M A K I N G N E G A T I V E S P O S I T I V E

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2 M A K I N G N E G A T I V E S P O S I T I V E This session looks at a group of brachot and investigates why some are written in the negative form and only one is written in the positive. What is different about the women s blessing? What do these brachot mean? The following blessings are part of a list of blessings that Jews recite each morning to thank God for various aspects of their life. Morning blessings For not making me a gentile For not making me a slave For not making me a woman For making me according to your will ברכות השחר ב ר ו ך א ת ה ה' א לה ינ ו מ ל ך ה עול ם. ש לא ע שנ י גוי ב ר ו ך א ת ה ה' א לה ינ ו מ ל ך ה עול ם. ש לא ע שנ י ע ב ד ב ר ו ך א ת ה ה' א לה ינ ו מ ל ך ה עול ם. ש לא ע שנ י א ש ה ב ר ו ך א ת ה ה' א לה ינ ו מ ל ך ה עול ם. ש ע שנ י כ ר צונו WHY ARE THE 3 FIRST BLESSINGS WRITTEN IN THE NEGATIVE AND THE WOMEN S BRACHA IN THE POSITIVE? WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING A MAN AND WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING A WOMAN? TO BE CREATED, OR NOT BE CREATED? THAT IS THE QUESTION Gemara: Eruvin 13b Our Rabbis taught, for two and a half years Beit Shamai and Beit Hillel argued. Beit Shamai said: It would have been better if man would never have been created and Beit Hillel said: Better that man should be created than not created. They concluded: It would be better that man should never have been created, but now that he has been created he should do mitzvot and good deeds. תלמוד בבלי מסכת עירובין דף יג עמוד ב תנו רבנן :שתי שנים ומחצה נחלקו בית שמאי ובית הלל, הללו אומרים :נוחלו לאדם שלא נבראיותר משנברא,והללו אומרים :נוחלו לאדם שנברא יותר משלא נברא.נמנו וגמרו :נוחלו לאדם שלא נברא יותר משנברא,עכשיו שנברא יפשפש במעשיו.ואמרי לה :ימשמש במעשיו. Morning Blessings Page 1

3 WHY DO YOU THINK BEIT SHAMMAI THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER IF PEOPLE WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN CREATED? BASED ON THIS GEMARA WHY ARE THE 3 BRACHOT ABOVE WRITTEN IN THE NEGATIVE? ATTITUDE TO MITZVOT When you think of mitzvot- what associations do you make? Mishna Avot God wanted to give merits to the Jewish people therefore He gave them much Torah and Mitzvot משנה מסכת אבות רצה הקב"ה לזכות את ישראל לפיכך הרבה להם תורה ומצות GOD GIVING US MANY COMMANDMENTS IS SEEN AS A GIFT- HOW CAN HAVING SO MANY RESPONSIBITLITIES AND COMMANDMENTS BE SEEN AS A GIFT? WHAT DOES THIS SHOW US ABOUT THE TORAH S ATTITUDE TO MITZVOT? HOW DOES THIS MISHNA HELP EXPLAIN WHY WE THANK GOD FOR NOT MAKING US SLAVES OR GENTILES? Morning Blessings Page 2

4 Our first reaction to being asked to do something is why me? This mishna is showing us that God gives us mitzvot as a gift, a merit, a means by which to get close to Him. Each of the categories of people mentioned in the 3 negative brachot are people who cannot do certain mitzvot. Gentiles are only obliged to keep the 7 Noahide laws, slaves can only keep non time bound mitzvot, and women (who don t keep time bound mitzvot) have 3 special mitzvot just for them. Men are obliged to keep the most and therefore thank God for giving them this opportunity by not creating them as any of the above. SO I GET WHY MEN THANK GOD FOR NOT MAKING THEM SLAVES, GENTILES OR WOMEN, BUT WHAT ABOUT WOMEN? WOULDN T IT BE BETTER IF THEY HAD MORE MITZVOT TOO? WOMEN BLESS POSITIVELY ב ר ו ך א ת ה ה' א לה ינ ו מ ל ך ה עול ם. ש ע שנ י כ ר צונו For making me according to your will Adeeper look shows that no consolation prize was given to women. For, it was not the Sages who gave her such a blessing women themselves created this blessing, putting this explanation in a totally different light. This blessing was initially a custom which many say women accepted upon themselves as an obligation. Rather than praising G-d for a consolation prize, its very existence is a beacon of glory to women s spiritual greatness. It would seem that the blessing for making me according to your will is the only blessing in history which developed through a part of the Jewish nation s spiritual creativity and not as a specific law from the rabbis. This explains why the blessing is not a direct contrast to the one that men make and is written in the positive. The Bracha then means: G-d made me a certain way (according to His will ), i.e. with a unique spiritual potential, since He wants to give to me the maximum Morning Blessings Page 3

5 possible (He is absolutely good, His giving must therefore be perfect); the way He made me must then be absolutely perfect for what He wants to achieve through me. This insight is indeed worthy of the creative introduction of an extra blessing with its extra holiness into the Jewish nation. Indeed, men could have done well to have said such a blessing as well. That they did not merit to have been a part of this creative spirituality only adds insight to the fabulousness of the innovation. Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch suggests that a woman blesses God in this form for making her more naturally attuned to His Will than men, who need the extra mitzvoth to get them to that place. This can never be a consolation blessing. Adapted from the Ner L Elef Siddur ACCORDING TO THE NER L ELEF SIDDUR, WHAT WERE WOMEN THINKING WHEN THEY INVENTED THIS BRACHA? HOW CAN THIS INSIGHT FROM WOMEN BE APPLIED TO YOUR OWN LIFE? CONCLUDING THOUGHTS Everyone has different opportunities and paths to connect with God. Some need more commandments to do this, others less. We cannot thank God in the positive for creating us because of the conclusion of the Gemara It would have been better for man to never have been created. However, now that we are here, we need to be grateful for the many mitzvot and spiritual opportunities He has given us. Only women phrase their blessing in the positive form because they recognize that they do not NEED as many commandments to connect spiritually. God created them in such a way that they are naturally attuned to His will. Morning Blessings Page 4