Torah and Jewish Idea > Torah and Jewish Idea
Am I an Idolator?
muman613:
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/987904/jewish/How-Many-Blessings-does-a-Jew-Say-Each-Day.htm
Question:
I once heard that there is a certain amount of blessings we should attempt to say each day. How many is it, and what is the source of this idea?
Answer:
There is indeed such a teaching. We are to recite 100 blessings each day. The Talmud1 learns extrapolates this from a verse in Deuteronomy:2 "Now, Israel, what does G‑d, your G‑d, ask of you? . . . to walk in His ways . . . and to serve Him."
The Hebrew word for "what," mah (מָה), is phonetically similar to the word me'ah (מֵאָה), which means 100. In other words, the verse can be understood as saying: "Now, Israel, a hundred does G‑d, your G‑d, ask of you"—one hundred blessings.
There's a story behind this tradition. During the reign of Kind David, there was terrible plague that took the lives of exactly 100 people each day. The rabbis at the time perceived the plague's spiritual cause and instituted the practice of reciting 100 blessings per day. The plague immediately stopped.3
Saying 100 blessings is easier than you think. By just praying three times a day and reciting blessings before and after you eat, you will reach that total. Looking for the breakdown? You'll find it in the Code of Jewish Law.4
Reaching the total on Shabbat is a little trickier. The Shabbat Amidah consists of only seven blessings, as opposed to the nineteen that comprise its weekday counterpart. Several other blessings are also absent on Shabbat, such as the blessing over tefillin. Even counting the Musaf Amidah and the Grace after Meals for two Shabbat meals, somewhat of a deficit remains. (Four Shabbat Amidahs = 28; three weekday Amidahs = 57...)
The solution? Eat some extra snacks throughout the day. The blessings before and each snack will add up.5
Yom Kippur is even harder. With the shorter amidahs, and without any food blessings, the only solution is to make blessings over fragrant spices, fruit or herbs.6 In some communities, spice boxes are passed around the synagogue on Yom Kippur for this very reason.7 We compensate for the remaining blessings by answering Amen to the blessings on the Torah.
Let me know if this helps.
Yours truly,
Rabbi Yisroel Cotlar
FOOTNOTES
1.
Menachot 43b.
2.
10:12.
3.
Midrash Tanchuma, Korach 12.
4.
Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 46:1.
5.
If this is not possible, answering Amen to the blessings before and after each aliyah during the reading of the Torah can be included in the count.
6.
Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch, ibid.
7.
However, a substantial amount of time must elapse before one can repeat the blessing on spices on another aromatic product.
pennyjangle:
--- Quote from: muman613 on November 10, 2009, 08:22:49 PM ---
--- End quote ---
I understand this... I am attempting to understand how this bad event is intended for good. A Jew has much more responsibility than the non-Jew because more is expected from us. While you don't have any commandments we have so many it sometimes seems daunting. I know that Hashem loves me, I see his good work every day. I say several blessings each morning, blessings on the beauty of the landscape on my way to work {it is such a beautiful drive}... We are exhorted to say 100 blessings a day.... I hope that some day I will be able to fufill this goal of 100 blessings a day.
Thank you for your wisdom...
[/quote]
We do have the 10 commandments + one more we are to love everyone. God said if you love me you will keep my commandments. My cousin told me there are, I think it was 613 commandments in the Torah.
muman613:
--- Quote from: pennyjangle on November 11, 2009, 05:41:22 PM ---
--- Quote from: muman613 on November 10, 2009, 08:22:49 PM ---
--- End quote ---
I understand this... I am attempting to understand how this bad event is intended for good. A Jew has much more responsibility than the non-Jew because more is expected from us. While you don't have any commandments we have so many it sometimes seems daunting. I know that Hashem loves me, I see his good work every day. I say several blessings each morning, blessings on the beauty of the landscape on my way to work {it is such a beautiful drive}... We are exhorted to say 100 blessings a day.... I hope that some day I will be able to fufill this goal of 100 blessings a day.
Thank you for your wisdom...
--- End quote ---
We do have the 10 commandments + one more we are to love everyone. G-d said if you love me you will keep my commandments. My cousin told me there are, I think it was 613 commandments in the Torah.
[/quote]
Penny,
I dont really understand... How do you have 10 commandments? I can think of three commandments which Christians cannot follow...
1) The second command concerning making of images
2) The command to have no G-d before Hashem.
3) The observation of Shabbat.
So maybe you are talking about the seven noachide laws...
Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks:
--- Quote from: muman613 on November 11, 2009, 05:56:41 PM ---1) The second command concerning making of images
2) The command to have no G-d before Hashem.
3) The observation of Shabbat.
So maybe you are talking about the seven noachide laws...
--- End quote ---
We do hold to these (at least the first two), as well as the Noahide Laws; the debate is only in the interpretation. Acts 15:29 in the New Testament essentially repeats the Noahide Laws in condensed form.
The One and Only Mo:
But according to Judaism Hashem and Jesus are two different "beings" so how can Christians follow the first two commandments?
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