Volume 3, No. 6

Welcome to the World of Rabbi Riddle.

	Bless My Soul, O Children of Abraham!
Thou Shalt Not Steal! To Your Health!

In this week's Parsha, Lech Lecha, Abraham rescues his nephew Lot and defeats five kings. Malki Tzedek, the King of Jerusalem, recites a blessing after Abraham's safe return, saying, "Blessed be Exalted G-d who has delivered your enemies into your hand!" Let's learn some fun facts about blessings:

• The word Beracha means "blessing". It's also related to the word for "bending down."
  

  

• Ezra the Scribe and the Sages of the Great Assembly established most of our blessings, approximately 450 years before the common era.

  According to our Sages, we make three types of blessings:

  1. Blessings for pleasurable things, such as food, drink, etc.

  2. Blessings over Mitzvos like the Shabbos candles or Tefillin.

  3. Blessings of gratitude and praise. For example, a sick person who gets well recites a special blessing.

• There is another type of blessing. It is a prayer that we say on behalf of another person.
  

Thou Shalt Not Steal!

To Your Health!