Birkot hashachar[edit]

Birkot hashachar or Birkot haShachar (Hebrew: ברכות השחר, lit. 'morning blessings' or 'blessings [of] the dawn') are a series of blessings that are recited at the beginning of Jewish morning services. The blessings represent thanks to God for a renewal of the day.

The order of the blessings is not defined by halakha and may vary in each siddur, but is generally based on the order of activities customary upon arising.^[1]

The blessings[edit]

Al netilat yadayim[edit]

This blessing represents the cleanliness of one's hands following ritual defilement.^[1]

Asher yatzar[edit]

This is a blessing regarding the workings of one's body. It is also recited each time following one's urination or defecation.

Elohai neshama[edit]

This paragraph represents thanks to God for the return of one's soul. When one sleeps, the soul departs the body. This state is referred to as a "semi-death." Upon awakening, the body is reunited with the soul.^[1]

Blessings of Torah study[edit]

The Birkot hashachar includes some blessings pertaining to Torah study. It is forbidden for one to study any Torah prior to reciting these blessings. One of the blessings is identical to the one that is recited by a person called for an aliyah.

Since one is required to fulfill a mitzvah immediately after reciting a blessing on that mitzvah without interruption, some verses from the oral and written Torah are recited immediately following this blessing. In the Eastern Ashkenazic rite, verses including Numbers 6:24-26 (known as the Priestly Blessing), the Mishnah Peah 1:1, and Talmud Shabbat 127a are recited;^[1] in the Western Ashkenazic rite, the "korbanot" section is recited immediately.

Blessings of Praise[edit]

This is a series of blessings of praise. Although the Talmud^[2] prescribes their recitation alongside the actions that they are associated with, the common practice is to recite them all as a series of blessings.

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Olitzky, Kerry M. (2000). Marc Lee Raphael (ed.). An Encyclopedia of American Synagogue Ritual. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 18–20. ISBN 978-0-313-30814-7.
^ Berakhot 60b

[[Category:Shacharit]] [[Category:Siddurim of Orthodox Judaism]] [[Category:Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings]]

Prayers I’m working on to get to at least C-class[edit]

Servicev	Article	Class	Importance	O A	O S	O Y	O H	O C	O E	Co	Re	To-do
Tefilah (main)	Jewish Prayer	C	Top	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Already C-class
Tefilah (main)	* Jewish Prayers	List	Low	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Work on once all prayers finished
Shacharit (main)	Shacharit	Start	Mid	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Work on once all prayers finished
	* Birkot hashachar	Stub	Mid	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Working on now
	* Ana BeKoach	B	Mid	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌	Already B-class
	* Pesukei Dezimra	C	Mid	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Already C-class merge Hallel (pesukei dezimra)+Songs of thanksgiving (pesukei dezimra)
	* Baruch HaShem Le’Olam (v.1-4)	C	Mid	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌	Already C-class
	* Torah reading	B	High	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Already C-class
	* Draft:Birkat Hagomel	New	Low	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Working on now
Mincha (main)	Mincha	Start	Mid	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Work on once all prayers finished
Maariv (main)	Maariv	Start	Mid	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Work on once all prayers finished
	* Baruch HaShem Le’Olam (v.1-18)	See under Shacharit
	* Shema al HaMita	Stub	Low	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Work on next
	* Ana BeKoach	See under Shacharit
	* Baruch HaShem Le’Olam (v.15-18)	See under Shacharit
Shabbat (main)	Shabbat	B	Top	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Already B-class
	* Jewish prayer §Kabbalat Shabbat	n/a	Mid	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Work out why it was merged
	* Ana BeKoach	See under Shacharit
	* Mussaf	C	Mid	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Already C-class
Pesach (main)	Pesach	B	Top	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Already C-class
	* Sefirat Ha’Omer	B	High	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Already B-class
	* Ana BeKoach	See under Shacharit
Yom Kippur (main)	Yom Kippur	B	Top	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Already B-class
Yom Kippur (main)	* Ne'ila	Stub	Mid	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Work on once all prayers finished

====Halachic Based Community Traditions====
Orthodox (O)Askenazi (A)
Orthodox (O)Sephardi (S)
Orthodox (O)Yemenite (Y)
Orthodox (O)Hassidic (H)
Orthodox (O)Chabad (C)
Orthodox (O)Eretz Yisrael (E)
Conservative (Co)
Reform (R)

ShabbatYom TovRosh Chodesh (Mussaf)

[Olitzky-1] Olitzky, Kerry M. (2000). Marc Lee Raphael (ed.). An Encyclopedia of American Synagogue Ritual. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 18–20. ISBN 978-0-313-30814-7.

[2] Berakhot 60b

[1]

[2]