Learn Hebrew

Blessings Book
with Audio CD

For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy. - Psalm 92:4

The following blessing is traditionally recited whenever you want to praise the LORD for the works of His creation, for example upon seeing lightning, an eclipse (solar or lunar), or a comet, or when first seeing a mountain, a river, an ocean or other natural wonder:

ba-rookh a-tah  Adonai  E-loh-hei-nu  me-lekh  ha-oh-lahm,
oh-seh ma-a-seh ve-rei-sheet.

"Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe,
who makes the works of creation."

Note:  Jewish halakhah ("legal reasoning") regarding this sort of blessing verges on the ludicrous. For instance, Rabbinic tradition says that a person should recite this blessing for a shooting star only once in a particular night, even if he sees other shooting stars later that night. And should a person recite this blessing upon seeing a comet, he should not recite it again for at least thirty days, even if he sees another comet!
 

We must always keep firmly in mind that all of reality centers on the LORD God of Israel, and cerrtainly not in vain appearances and the deceptive rhetoric of political or media figures of the false world (i.e., עולם השקר). Melo khol ha'aretz kevodo: מְלא כָל־הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדו, "the whole earth is filled with His glory (Isa. 6:3). The "signs and wonders" of the LORD are all around us, if we are willing to see!


Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 72:18 reading (click):

 

• Psalm 72:18 Hebrew page (pdf)
   

 


<< Return
  

Hebrew for Christians
Copyright © John J. Parsons
All rights reserved.