Birkat Hamazon

Leader

חֲבֵרַי נְבָרֵךְ

Chaverai n'vareich!

Let us praise God!

Group

יְהִי שֵׁם הי מְבֹרָךְ מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם

Y'hi shem Adonai m'vorach mei-atah v'ad olam.

Praised be the name of God, now and forever.

Leader

יְהִי שֵׁם הי מְבֹרָךְ מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם

בִּרְשׁוּת הַחֶבְרָה, נְבָרֵךְ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ שֶׁאָכַֽלְנוּ מִשֶּׁלּוֹ

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

בָּרוּךְ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ שֶׁאָכַֽלְנוּ מִשֶּׁלּוֹ וּבְטוּבוֹ חָיִֽינוּ

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

בָּרוּךְ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ שֶׁאָכַֽלְנוּ מִשֶּׁלּוֹ וּבְטוּבוֹ חָיִֽינוּ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּבָרוּךְ שְׁמוֹ

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.

Everyone

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה הי, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם,

הַזָּן אֶת־הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ בְּטוּבוֹ בְּחֵן בְּחֶֽסֶד

וּבְרַחֲמִים, הוּא נוֹתֵן לֶֽחֶם לְכָל־בָּשָׂר

כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ. וּבְטוּבוֹ הַגָּדוֹל

תָּמִיד לֹא חָֽסַר לָֽנוּ, וְאַל יֶחְסַר לָֽנוּ

מָזוֹן לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד. בַּעֲבוּר שְׁמוֹ הַגָּדוֹל,

כִּי הוּא אֵל זָן וּמְפַרְנֵס לַכֹּל וּמֵטִיב לַכֹּל,

וּמֵכִין מָזוֹן לְכָל־בְּרִיּוֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר בָּרָא.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה הי, הַזָּן אֶת־הַכֹּל

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam,

hazan et ha-olam 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.

כַּכָּתוּב, וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבָֽעְתָּ, וּבֵרַכְתָּ אֶת־הי אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ עַל הָאָֽרֶץ הַטֹּבָה אֲשֶׁר נָֽתַן לָךְ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה הי, עָל הָאָֽרֶץ וְעַל הַמָּזוֹן

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.

וּבְנֵה יְרוּשָׁלַֽיִם עִיר הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽינוּ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה הי, בּוֹנֶה בְרַחֲמָיו יְרוּשָׁלָֽיִם. אָמֵן

Uv'neih Y'rushalayim ir hakodesh bimheirah v'yameinu. Baruch atah Adonai, boneh v'rachamav Y'rushalayim. Amen.

Let Jerusalem, the holy city, be renewed in our time. We praise You,  Adonai, in compassion You rebuild Jerusalem. Amen.

הָרַחֲמָן, הוּא יִמְלוֹךְ עָלֵֽינוּ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד.

הָרַחֲמָן, הוּא יִתְבָּרַךְ בַּשָׁמַֽיִם וּבָאָֽרֶץ.

הָרַחֲמָן, הוּא יִשְׁלַח בְּרָכָה מְרֻבָּה בַּבַּֽיִת הַזֶּה, וְעַל שֻׁלְחָן זֶה שֶׁאָכַֽלְנוּ עָלָיו.

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.

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.

עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו, הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם, עָלֵֽינוּ וְעַל כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל כָּל־יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל, וְאִמְרוּ: אָמֵן

Oseh shalom bimromav, hu yaaseh shalom, aleinu v'al kol Yisrael, v'al kol yoshvei teiveil, v'imru amen.

May the Source of peace grant peace to us, to all Israel, and to all the world. Amen.

ָהי עֹז לְעַמּוֹ יִתֵּן יְהֹוָה יְבָרֵךְ אֶת־עַמּוֹ בַשָּׁלוֹם

Adonai oz l'amo yitein, Adonai y'vareich et amo vashalom.

Eternal God: give strength to Your people; Eternal God: bless Your people with peace.

The Gift

By Rachel Kann

Don't I know this

Feeling of homelessness.

And don't I know

How real the loneliness

In your bones is.

Slow down and notice 

The gloriousness afforded;

The view through the newly-opened window 

Of your broken heart.

This gift of clear vision.

Think on

The sacred company 

You're in:

Has there been one instance

Of wisdom 

In the history

Of this misbegotten existence

Elicited from anything but heart-brokenness?

It is an act of grace

To shatter the packaging,

To peel the encasement,

To reveal your true soul’s face and,

Say, with outstretched arms,

Here, here is the shape of my heart.

There is nothing left 

but to be swept 

away by love.

Abraham Joshua Heschel. a rabbi who marched for civil rights alongside Martin Luther King, Jr

Wrote that morally speaking, there is no limit to the concern one must feel for the suffering of human beings,

That indifference to evil is worse than evil itself

That in a free society, some are guilty but all are responsible

May we continue to practice tikkun olam, repairing the world

May we continue to practice, gemilut chasidim, acts of lovingkindness

May we continue to practice tzedakah, just giving

May we recognize that all beings are created equal, b'tzelem elohim, in the image of the divine

May we walk away today knowing that each of us has the power to create change.

by Deanna Neil

Some people find writing what they are grateful for in a journal helps them to be more mindful of where they can express their thanks in their daily lives. 

Here are a few questions to get you started:

• What is one simple joy or pleasure you have experienced in the past week? 
• Who is a person in your life that you are grateful for?
• What is something you are proud of? 
• Look out your door or window, what in nature makes you smile? 
• What is a tradition that has been supportive for you?

The fourth benediction in the Birkat HaMazon,

The Blessing After the Meal,

Is the hatov vehamaytiv.

It is also recited upon,

Among other reasons,

Hearing good news concerning others

and

For the drinking of a second cup of very good wine:

May each good thing be like that second cup of wine.

Even better than the first one, which maybe you drank too fast?

This second cup has all the familiar and comfortable flavors,

But having breathed a little

It offers up so much more nuance and pleasure

Then that first cup ever could.

God is good and good things happen.

Close your eyes.

Think of all the good things and people that surround you.

Wherever they are, have been or will be.

Now open your eyes.

And look around,

Here we are!

Right now,

This is the moment.  

Here.

We are safe

We have been found.

We are home.

God is good and good things happen.

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha-olam, Ha-tov V'hameitiv.

Amen

-by Trisha Arlin