The Grace After Meals, a set of blessings of thanksgiving recited after eating a meal with bread.
Tagged: Prayer Thanksgiving Jewish
Historical Context
Birkat HaMazon, the Grace After Meals, rests on the command of Deuteronomy 8:10: "You shall eat, and be full, and bless the LORD your God." Its four blessings thank God for sustenance, for the land of Israel, for Jerusalem, and for God's continuing goodness; tradition attributes their core to figures from Moses to the rabbis of Yavneh, and additional paragraphs are added on Sabbaths and festivals.
Use and Practice
The blessings are recited after any meal that includes bread, at home and at celebrations alike. When three or more adults have eaten together, a formal invitation to bless precedes the prayer, and the text is often sung at festive meals.
References
- Bible Gateway — Deuteronomy 8 Free / open access
- Oxford Bibliographies — Jewish Prayer Subscription
Related Prayers and Creeds
- Amidah — The standing prayer at the center of every Jewish prayer service, recited silently while standing.
- Shema — Judaism's central affirmation of the one God, drawn from Deuteronomy 6:4 and recited morning and evening.
Related Across the Site
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- Kaddish Prayer or Creed — An Aramaic prayer sanctifying God's name, best known in its form recited by mourners.
- The Lord's Prayer (Our Father) Prayer or Creed — The prayer Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, shared by Christians of every tradition.
- Judaism World View — Judaism is the covenant faith of the people of Israel: one God chose them, gave them his Torah, and calls them to holiness and justice in this world.