## Rabbi Sacks on Siddur, Weekdays, Morning Blessings

###### Rabbi Sacks on Siddur, Weekdays, Morning Blessings 2
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**English Edition; Koren Publishers Jerusalem, 2017:**
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה *Blessed are You:* These blessings, itemized in the Talmud (*Berakhot* 60b), were originally said at home to accompany the various stages of waking and rising. “Who gives sight to the blind” was said on opening one’s eyes, “Who clothes the naked” on putting on clothes, and so on. Several medieval authorities, however, held that they should be said in the synagogue.
Their purpose is to make us conscious of what we might otherwise take for granted. Praise is an act of focused attention, foregrounding what is usually in the background of awareness. “The world is full of the light of God, but to see it we must learn to open our eyes” (Rabbi Naḥman of Bratslav).
אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לַשֶּֽׂכְוִי *Who gives the heart:* This is the translation according to Rabbeinu Asher (Rosh); Rashi and Abudarham read it, “who gives the
cockerel.” According to Rosh’s reading, the first blessing mirrors the first request of the Amida, for human understanding, as well as the first act of creation in which God created light, separating it from darkness.


###### Rabbi Sacks on Siddur, Weekdays, Morning Blessings 3
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**English Edition; Koren Publishers Jerusalem, 2017:**
שֶׁלֹּא עָשַֽׂנִי *Who has not made me a heathen, a slave, a woman:* These three blessings are mentioned in the Talmud (*Menaḥot* 43b). Before we bless God for the universalities of human life, we bless Him for the particularities of our identity. We belong to the people of the covenant; we are free; and we have differentiated responsibilities as women and men. These blessings have nothing to do with hierarchies of dignity, for we believe that every human being is equally formed in the image of God. Rather, they are expressions of acknowledgment of the special duties of Jewish life. Heathens, slaves and women are exempt from certain commands which apply to Jewish men. By these blessings, we express our faith that the commandments are not a burden but a cherished vocation.


###### Rabbi Sacks on Siddur, Weekdays, Morning Blessings 16
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**English Edition; Koren Publishers Jerusalem, 2017:**
הַמַּעֲבִיר *Who removes sleep from my eyes:* Having thanked God for the blessings with which we are surrounded, we conclude by asking for His help in dedicating our lives to His service, undeterred by obstacles that may stand in our way. The prayer ends with thanksgiving for God’s kindness, reminding us of the verse from Psalms (92:3): “To proclaim Your loving-kindness in the morning and Your faithfulness at night.”


###### Rabbi Sacks on Siddur, Weekdays, Morning Blessings 17
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**English Edition; Koren Publishers Jerusalem, 2017:**
יְהִי רָצוֹן *May it be Your will:* A meditation composed by Rabbi Judah the Prince (late second–early third century), redactor of the Mishna and leader of the Jewish community in Israel. We are social beings, influenced by our environment (Maimonid es); therefore, we pray to be protected from harmful people, events and temptations. The prayer reflects the “social fabric of faith” (Rabbi Lord Jakobovits).