלּוּ דְבָרִים שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם שִׁעוּר: הַפֵּאָה וְהַבִּכּוּרִים וְהָרֵאָיוֹן
וּגְמִילוּת חֲסָדִים וְתַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה.

Israeli

elu d'varim she-ein lahem shiur: hape-ah vehabikurim vehare-ayon
ugmilut chasadim vetalmud Torah.

English

These are acts that have no prescribed measure: leaving produce at a field’s corner for the poor, presenting first fruits as a gift to the Temple, pilgrimage offerings on the three festivals, works of kindness and love, together with the study of Torah.

TALMUD:

based on Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 39b

Hebrew

אֵלּוּ דְבָרִים שֶׁאָדָם אוֹכֵל פֵּרוֹתֵיהֶם בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְהַקֶּרֶן
קַיֶּמֶת לוֹ לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: כִּבּוּד אָב וָאֵם, וּגְמִילוּת
חֲסָדִים, וְהַשְׁכָּמַת בֵּית הַמִּדְרָשׁ שַׁחֲרִית וְעַרְבִית,
וְהַכְנָסַת אוֹרְחִים, וּבִקּוּר חוֹלִים, וְהַכְנָסַת כַּלָּה, וּלְוָיַת
הַמֵּת, וְעִיּוּן תְּפִלָּה, וַהֲבָאַת שָׁלוֹם בֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ וּבֵין
אִישׁ לְאִשְׁתּוֹ; וְתַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה כְּנֶגֶד כֻּלָּם.

Israeli

elu d'varim she-Adam ochel peroteihem ba-olam hazeh vehakeren
kayemet lo la-olam haba, ve-elu hen: kibud av va-em, ugmilut
chasadim, vehashkamat beit hamidrash shacharit ve-arvit,
vehachnasat orechim, uvikur cholim, vehachnasat kalah, ulevayat
hamet, ve-iyun t'filah, vahava-at shalom bein Adam lachavero uvein
ish le-ishto; vetalmud Torah k'neged kulam.

English

These are acts that bear fruit at once and go on bearing fruit in time to come: honoring one’s parents; doing deeds of kindness and love; being present in the house of study at morning and at evening; offering hospitality; visiting those who are sick; aiding a needy bride; accompanying the dead; probing prayer’s meaning; bringing peace between one person and another, and between a husband and a wife. And among them all, the study of Torah is the most basic.

Commentary

TO ENGAGE WITH THE WORDS OF TORAH לַעֲסוֹק בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה. The blessing is not phrased “to learn Torah,” as if Torah were something fixed that one could acquire. When we “engage” with Torah we become active participants: querying it, drawing out its implications, and incorporating its teachings into our lives.

TO KNOW YOUR NAME וְיוֹדְעֵי שְׁמֶךָ. To know God’s name is to act in a holy way—justly, compassionately, truthfully.

PASSAGES OF STUDY. The ancient rabbis categorized three types of study: biblical study (mikra); study of the oral tradition, which became codified in the Mishnah (circa 225 C.E.); and study of the elaboration of that tradition (called in Aramaic g’mara and in Hebrew talmud). Versions of that process constitute the Talmud of the Land of Israel (edited until the year 425 C.E.) and the Babylonian Talmud (edited in the 6th–7th centuries C.E.). Having recited the blessings over studying Torah, one should then proceed to engage in study—and the traditional liturgy immediately offers examples of these three kinds of study.

LEAVING THE PRODUCE AT THE CORNER OF A FIELD FOR THE POOR הַפֵּאָה. Leaving the corner of the field for the poor may be the simplest of acts: it is entirely passive and the Mishnah teaches that the amount one leaves for the poor is totally up to each individual. Maimonides elaborates all the laws of tzedakah in the section of his law code dealing with this mitzvah, as if to say that tzedakah begins with the simplest of acts.

THESE ARE THE DEEDS THAT YIELD IMMEDIATE FRUIT פֵּרוֹתֵיהֶם בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. This list from tractate Kiddushin was expanded through the Middle Ages (Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Matnot Aniyim), and variations are extant in different prayerbooks; “peace between husband and wife” is one such addition.

Blessings Before Study א One should say the blessings on the Torah in the morning as if one were once again standing at Sinai receiving the Torah from God. —JACOB BEN ASHER …

Blessings Before Study ב The purpose of saying blessings over the Torah is to remind us that study of Torah is not only an intellectual task but also a spiritual one—study of Torah should lead to deeper and deeper spiritual experience. Through Torah study we build the Temple where heaven and earth meet. —JOEL SIRKES …

And Bestow Upon You Kindness Some say the meaning of the phrase in the Priestly Blessing is that God will look kindly on you and grant you that which you wish. Others interpret the phrase to mean that God will bless you so that you are treated with kindness by others. —SIFREI NUMBERS …