Jewish blessings are formulaic. Most begin like this: “Blessed are you, o Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, Who . . .” In our times, an age that prioritizes the authority of the individual, we are likely to dismiss or negatively characterize formulaic blessings and prayers. How could they be from the heart?
But then we would miss the teaching in this form. What do you usually think of when you think of blessings? I’m asking you for your blessing…please bless me with good health, with success…I am grateful for my many blessings. But these words sound more like prayers of supplication or gratitude to me.
I haven’t done a systematic study of this, but I think many if not most Jewish blessings, certainly those that are according to this formula, bless God for something that God does. The Blessing for Seeing An Unusual Being is a good example:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעולָם משנה הבריות
Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the Universe, Who makes Beings different.
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, m’shaneh habriyot.
Sometimes after blessing God, “Who” is followed with something God commands us to do:
בָּרוּך אַתָּה אַדָנָי אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעוֹלָם אַשֶׁר קִדְשָנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶל שַבָּת
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav vitzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Shabbat.
Blessed are You, God, Ruler of the universe, Who sanctified us with the commandment of lighting Shabbat candles.
Both blessings bless God, one for the works of creation, one for engaging us with God as human beings, in this case by noticing and marking a space in time.
An amazing teaching that offers learning through repetition and performance. We continually notice and reflect on the fact that everything we see is gifted to us, came into being through a force beyond our comprehension. And we are invited to take a role in that creation, through noticing, marking time, performing specific acts including reciting blessings that acknowledge our role.
You are not IN the universe, you ARE the universe, an intrinsic part of it. Ultimately you are not a person, but a focal point where the universe is becoming conscious of itself. What an amazing miracle.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
We are creation becoming conscious of itself when we recite a Jewish blessing.