Living as a Jew is an incredible gift. Judaism teaches us how to mark our time through blessings. What is a blessing? A blessing is anything that begins with the following six words:
Barukh Atah Adonai Elohenu Melech HaOlam . . . . . .
Blessed are you God, Our God, King of the World . . . . .
Some Reconstructionist Jews have issues with praising God for a blessing, but I can honestly say that I don’t struggle with that issue. First of all, I often change words to meet my needs. Our own siddur, Kol Haneshamah: Shabbat Vehagim, has information on blessings on page 5. I change the words, but I still relish my ability to mark each moment.
Each moment of our lives counts. The Jewish practice of blessing derives from the desire to promote joy and appreciation, wonder and thankfulness, amazement and praise. Sometimes I can’t believe how fortunate I am to be of a religion that invites me to consciously take notice of what goes on around me. As a teacher and a mother, I want to help each person, both adult and child, see his or her own personal blessings and find a way to mark the moment. By noticing preciousness and gifts, we are striving for a place of kedusha, or holiness.
From biblical times to the present day, Jews have used blessings to consecrate the moments of our lives. With that in mind, I believe there is a historical reason to continue the practice of reciting blessings. It binds you to your people and to your roots.
Rabbi Meir, one of the great Talmudic sages, used to say: “A person should say one hundred blessings daily. . .” (Menachot 43b) According to Rabbi Meir, saying one hundred blessings a day will help you master the virtue of awe and reverence. This particular custom is construed as being halachic, that is, Jewish law. Some might consider this to be overbearing, but for me it allows me to see the rainbow regardless of the situation. If each of us were to take notice of 100 things in our lives, we would be more sensitive to everything going on around us.
I have had the great fortune of growing to see our community as an incredible blessing. The challenges that I find here are also the greatest gifts. I feel the same way about parenthood, teaching, and almost every aspect of my life. Even when I have been faced with some of life’s biggest challenges, I have always seen the rainbow. Our prayers teach us to stop and notice that rainbow.
Years ago, I was facing the pain of seeing my young son in the hospital with tubes all around. As I sat there on the bed, I remember reflecting that I needed to focus on Dovi as a blessing in my life. That thought helped me to deal with his pain and mine as his mother. Focusing on the positive blessings was my way to help Dovi. Today, I often times have to remind myself that my children are indeed a blessing, but that really isn’t so difficult.
In our morning blessings, there is a setting of blessings called Birhot Hashahar in which we mark many different moments: our ability to distinguish between day and night; to clothe the naked; to release the captive; to give strength to the weary. The list goes on. Birhot Hashahar helps us not to take the small things for granted.
I invite each of you to notice what’s happening around you. Take a break and notice life’s blessings. If you notice something for the first time in a long time, you can say the shehecheyanu.
To take the time to teach yourself and your loved ones to notice what’s going on around you is the most amazing gift you can give. May each of you see 100 blessings a day!
L’shalom,
Toni Bloomberg Grossman