Morning Blessings

Prayer

The daily morning blessings — birkot hashachar, in Hebrew — acknowledge and thank God for all the blessings bestowed on people in general, and Jews in particular. Examples include appreciation for vision, strength, and for clothing.

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Start Your Day with Blessings

TALMUD

The Morning Blessings provide a structured way to express gratitude for the simple yet essential daily functions and necessities. This series of blessings, originating from the Talmudic period, guides one through a step-by-step morning routine, each action accompanied by a specific blessing.

Upon hearing the sound of the rooster, one should recite: Blessed…Who gave the heart [sekhvi] understanding to distinguish between day and night.
Upon opening his eyes, one should recite: Blessed…Who gives sight to the blind.
Upon sitting up straight, one should recite: Blessed…Who sets captives free.
Upon dressing, one should recite: Blessed…Who clothes the naked, as they would sleep unclothed.
Upon standing up straight, one should recite: Blessed…Who raises those bowed down…

Berakhot 60b:5

The Rooster's Wisdom

LITURGY

The blessing acknowledges the divine wisdom in the natural world, specifically the rooster's ability to distinguish between day and night. This blessing is part of the Morning Blessings recited daily by Jews to express gratitude for the renewal of the day.

Blessed are You, Hashem, King of the Universe, Who gives the rooster [alt. heart] the understanding to distinguish between day and between night.

Siddur Edot HaMizrach, Preparatory Prayers, Morning Blessings 8

Obligation in Morning Blessings

HALAKHAH

Should the Morning Blessings be recited individually while performing each corresponding act, or should they be recited consecutively as a block without performing the acts? Maimonides, in his famed 12th-century code of Jewish law, Mishneh Torah, presents his opinion on the subject.

It is the custom of the people in the majority of our cities to recite these blessings one after another in the synagogue, whether or not they are obligated in them.
This is a mistake and it is not proper to follow this practice. One should not recite a blessing unless he is obligated to.

Mishneh Torah, Prayer and the Priestly Blessing 7:9

Morning Blessings and Identity

HALAKHAH

The blessings recited each morning reflect one's identity and gender. The Shulchan Arukh, a 16th-century codification of Jewish law by Rabbi Joseph Karo, outlines these daily blessings, with additional Ashkenazi customs provided by Rabbi Moses Isserles.

One needs to bless every day "who did not make me a non-Jew", "who did not make me a slave", and "who did not make me a woman". Rem"a: And even a convert can bless so [his (ie. the Rem"a's) own words], but he should not say "who did not make me a non-Jew" for behold, he was a non-Jew previously [Abudarham]. And women bless "who made me according to His will" (instead of the last one mentioned above).

Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 46:4

Blessings Beyond the Rooster's Crow

COMMENTARY

The Tosafot's interpretation allows for the recitation of blessings based on the broader benefit of light, rather than the physical cue of a rooster's crow. The Tosafot, medieval rabbinic commentators, emphasize the importance of intention and personal benefit in the recitation of blessings, reflecting a broader principle of mindfulness in Jewish practice.

UPON HEARING THE SOUND OF THE ROOSTER, ONE SHOULD RECITE: BLESSED…WHO GAVE THE sekhvi UNDERSTANDING TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN DAY AND NIGHT. From the way the Gemara is phrased it seems that this b’rochoh should be recited only when one actually hears a rooster crow. Tosfos will explain that the b’rochoh is not for the rooster that crows, rather the light from which we benefit. And the rule is so, that one recites this b’rochoh, even if he did not hear the rooster crow…

Tosafot on Berakhot 60b:5

The Evolution of Morning Blessings

HALAKHAH

The shift in the recitation of the Morning Blessings from individual daily activities to a communal setting in the synagogue reflects historical concerns about ritual purity and the influence of the geonim, scholarly heads of the Babylonian academies. Rabbi Sharon Shalom explores the evolution of these morning blessings and their practical reasons, providing insight into the historical and communal aspects of Jewish prayer.

In most Jewish communities today, the morning blessings (Birkhot ha-Shahar) are recited in the synagogue, and they form an integral part of the daily prayer book. In Talmudic times, however, the individual recited these blessings while performing daily activities. The name of God was included in the blessing. In later periods, Jews cease to follow this custom, and the Geonim wrote that this was perhaps due to the possibility that the hands might be ritually unclean. Instead, individuals would recite the morning blessings at the beginning of the morning service in the synagogue.

From Sinai to Ethiopia, Shulhan haOrit; The Halakhah of Ethiopian Jewry, Then and Now, 2 Blessings 3:5

Clothing the Soul

CHASIDUT

The blessing 'Who clothes the naked' is not just about physical clothing but also about revealing the good points in Israel, creating spiritual garments of glory. Rebbe Nathan Sternhartz of Nemirov, in his work Likutei Halakhot, offers a kabbalistic interpretation of this morning blessing, connecting it to both spiritual and physical sustenance.

This is the reason brought in kabbalistic teaching for the blessing “Who clothes the naked” that we recite in the morning. For as explained previously, by revealing the good points—which are alluded to in the verse “Israel, in you etpa’er,” for HaShem takes pride in them, as it were—one creates garments, the concept of raiment of pe’er, raiment of glory for the soul.

Likutei Halakhot, Orach Chaim, Laws of Morning Conduct 1:10:2

Awakening to Blessings

COMMENTARY

The Morning Blessings are designed to make us aware of the countless blessings we often overlook, fostering a sense of gratitude. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, in his insightful essays, explores the significance of these morning blessings in cultivating mindfulness and appreciation for daily miracles.

Our morning prayers open with the Dawn Blessings in which we give thanks to God for giving us back our consciousness after sleep, for the human body and our restored soul, the earth we stand on and the freedom with which we rise, and so on through a whole litany of thanks. What this does is to foreground the background, focusing our attention on the things we normally take for granted. It is a cognitive shift designed to make us attentive to the myriad blessings with which we are surrounded…

Covenant and Conversation; Leviticus; The Book of Holiness, Tzav, Giving Thanks 23

Blessings Without Direct Benefit

HALAKHAH

The debate among medieval Jewish scholars about whether one can recite a blessing from which they do not derive direct personal benefit is both intriguing and relevant. Rabbi Eliezer Melamed’s contemporary halachic work, Peninei Halakhah, explores this issue in the context of the Morning Blessings.

There is a dispute among prominent Rishonim regarding the question of whether a person may recite one of the Birkot HaShachar from which he does not derive direct personal pleasure. For instance, may a blind person recite the berachah, Poke’ach ivrim?

Peninei Halakhah, Prayer 9:3:2

Blessings of Gratitude

GUIDES

The Morning Blessings are unique in that they are not tied to enjoyment or commandments, but are instead expressions of gratitude for God's beneficence. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, in his commentary on the Babylonian Talmud, introduces these blessings as belonging to a distinct category of thanksgiving.

In this chapter, which concludes tractate Berakhot, many different types of blessings are discussed. Despite the differences between these blessings, there are fundamental issues common to all of these blessings that fuse them into a single unit. The blessings in this chapter are neither blessings of enjoyment nor blessings over mitzvot. A significant number of them constitute the independent category of blessings of thanksgiving for God's beneficence. In addition to the blessings of thanksgiving, there are several other blessings that do not fall into this category…

Introductions to the Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot, Introduction to Perek IX 3-6

Small figure of a rooster. Image taken from f. 12 of Haggadah for Passover (the 'Ashkenazi Haggadah'), German rite with the commentary of Eleazar of Worms. 15th century

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