Morning Blessings: A Guide to Starting Your Day with Gratitude

The Morning Blessings (Birchot HaShachar) are a series of blessings recited each morning to thank God for the gift of a new day. They acknowledge the simple miracles we often take for granted: waking up, being able to see, stand, walk, and have clothing. Originally recited upon performing each action (opening eyes, getting out of bed, etc.), they are now typically said together at the start of morning prayers.

The very first words a Jew says upon waking are Modeh Ani: 'I gratefully thank You, living and eternal King, for You have returned my soul within me with compassion - great is Your faithfulness.' This prayer is said while still in bed, before washing hands, which is why it doesn't contain God's name. It establishes that our first thought of the day is gratitude to God for the gift of life.

Upon rising, we wash our hands ritually (netilat yadayim) and recite the blessing 'al netilat yadayim.' This washing removes spiritual impurity that rests on the hands during sleep. The hands are washed alternately three times each. After this, we're ready to recite blessings with God's name. This act of purification prepares us to serve God throughout the day.

The main Morning Blessings thank God for: giving the rooster understanding to distinguish day from night, making me in His image, making me free, giving sight to the blind, clothing the naked, releasing the bound, raising the bowed, spreading the earth upon the waters, providing for all my needs, guiding our steps, girding Israel with strength, and crowning Israel with glory. Each blessing corresponds to stages of waking and preparing for the day.

One of the most beautiful Morning Blessings is Elokai Neshamah: 'My God, the soul You placed within me is pure. You created it, You fashioned it, You breathed it into me, You safeguard it within me...' This prayer acknowledges that our soul is a divine gift, temporarily entrusted to us. It concludes with thanks for restoring our soul each morning - viewing sleep as a small death and waking as resurrection.

The Morning Blessings include blessings before Torah study (Birchot HaTorah). We thank God for sanctifying us with His commandments and commanding us to engage in Torah study. We ask that Torah learning be sweet in our mouths and that we and our descendants know God's name. These blessings cover any Torah study throughout the day, which is why we follow them with verses from Torah, Mishnah, and Talmud.