Deuteronomy 8:10, Birkat Hamazon- blessing after meals

[alon]

Birkat Hamazon- the blessing after the meal

This is one of the most important prayers in Judaism. We are commanded to bless God after we have eaten.

Deuteronomy 8:10 (CJB) So you will eat and be satisfied, and you will bless Adonai your God for the good land he has given you.

This blessing is mandatory in Judaism after any meal in which bread has been served. In Jewish law, eating bread makes a meal. The prayer they say is birkat ha-mazon, grace after meals. In Yiddish the term is bentshn, which means to bless. It is from this it gets its’ common English name, bentching.

This is all done in addition to the b’rakhot over wine and bread before meals.


History of Birkat Hamazon

The Talmud tractate Berakhot contains the four blessings said after meals. Traditionally the first blessing is attributed to Moshe, the second to Yehoshua, the third to Melech Dovid and Melech Shlomo, and the fourth to the Yavneh rabbis. The Talmud mentions the blessings by their titles and final lines; only hinting at the wording. These shorterTalmudic versions have inspired shortened versions of Birkat Hamazon. So don’t panic when you read the full version. At the end of this post I’ll list a shortened version and a very shortened version of the b’racha. However according to the main thing is to thank HaShem after the meal. It’s one thing to be grateful when hungry and looking at a table set with food. It is quite another to remember the One who provided that food after you are sated.

When no bread has been eaten a different blessing, the brakha aharona or the “end blessing,” is said. To keep this (fairly) brief, I won’t go into that. If you want to have this prayer and all the other b’rachot you can order a bentcher from a Judaica store.


Before the Blessing

When three or more people (traditionally three or more men) have broken bread together, a zimmun, a back-and-forth invitation precedes the prayer. Everyone at the meal is invited to recite the b’racha, and they all give responses praising God. When ten or more have eaten, God’s name is added to the zimmun. Another custom is saying the Birkat Hamazon over a cup of wine if ten (or more) have eaten together.


Structure of the Blessing

Structurally Birkat ha-mazon consists of four blessings. Three of these were composed around the time of Ezra and the Great Assembly (which contradicts the tradition ascribing them to Moshe, Yehoshua et all). A fourth was added after the destruction of the Temple. These blessings are:

1.Birkat Hazan- blessing for providing food, which thanks God for giving food to the world.
2.Birkat Ha-Aretz- blessing for the land, thanking God for bringing Yisro’el forth from the land of Egypt, for making His covenant with His people, and for giving the Jewish people the Eretz Yisro’el as an inheritance.
3.Birkat Yerushalayim- blessing for Jerusalem, praying for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the coming of hamoshiach.
4.Birkat Ha-Tov v'Ha-Maytiv - blessing for being and doing good; emphasizing the goodness of God's work, that Gd is good and does good.This was added after the destruction of the Temple.

After the fourth blessing there are a series of short liturgical statements which begin with harahaman, “may the compassionate One.” Each asks a particular gift from God. One petitions God to eternally stay the ruler of the Jewish people. Another asks that God grant those praying honorable livelihoods, send hamoshiach, and bestow blessings for others present. Sometimes these blessings will be read aloud by the leader, then everyone answers “Amen” to each one.


Different communities and sects have variations to the Birkat Hamazon. Words are added, some phrases are reordered, and others are added or deleted.


Short version:

Leader: Chaveirai n'vareich! - Let us praise God!
Group: Y'hi shem Adonai m'vorach mei-atah v'ad olam- Praised be the name of God, now and forever.
Leader: Y'hi shem Adonai m'vorach mei-atah v'ad olam. Birshut hachevrah, n'vareich Eloheinu she-achalnu mishelo.
Praised be the name of God, now and forever. Praised be our God, of whose abundance we have eaten.
Group: Baruch Eloheinu she-achalnu mishelo uv'tuvo chayinu- Praised be our God, of whose abundance we have eaten, and by whose goodness we live.
Leader: Baruch Eloheinu she-achalnu mishelo uv'tuvo chayinu. Baruch hu uvaruch sh'mo.
Praised be our God, of whose abundance we have eaten, and by whose goodness we live. Praised be the Eternal God.
All: Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam,
hazan et haolam kulo b'tuvo, b'chein b'chesed uv'rachamim.
Hu notein lechem l'chol basar ki l'olam chasdo.
Uv'tuvo hagadol tamid lo chasar lanu,
v'al yechsar lanu, mazon l'olam va-ed,
baavur sh'mo hagadol.
Ki hu El zan um'farneis lakol umeitiv lakol,
umeichin mazon l'chol b'riyotav asher bara.
Baruch atah Adonai, hazan et hakol.
Sovereign God of the universe, we praise You: Your goodness sustains the world. You are the God of grace, love, and compassion, the Source of bread for all who live; for Your love is everlasting. In Your great goodness we need never lack for food; You provide food enough for all. We praise You, O God, Source of food for all who live.

Kakatuv: v'achalta v'savata, uveirachta et Adonai Elohecha al haaretz hatovah asher natan lach. Baruch atah Adonai, al haaretz v'al hamazon.
As it is written: When you have eaten and are satisfied, give praise to your God who has given you this good earth. We praise You, O God, for the earth and for its sustenance.

Uv'neih Y'rushalayim ir hakodesh bimheirah v'yameinu. Baruch atah Adonai, boneh v'rachamav Y'rushalayim. Omein.
Let Jerusalem, the holy city, be renewed in our time. We praise You, Adonai, in compassion You rebuild Jerusalem. Amen.

HaRachaman, hu yimloch aleinu l'olam va-ed. HaRachaman, hu yitbarach bashamayim uvaaretz. HaRachaman, hu yishlach b'rachah m'rubah babayit hazeh, v'al shulchan zeh she-achalnu alav.
HaRachaman, hu yishlach lanu et Eliyahu HaNavi, zachur latov, vivaser lanu b'sorot tovot, y'shuot v'nechamot.
Merciful One, be our God forever. Merciful One, heaven and earth alike are blessed by Your presence. Merciful One, bless this house, this table at which we have eaten. Merciful One, send us tidings of Elijah, glimpses of good to come, redemption and consolation.


On Shabbat:

HaRachaman, hu yanchileinu yom shekulo Shabbat um'nuchah l'chayei haolamim- Merciful One, help us to see the coming of a time when all is Shabbat.
Oseh shalom bimromav, hu yaaseh shalom, aleinu v'al kol Yisrael, v'imru amen. Adonai oz l'amo yitein, Adonai y'vareich et amo vashalom.
May the Source of peace grant peace to us, to all Israel, and to all the world. Amen. May the Eternal grant strength to our people. May the Eternal bless our people with peace.


Shorter version:

Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, Master of the universe, Who nourishes the whole world, in goodness, with grace, kindness and compassion. He gives bread to all flesh, for His mercy endures forever. And through His great goodness we have never lacked, nor will we lack food forever, for the sake of His great name. For He is G-d, who nourishes and sustains all, and does good to all, and prepares food for all His creatures which He has created. Blessed are You L-rd, Who nourishes all. Omein.


That last one is of course my favorite. I have trouble just remembering to thank God after meals, let alone learning to chant the entire prayer and liturgy of the long version. Oy vey!

Dan C

Resources was an internet search, including (but not limited to): reformjudaism.org, hebrew4christians, myjewishlearning, jewfaq
There is a good example of this on youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-toUNxZXI8

[garrett]

Thanks for the post on Birkat Hamazon. This bracha can also be found near the back of just about any ArtScroll siddur as well. I've known a lot of people who have the blessing after meals printed specifically in small books, in large quantities, should there be a lot of people present for a meal. In Orthodox, non-Messianic homes it would be done if there are three or more Jewish men present. I say...bring in the whole crew!

Bentshning can be a pretty fun experience when a lot of people are present and everyone wants to do it.

[Elizabeth]

I don't know if the process is as confusing as it seems or if it's just my unsettled mind after being out of our routine for a week. I will have to reread it when I can focus better.

I will start with putting something wrote down on the table to help us simply remember as Alon said and go from there. I am intentionally not going to catch myself up
in formality as often it is only the children and I eating a meal together, and there is no man who cares to be observant in our family. So I will implement the usual fly by the seat of my pants relying on grace, enthusiasm, and the Spirit approach.

I am curious though, what would it look like traditionally for a mother with an 8 year old daughter and 10 year old son. Surely they say something kind of informally agreed upon.

[alon]

Jul 7, 2016 5:48:08 GMT -8 Elizabeth said:

I don't know if the process is as confusing as it seems or if it's just my unsettled mind after being out of our routine for a week. I will have to reread it when I can focus better.

I will start with putting something wrote down on the table to help us simply remember as Alon said and go from there. I am intentionally not going to catch myself up
in formality as often it is only the children and I eating a meal together, and there is no man who cares to be observant in our family. So I will implement the usual fly by the seat of my pants relying on grace, enthusiasm, and the Spirit approach.

I am curious though, what would it look like traditionally for a mother with an 8 year old daughter and 10 year old son. Surely they say something kind of informally agreed upon.

I don't know actually what it would traditionally be for a woman to lead her children in b'rachot after meals. However I'd say the important thing is to remember to give thanks after. I don't get bogged down in formalities either, since I am the only one here (edit: at home) who is trying to be observant. The commandment is "eat and be satisfied, and you will bless Adonai your God for the good land he has given you." His giving the Hebrews a land flowing with milk and honey seems to me to say we should be thankful for all the good things given us, including our provisions. So a simple prayer of thanks should suffice.

In the absence of a husband who wants to take responsibility for the spiritual leadership of the family, you become that leader by default. So you do what you can. In this case, I think your saying a simple prayer before and after meals is sufficient. However don't overlook the beauty or the lessons in the traditional prayers. Understanding, according to the Rabbis writing my Artscroll Siddur, is more important than strict adherence to form. It is a false accusation I hear from Christians that Jews have a form of religion but no understanding. Indeed, understanding is emphasized always. Many Jews even have a better understanding of the "New Testament" than many pastors I've known.

Deu 8:10 (KJV)  When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

H1288  Strong's  בָּרַךְ  bârak  baw-rak'  A primitive root; to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit); also (by euphemism) to curse (God or the king, as treason): - X abundantly, X altogether, X at all, blaspheme, bless, congratulate, curse, X greatly, X indeed, kneel (down), praise, salute, X still, thank.

H1288  בּרך  bârak  BDB Definition:
1) to bless, kneel
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to kneel
1a2) to bless
1b) (Niphal) to be blessed, bless oneself
1c) (Piel) to bless
1d) (Pual) to be blessed, be adored
1e) (Hiphil) to cause to kneel
1f) (Hithpael) to bless oneself
2) (TWOT) to praise, salute, curse

We must be mindful of the context here, and understand who is blessing whom. We give thanks, but it is Hashem who has blessed us.

Dan C

[Elizabeth]

I am going to have to get this Artscroll Siddur I keep hearing about. You are right about understanding. It can be so disheartening to fumble my way around on my own.  It just isn't how it's supposed to be and I think it has effected me more than I realize because I do tend to shy away from the more obviously Jewish things.

This will be one more issue that will likely further divide, at least for a while, but there is a balance between waiting and moving forward I am trying to work out. My husband can join us or not. He is welcome and he can choose, but I only have so long to teach my kids.

I haven't made the most of what opportunity I do have sometimes because I worry about offending and upsetting him.  The one thing  I know can give my kids is an understanding that hopefully becomes a desire on their part to accomplish more. I guess what my husband does with it is ultimately between Him and G-d because I know what I am being given to do.

[garrett]

Elizabeth - Alon is right, don't get too bogged down in the formalities of saying the blessing or giving thanks.

There is no wrong way to give thanks to the L-rd for the food he has given you. Acknowledgement, thanks and blessing Him is what is most important. But there is something very nice about the ancient Biblical tradition (and way) of giving thanks to Him.

If any of the stuff ever bogs me down or causes me to fuss, that's when I know I'm taking it too seriously and my focus has been taken off of G-d Himself. Hope this helps a little.

[Elizabeth]

Jul 9, 2016 15:44:34 GMT -8 garrett said:

Elizabeth - Alon is right, don't get too bogged down in the formalities of saying the blessing or giving thanks.

There is no wrong way to give thanks to the L-rd for the food he has given you. Acknowledgement, thanks and blessing Him is what is most important. But there is something very nice about the ancient Biblical tradition (and way) of giving thanks to Him.

If any of the stuff ever bogs me down or causes me to fuss, that's when I know I'm taking it too seriously and my focus has been taken off of G-d Himself. Hope this helps a little.

Very helpful because it's in those moments of fussing and worrying that it's the hardest to remember Him.

[Elizabeth]

This has been a very good practice for us beyond just praying more and being grateful. This is such a practical way to keep mealtime structured around G-d. We have a rule not to let someone eat alone, unless it's mommy and she needs to be alone. Anyway, it usually works but sometimes disintegrates into "come on hurry up.....". Now the whole meal is just more pleasant. It changes the entire focus.