Rabbinic Personal Blessings
About This Entry
The several blessings found in talmudic literature all reflect the values and ideals of rabbinic culture: study and knowledge of Torah, piety and reverence toward God, and generosity toward others.
b. Berakhot 17a
When the sages took leave of the study hall of R. Ammi, and some say [it was] the study hall of R. Ḥanina, they would say to him the following [blessing]: May you see your world, [may you benefit from all of the good in the world,] in your lifetime, and may your end be to life in the world to come, and may your hope [be sustained] for many generations. [May] your heart meditate understanding, your mouth speak wisdom, and your tongue whisper with praise. [May] your eyelids look directly before you, your eyes shine in the light of Torah, and your face radiate like the brightness of the firmament. [May] your lips express knowledge, your kidneys rejoice in the upright, and your feet run to hear the words of the Ancient of Days.
b. Ta‘anit 5b–6a
R. Naḥman and R. Isaac were sitting [and eating together] at a meal. [ . . . ] When they were taking leave of one another, [R. Naḥman] said to [R. Isaac,] “Master, give me a blessing.” [R. Isaac] said to him: I will tell you a parable. To what is this matter comparable? [It is comparable] to one who was walking through a desert and who was hungry, tired, and thirsty. And he found a tree whose fruits were sweet and whose shade was pleasant, and a stream of water flowed beneath it. [He] ate from the fruits of [the tree], drank from the water in [the stream], and sat in the shade of [the tree]. And when he wished to leave, he said: Tree, tree, with what shall I bless you? If I say to you that your fruits should be sweet, your fruits are [already] sweet; [if I say] that your shade should be pleasant, your shade is [already] pleasant; [if I say] that a stream of water should flow beneath you, a stream of water [already] flows beneath you. Rather, [I will bless you as follows:] May it be [God’s] will that all saplings which they plant from you be like you. So [it is with] you. With what shall I bless you? If [I bless you] with Torah, [you already have] Torah; if [I bless you] with wealth, [you already have] wealth; if [I bless you] with children, [you already have] children. Rather, may it be [God’s] will that your offspring shall be like you.
Notes
Words in brackets appear in the original translation.
Credits
From Koren Talmud Bavli, Noé Edition, trans. Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz (Jerusalem: Koren Publishers Jerusalem, 2019). Accessed via the William Davidson digital edition, sefaria.org. Adapted with permission of Koren Publishers Ltd.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.
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Qumran Covenant Ceremony Blessings and Curses
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Rule of the Blessings 1:1–3:21
The Mishnah on the Public Reading of Scripture
m. Megillah 3:4–6; 4:1–2
The Talmud on the Public Reading of Scripture
b. Megillah 21b
Recitation of Verses before Prayer
y. Berakhot 5:1, 8d
Recitation of Psalm 145 (Ashre)
b. Berakhot 4b