“Wait until everyone is here.” “We don’t eat before we say our ‘blessing.’” From days as a bare-legged boy through the graying of the few locks crowning my head, a blessing has always preceded my meals. Memorized prayers occasionally punctuated free-style expressions of thanksgiving for God’s provision. Sometimes a childish voice took time to announce thanks for everyone and everything in the room. At other times, an aging voice uttered solemn words akin to Bible verses.
The end of the meal required a clear “thank you and excuse me” conveyed to the cook. Only after saying those words could any of us leave the table. Though sometimes we declared appreciation for a divine hand in the provisions, we never ended the meal with a blessing.
A New Discovery
Recently, my reading on blessings uncovered an after-blessing used by Jews. Of course, anyone studying the prayers of the Jews knows they have many blessings. But the after-blessing caught my attention. This prayer is called “boreh nefashot.”
Blessed are You… who creates numerous souls and their deficiencies; for all that You have created with which to maintain the life of every being. Blessed is He, the life of worlds.
“Crash Course in Jewish Blessings“by Daniella Levy
The words “who creates numerous souls and their deficiencies” swirled in my mind. Yes, I believe we are all fearfully and wonderfully made by our Creator. And, yes, we all have deficiencies. Who escapes hunger and thirst? God created us with a need for refills. No matter how many times we say, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing,” we crave food and water every day. God created us with needs this prayer calls “deficiencies.” And God restores our souls as he addresses our emptiness.
This blessing refuses to stop with our palates. “… for all that You have created with which to maintain the life of every being. Blessed is He, the life of worlds.” His creation contains a cornucopia of provisions to meet our nutritional necessities. However, his sustenance extends beyond our food as surely as life is more than nourishment.
An After-Blessing Challenge
The many souls covering the landscape of our lives wrestle with deficiencies much as we do. We note the splinters in their eyes with greater precision than we spot the boulders in our eyes. As we thank God for nourishing our bodies, we are wise to dine with eyes that look for the best in one another. Perhaps God can make visible traces of his presence on our faces and in our words as we sit around our tables enjoying his peace with one another.
So how can a man, set in his ways and on the plus side of three-score and ten, learn from another tradition? Could an after-blessing with these words or others find a place at my table? How about yours?
Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me. Bless his holy name.
Psalm 103:1
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Posted: February 1, 2022 by Harry Lucenay
“Wait until everyone is here.” “We don’t eat before we say our ‘blessing.’” From days as a bare-legged boy through the graying of the few locks crowning my head, a blessing has always preceded my meals. Memorized prayers occasionally punctuated free-style expressions of thanksgiving for God’s provision. Sometimes a childish voice took time to announce thanks for everyone and everything in the room. At other times, an aging voice uttered solemn words akin to Bible verses.
The end of the meal required a clear “thank you and excuse me” conveyed to the cook. Only after saying those words could any of us leave the table. Though sometimes we declared appreciation for a divine hand in the provisions, we never ended the meal with a blessing.
A New Discovery
Recently, my reading on blessings uncovered an after-blessing used by Jews. Of course, anyone studying the prayers of the Jews knows they have many blessings. But the after-blessing caught my attention. This prayer is called “boreh nefashot.”
The words “who creates numerous souls and their deficiencies” swirled in my mind. Yes, I believe we are all fearfully and wonderfully made by our Creator. And, yes, we all have deficiencies. Who escapes hunger and thirst? God created us with a need for refills. No matter how many times we say, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing,” we crave food and water every day. God created us with needs this prayer calls “deficiencies.” And God restores our souls as he addresses our emptiness.
This blessing refuses to stop with our palates. “… for all that You have created with which to maintain the life of every being. Blessed is He, the life of worlds.” His creation contains a cornucopia of provisions to meet our nutritional necessities. However, his sustenance extends beyond our food as surely as life is more than nourishment.
An After-Blessing Challenge
The many souls covering the landscape of our lives wrestle with deficiencies much as we do. We note the splinters in their eyes with greater precision than we spot the boulders in our eyes. As we thank God for nourishing our bodies, we are wise to dine with eyes that look for the best in one another. Perhaps God can make visible traces of his presence on our faces and in our words as we sit around our tables enjoying his peace with one another.
So how can a man, set in his ways and on the plus side of three-score and ten, learn from another tradition? Could an after-blessing with these words or others find a place at my table? How about yours?
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Category: Christian Life Tags: after-blessing, blessing, deficiencies, prayer, soul