Guide
Rabbinic Occasional Blessings
1st–6th Centuries
The following early rabbinic legal texts spell out the occasions and the proper forms for personal occasional blessings.
Related Primary Sources
Primary Source
The Mishnah on Occasional Blessings
m. Berakhot 9:1–3
1. One who sees a place where miracles were performed for Israel says, “Blessed [are You, O Lord our God], who performed miracles for our forefathers in this place.” [One who sees] a place from which…
Primary Source
Surrounded by the Mitzvot: Gender and Daily Ritual in Tosefta Berakhot
t. Berakhot 6:9–10, 18, 24–25
Tosefta Berakhot 6 presents Jewish life as immersed in ritual, blessings, and physical commandments that mark the (male) body as sacred.
Primary Source
The Palestinian Talmud on Occasional Blessings
y. Berakhot 9:1–3 (selections)
R. Zeira and R. Judah in the name of Rab, “Any blessing that does not include [a reference to] God’s kingdom is not a valid blessing.”…
Primary Source
The Babylonian Talmud on Occasional Blessings
b. Berakhot 11b, 60b
What blessings does he recite [before studying Torah—Ed.]? R. Judah said [that] Samuel said, “Who sanctified us with his mitzvot and…
Primary Source
Tefillin from Nahal Se’elim
These tefillin (phylacteries) were found in Naḥal Se’elim, in the Judean desert. Tefillin are small leather ritual boxes used during prayer. They are affixed to one’s forehead and nondominant arm with…