Guide
Early Jewish Praise and Thanksgiving
2nd Century BCE–13th Century CE
Restricted
By Carol Bakhos
Both the Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran and rabbinic literature prescribe blessings and prayers of praise and thanksgiving to be recited in communal settings. These include regular daily prayers and liturgy surrounding communal meals. In the rabbinic liturgy, the standard blessing formula features prominently.
Related Primary Sources
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Qumran Daily Blessings
Daily Prayers
[When the sun] ris[es to shine on the earth they shall bless. They shall…
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The Mishnah on Blessings after a Meal
m. Berakhot 7:1–4
1. Three who ate together must invite each other [to recite the blessings after the meal they have just eaten]. If [among the three] [ . . . ] one was a servant who had eaten an olive’s bulk [of food]…
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The Tosefta on Blessings after a Meal
t. Berakhot 4:7, 15; 5:17, 21
4:7. This is the general rule: Any [breadstuff] before [the eating of] which one recites the benediction, “Who brings forth bread from the earth”—he must recite three benedictions after [eating it] [i…
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The Palestinian Talmud on Blessings after a Meal
y. Berakhot 1:5, 3d
R. Simon in the name of R. Joshua b. Levi said, “If one did not mention the Torah in [the blessing of] the Land, [the first blessing of the Grace after the meal,] they make him repeat it. On what…
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The Babylonian Talmud on Blessings after a Meal
b. Berakhot 46a–50a (selections)
R. Yoḥanan said in the name of R. Simeon bar Yoḥai: The host breaks bread and a guest recites [grace after meals]. The host breaks [bread…
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A Version of the Blessings after Meals (Birkat ha-mazon) from the Land of Israel
Let us bless for the food we have eaten from Him [var.: Let us bless (the one) of whose (bounty) we have eaten]
and by whose goodness we…
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The Passover-Eve Ritual in the Mishnah
m. Pesaḥim 10:1–8
1. On the eve of Passover, near the time of the afternoon service [or offering; Hebrew minḥah], no one should eat until it gets dark.
Even a poor person in Israel should not…
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A Version of the Rabbinic Passover-Eve Ritual from the Land of Israel
Praised be You, Adonai our God, King of the universe,
Creator of the fruit of the vine.…
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The Mishnah Begins: Debate and Daily Practice
m. Berakhot 1:1–5
The Mishnah’s opening debate about when to recite the Shema‘ models how the rabbis shaped Jewish life through debate.
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The Tosefta on the Blessings Surrounding the Shema‘
t. Berakhot 1:5–8; 2:1–2
1:5. [With regard to the length of the benedictions before the evening recitation of the shema‘, m. Berakhot 1:4], why did they say [one long and] one short?
Where they…
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Reciting the Blessings before Shema‘ in Tattered Clothing
t. Megillah 3:27
One who breaks bread, and one who recites a blessing over fruit or over mitzvot, should not answer “Amen” to himself. If he does answer, this is an ignorant practice. We do not answer an “orphaned”…
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The Palestinian Talmud on the Blessing after the Shema‘
y. Berakhot 1:1, 2d; 1:2, 3a
One must juxtapose [the recitation of] the “Redemption” [i.e., the liturgical benediction which follows the Shema‘ in the morning] with…
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The Babylonian Talmud on the Blessings Surrounding the Shema‘
b. Berakhot 11a–12a
What blessing does one recite [in the morning—Ed.]? R. Jacob said in the name of R. Oshaya: [The blessing] Who forms light and creates darkness, [who makes peace and creates evil, I am the Lord who…
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A Version of the Recitation of the Shema‘ and Its Blessings from the Land of Israel
Praised are You, Adonai our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the obligation of reciting the Shema‘: with…