Blessing of the Month

Really? We have a bracha, a blessing, about using a toilet?! Well, yes, we have a bracha of appreciation for the workings of our bodies. This bracha, “asher yatzar,” is recited in the early part of every morning service. It serves there as an acknowledgement of our relative physical fragility, and as a blanket thank-you for the workings of our bodies.

What could be more Jewish than lighting candles to mark the beginning of Shabbat and festivals, and on each night of Hanukkah? Reciting a bracha when lighting those candles!

We have many specific brachot and some that paint with a very broad brush. Specific? Viewing a rainbow, or seeing a head of state. Broad? Wonders of nature, or seeing unusual creatures (hmm … by whose definition?).

We’re focusing on one bracha each month, learning what it means and how to recite it, when it’s appropriate to use, and anything more that it can teach us. Then, of course, it’s up to you to make space for that bracha in the broader scheme of your life.