מוֹדֶה אֲנִי I thank You: These words are to be said immediately on waking from sleep. In them we thank God for life itself, renewed each day. Sleep, said the sages, is “one-sixtieth of death” (Berakhot 57b). Waking, therefore, is a miniature rebirth. Despite its brevity, this sentence articulates a transformative act of faith: the recognition that life is a gift from God. Expressing gratitude at the fact of being alive, we prepare ourselves to celebrate and sanctify the new day.

אֲשֶׁר יָצַר Who formed man in wisdom: A blessing of thanks for the intricate wonders of the human body. Were one of them to be ruptured or blocked – even the smallest variation in the human genome can cause potentially fatal illness. The more we understand of the complexity of life, the more we appreciate “How numerous are Your works, Lord; You made them all in wisdom; the earth is full of Your creations” (Psalm 104:24). This blessing is a rejection of the idea that the spirit alone is holy, and physical life bereft of God.

אֱלֹהַי My God, the soul You placed within me is pure: An affirmation of Jewish belief in the freedom and responsibility of each human being. The soul as such is pure. We have good instincts and bad, and we must choose between them. The blessing ends with a reference to the resurrection of the dead, returning to the theme of the first words said in the morning.