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Blessings

Whether you're looking for a refresher or coming to Jewish blessings for the first time, our Blessings resources are great for you and your family.

Most blessings are specific to a holiday, and are organized on this page with other blessings used for the same holiday. Other blessings are specific to times or places and are grouped similarly.

If there is a resource you would like, please do not hesitate to ask us for it!

 Shabbat
It is customary to light the candles, have a sip of wine and eat challah bread on Friday nights. These videos will help you (re)learn the words:
The Shabbat evening blessings are also available as audio files with a handy PDF download.
 
 Havdalah
Havdalah, the ceremony marking the end of Shabbat on Saturday nights, includes its own set of blessings, available as audio files with a handy PDF download of the words.

You might also find our Shabbat and Havdalah Resource Page helpful.
      
 Hanukkah
Lighting the Hanukkah candles and saying the blessings is an easy activity that the whole family can participate in. Our video can show you how.

   
     
 Autumn Holidays
It is customary to say these blessings at home, in the evening, just as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur start.
And the Sukkot blessings are said in the sukkah!

At-home rituals for the holidays, complete with audio of each blessing.
   
 Conversion

Hebrew, English, transliteration, and audio for each of the blessings customarily said when dunking in the mikveh for the purpose of conversion to Judaism.
   
  Other Times
  • Judaism offers many opportunities to pause, reflect and give thanks for special moments and experiences. Our Blessings For All Occasions continues to grow!
  • There's an increasing need for new, innovative rituals to affirm and mark our lives. New job? Graduation? Becoming a grandparent? Sure! See these and more in New Jewish Life Cycle and Transition Rituals.
 
     
 Shema
The Shema is a declaration of Judaism's monotheism, recited especially in the morning and evening. This video brings together the Hebrew, translation and pronunciation of the Shema.

For more on the Shema, including its roll as a bedtime ritual for kids, check out our booklet, Goodnight, Sleep Tight: Bedtime Rituals.
   
 Mezuzah
While the word might not be known, many people have seen "boxes" — small, slender boxes or tubes — on doorposts of homes. To help you affix your own mezuzah, we have instructions and blessings:
     
 See Also...
      

 

Hanukkah (known by many spellings) is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd Century BCE. It is marked by the lighting of a menorah and the eating of fried foods. Hebrew for "separation" or "distinction," the ceremony marking the end of the Sabbath on Saturday evenings. A bread that comes in a few different varieties; its most common variation is a braided egg bread, though there are water challahs that don't have eggs, and there are whole-wheat challahs which sometimes also don't have eggs. It is customary to being Sabbath and holiday meals by saying blessings and eating challah. Hebrew for "doorpost," it now refers to a small box containing a scroll (of the Hebrew text of the Shema prayer) which is affixed to the doorposts of Jewish homes. Strictly speaking, mezuzah only refers to the scroll itself, not the case in which it's housed. The Jewish Sabbath, from sunset on Friday to nightfall on Saturday. A language of West Semitic origins, culturally considered to be the language of the Jewish people. Ancient or Classical Hebrew is the language of Jewish prayer or study. Modern Hebrew was developed in the late-19th and early 20th centuries as a revival language; today it is spoken by most Israelis.
Hebrew for "booth," a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish holiday of Sukkot ("booths"). Hebrew for "hear," the first word and name of the central Jewish prayer and statement of faith.
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