A Posture of Gratitude

In a world of plenty, it can be incredibly hard to maintain a posture of gratitude for the blessings we receive, the abundance we enjoy, the very food we eat.

For people of all beliefs and none, it's an important spiritual practice to offer thanks after every meal and to elevate eating to a spiritually conscious act. There is a long-form blessing called Birkat Ha-Mazon which can be found here.

For people who want something a little more compact and focused, this is a beautiful offering of gratitude which comes right out of the Talmud. An easily printed out sheet with the words is here and as you can hear in the audio, it flows beautifully into the song "Sanctuary."

Hebrew (Aramaic, actaully): בריך רחמנא מלכא דעלמא מריה דהאי פיתא

Transliteration: Brich rachamana malka d'alma ma'arey d'hai pita

Translation: Blessed is the merciful One, ruler of the world, creator of this bread.

Audio for Brich Rachamana/Sanctuary (Rabbi Rachel Barenblat)