Ellen Bernstein
Writer, Teacher, Consultant, Founder, Shomrei Adamah, Keepers of the Earth
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CHAPTER 4: BLESSINGS & PRAISE
OBJECTIVES MATERIALS & PREPARATION
Blessings and Praise Opening Invite participants to say the blessing over the bread with you. Break the bread and share it.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS • What is the purpose of brachot? Brachot are a momentary pause between the awareness of an act and the act itself. From a naturalist perspective, this pause may be considered unnatural; animals do not contemplate their food before eating. In this way brachot remind us of our humanity, and the distinctions between humans and the animal world. Have a volunteer read the selection from God in Search of Man by Abraham Joshua Heschel (see Readings & Worksheets). Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel was a modern theologian and important Jewish thinker who taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He wrote numerous books and was renowned for his work in the Civil Rights movement. • Have you ever looked at brachot in the same way that Heschel does? • Do you agree with Heschel? Could you imagine any change in your life if you looked differently at brachot? • According to the Talmud (Brachot 35). "Man may not take pleasure in [or derive benefit from] any worldly thing until he has recited a blessing over it. Anyone who takes pleasure [or derives benefit] from this world without making a blessing is guilty of misappropriating sacred property [a sin punishable by death]: What does this mean?
• Can you think of traditions similar to brachot in any other cultures or religions, in which giving back to the earth is considered of critical importance?
• Many people may have had the wonderful and important experience of noticing how magnificent or beautiful a tree is. Is there a difference between saying, "Oh wow, nice tree," and "Praise to You, God, who has created the trees"?
Text Study: The Brachot There is a whole set of brachot which are less familiar to many Jews. These brachot are recited when a person experiences various natural phenomena. After the Bible was written, the early rabbis interpreted and expanded upon the biblical laws. Around 200 C.E., Rabbi Judah the Prince collected all the Rabbis' discussions and interpretations of the Bible's laws and wrote them down in a book called the Mishnah. It is in the Mishnah that we will find the roots of the brachot we say today. It is traditional for Jews to study the Mishnah in pairs called Hevrutot (sing. Hevrutah). Participants will study a selection from the first masechet (division): Brachot (Blessings), of the first seder (order): Zeraim (Seeds) 9:2. Divide the group into Hevrutah pairs and hand out copies of the text and questions (see Readings & Worksheets). Allow ten minutes to study the texts and answer the questions. Regroup and discuss the texts, using the questions as a guide. POINTS TO EMPHASIZE By giving us these brachot to recite, the Mishnah is training us to appreciate the wonders of the daily world that have become commonplace to most of us. Through the brachot, the Mishnah is teaching us of God's presence in nature—even in the frightening, powerful aspects of nature. Many people feel closest to God outdoors; that is why we have a custom of putting windows in our synagogues. For some of us, praying indoors feels unnatural; we prefer the mountains for our temples. Athletes, artists and musicians all exercise to improve their skills. Brachot are spiritual exercises that we can do to help us remember the source and the Eternal in everything. Reciting brachot can expand our appreciation and joy in life. With an expanded awareness of the inherent value of all life, can we still exploit the earth? Your Own Brachot and Praises The Jewish people did not stop composing brachot after the Mishnah was compiled. Like Rabbi Judah, many sages believed that some natural phenomena were special enough to merit a new, unique brachah (sing. for brachot). Examples of these post-Mishnaic brachot include: • The blessing over a rainbow, the sign of God's covenant with Noah:
• The blessing over fruit trees in bloom in Spring (this may be recited only once a year):
Brachot are one way in which the Rabbis taught us to honor nature and God. Can you think of others? The following story is told of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav. He was raised in a city and never spent time in a natural setting until he was married (at age 14) and went to live with his wife in her village. Her village was in the midst of a beautiful countryside, and when he first got there, he couldn't believe how wonderful it felt to be in nature. He felt that outside, he could easily pray and talk to God. There was no one to bother him, and all the animals and plants helped his prayers reach heaven. He spent much time outdoors. When he became a rabbi. he told his congregants to spend one hour a day outdoors to commune with God. Have a volunteer recite Rabbi Nachman's prayer (see Readings & Worksheets). Ask participants to also create their own brachot and prayers. Have them choose a part of nature for which they would like to compose a brachah or poem (for example: thunder, snowstorms. an eclipse, clouds, flowers, bird songs). If it is to be a brachah, it should begin with the words "Praise to You Adonai, our God and Universal Ruler". Tell the class to think about how the part of nature they have chosen makes them think and feel about God. The brachah can be simple ("Praise to You, Adonai . . . Who makes grasshoppers") or more elaborate ("Praise to You, Eternal. . . Who creates flying insects that sing in the summer night"). The brachot should say something about God's presence in nature. Encourage participants to use a name for God that speaks to them, like "Eternal" or "Source of Life," and so on. Brachot Sheets Hand out paper and fine-point markers. Have participants write their newly-created brachot and prayers along with some of the traditional brachot we have discussed. Encourage them to decorate their "brachot sheets" with drawings and designs. [Note: According to some traditional Jewish legal teachings, it is no longer permissible to create our own brachot. If you take this stance, explore this and talk about the possible rationale for this position. Then, go ahead and have participants write on their sheets and illustrate them, using the traditional brachot only.] Bringing It Home Brachot help us see God as part of everything in the world. When we view nature as connected with God we are less likely to mistreat or destroy it. Rabbi Meir said that "it is a mitzvah (commandment) to recite 100 blessings every day" (Babylonian Talmud, Menahot 43b). Could this help you in your life today? Is it appropriate to expect people to do this? Would it make a difference in the world if people did this? Try to notice the number of times a day you feel appreciation for anything. How do you feel when you are appreciative? What does it feel like on a day when you forget to appreciate things? It takes work to be conscious of your world and to be appreciative of it. Try over the next week to bless things in whatever way is comfortable to you. Compare notes next time and see if the work pays off. For Further Reading Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man. Blessings and Praise Opening: From Abraham Joshua Heschel, God In Search of Man, pp. 48-51. Reading
Every evening we recite: "He creates light and makes the dark." Twice a day we say: "He is One." What is the meaning of such repetition? A scientific theory, once it is announced and accepted, does not have to be repeated twice a day. The insights of wonder must be constantly kept alive. Since there is a need for daily wonder, there is a need for daily worship. The sense for the "miracles which are daily with us," the sense for the "continual marvels," is the source of prayer. There is no worship, no music, no love, if we take for granted the blessings or defeats of living. No routine of the social, physical. or physiological order must dull our sense of surprise at the fact that there is a social, a physical, or a physiological order. We are trained in maintaining our sense of wonder by uttering a prayer before the enjoyment of food. Each time we are about to drink a glass of water, we remind ourselves of the eternal mystery of creation, "Blessed be Thou. . . by Whose word all things come into being." A trivial act and a reference to the supreme miracle. Wishing to eat bread or fruit, to enjoy a pleasant fragrance or a cup of wine; on tasting fruit in season for the first time; on seeing a rainbow, or the ocean; on noticing trees when they blossom; on meeting a sage in Torah or in secular learning; on hearing good or bad tidings - we are taught to invoke His great name and our awareness of Him. Even on performing a physiological function we say "Blessed be Thou. . . who healest all flesh and doest wonders." This is one of the goals of the Jewish way of living: to experience commonplace deeds as spiritual adventures, to feel the hidden love and wisdom in all things. . . . The belief in "the hidden miracles is the basis for the entire Torah. A man has no share in the Torah, unless he believes that all things and all events in the life of the individual as well as in the life of society are miracles. There is no such thing as the natural course of events. . . ." (Nachmanides). Blessings and Praise Text Study: The Brachot: Mishnah Brachot 9:2 Reading
Blessings and Praise Text Study: The Brachot: Mishnah Brachot 9:2 Participant Worksheet 1. What do the items in section A have in common? What do the items in section B have in common? How do the items in section A differ from those in section B? 2. Are the blessings in sections A and B appropriate for the items over which they are said? What do the blessings make us think about in each case? Why do you think the Rabbis chose these blessings for these items? 3. What items could you add to the lists in sections A and B? 4. Even though we already have a blessing for oceans, in section C, Rabbi Judah assigns the Great Sea its own brachah. Why do you think he does this? Are there any events or parts of nature that you believe deserve their own special blessing? Why? 5. Why do you think the blessing for rain is the same as the one for good news, and . not the one for storms and thunder? This blessing would make a great deal of sense in a time of drought; should we still recite it in a time of flood? 6. Why do you think the Mishnah instructs someone who sees these things every day not to recite the blessing each time? 7. If we observed this tradition and recited blessings on a regular basis, how might it change the way we looked at the world around us? 8. Based on these blessings, the Rabbis seem to feel that when we look closely enough, every part of nature tells us something about God (examples: God's power, God's creative force). How might looking at nature in this way change the way we treat the natural world? Blessings and Praise Text Study: The Brachor: Mishnah Brachot 9:2 Leader Worksheet 1. What do the items in section A have in common? What do the items in section B have in common? How do the items in section A differ from those in section B? 2. Are the blessings in sections A and B appropriate for the items over which they are said? What do the blessings make us think about in each case? Why do you think the Rabbis chose these blessings for these items? 3. What items could you add to the lists in sections A and B? 4. Even though we already have a blessing for oceans, in section C, Rabbi Judah assigns the Great Sea its own brachah. Why do you think he does this? Are there any events or parts of nature that you believe deserve their own special blessing? Why? 5. Why do you think the blessing for rain is the same as the one for good news, and not the one for storms and thunder? This blessing would make a great deal of sense in a time of drought; should we still recite it in a time of flood? 6. Why do you think the Mishnah instructs someone who sees these things every day not to recite the blessing each time? 7. If we observed this tradition and recited blessings on a regular basis, how might it change the way we looked at the world around us? 8. Based on these blessings, the Rabbis seem to feel that when we look closely enough, every part of nature tells us something about God (examples: God's power, God's creative force). How might looking at nature in this way change the way we treat the natural world? Blessings and Praise Your Own Brachot and Praises: Rabbi Nachman's Prayer Reading
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