All who sit around these tables,

Friends and strangers,

In peaceful conversation

And pleasant disagreement,

We take this moment to acknowledge

Whenever we eat together

That we are blessed

And, in our turn,

We bless.

Blessed be the creator and the created,

Blessed be the sustainers and the sustained.

Blessed be the eaters and the eaten,

Blessed be the feeders and the fed.

Blessed be the cooks and the meal,

Blessed be the drinkers and the water.

Blessed be the farmers and the produce,

Blessed be the baker and the bread.

Blessed be them all.

Blessed be the doers and the done upon,

Blessed be the freers and the freed.

Blessed be the leaders and the led,

Blessed be the sellers and the sold. 

Blessed be the prayers and the prayed for,

Blessed be the servers and the served.

Blessed be the teachers and the taught,

Blessed be the tellers and the told.

Blessed be them all.

Blessing us, One-ness,

With the biggest and the smallest of blessings:

We do not lack.

Blessing us, One-ness,

With a history, ancient and current,

That is never boring.

We give thanks

Blessing us, One-ness,

With boundless compassion 

For all people.

We pray for even a fraction of that empathy

That we may feel the joy and the suffering of all who surround us

And so that they may also feel ours

So that we all may act accordingly and save the world. 

Blessed One-ness

Making peace

Sustaining wholeness

For each other

And everyone else, too. 

Amen

-by Trisha Arlin

Nature has the power to inspire awe in us. After winter’s long frost, we feel a real sense of hope as the first flowers emerge from the earth. Or, we may feel a sense of our small but mighty place in the universe when we look out at the ocean. These Jewish blessings help us express our sense of wonder, and you may wish to write your own blessings for the natural world.

Recite when seeing large-scale wonders of nature such as high mountains, vast deserts, seas, major rivers, shooting stars and the sunrise: 

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, oseh maasei v'reishit.

We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe, who makes the works of creation.

On seeing the small-scale wonders of nature, such as beautiful trees and flowers, animals, and people:

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, shekacha lo beolamo.

We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe, that such as these are in Your world.

On seeing a rainbow:

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, zocher hab'rit v'neeman biv'rito v'kayam ma-amaro.

We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe, who remembers, is faithful to, and fulfills Your covenant with and promise to creation.

As we close this book of gratitude rituals, we offer a blessing for you, inspired by the Blessing for Children we say on Shabbat evening. 

May you feel love and security wherever you go.

May you radiate with light and gratitude throughout your days.

May a spirit of amazement reside within you always, and may you find peace.

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?

Makor HaChayim, Source of Life, 

You created human beings in your image, 

B'tzelem Elohim* 

Each one of us a unique creation -

genetic material that holds a neshamah** 

a soul that is pure. 

Our bodies and our minds 

are different and diverse creations -

Full of strengths and vulnerabilities, 

talents, challenges, abilities, struggles. 

Some of us born into our bodies needing help 

to move, to see, to hear, to talk, to eat. 

Some of us will take our bodies and minds for granted 

until they change with age, 

reminding us that there are times 

when we all need support. 

The human body is a vessel that we can see, but deeper, 

what is constant and in common among us all 

is the unseen -

the souls that You have placed within us.

Makor HaChayim, Source of Life, 

Help us to encounter one another 

as that pure soul created in Your image; 

that we see ourselves and one another 

as B'tzelem Elohim. 

*B'tzelem Elohim: In Genesis 1:27, we read that God created human beings in God's own image. 

**Neshamah: A Hebrew word meaning 'soul.' 

-by Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer 

For the Gift of Song by Alden Solovy

G-d, we give thanks for the gift of song,

For the gift of melody and harmony,

For the gift of voices quilted together in chorus,

Lifting praises toward the holy realms.

Hear this prayer for those who chant in Your Name,

Who chant for healing,

Who chant to witness Your love,

Your power,

Your grace.

Make their voices Your vessel.

Let heaven pour joy through them

So that they overflow with Your light,

Drawing others to Your glory.

So that when we hear their song

Our hearts turn back to You in peace.

Together, we offer our prayer back to heaven

And rejoice.

© 2010 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.