Holy! Healthy! Omnipresent! (H20)

Yesterday marked the transition in our annual cycle where we switched from praying for rain to praying for dew during the amidah. This ritual act, in combination with the two washings of our hands during the seder got me thinking about water, H2O.

We have lots of prayers In Judaism for rain or other forms of precipitation, daily in the amidah and on special occasions like the 1stday ofpesach andhoshanah rabbah. We often recite al netilat yadiyah, the prayer said when ritually washing our hands, however, al netilat yadiyah does not mention water at all. In fact, there is no special prayer or blessing when consuming or utilizing water at all. When drinking water, the most basic element for our survival after air, the blessing shehakol is uttered, a catch-all blessing that doesn’t mention water either. There is no special blessing said over mikvah, the ritual immersion into water. And no special blessing said when it rains, except the general blessing for good news.

Why is it that water, our most precious natural resource has no special blessings and no special status?

In response to this lacking, participants at my second seder were asked to create a blessing for water. Below are some of the beautiful and inspiring blessings that came from the evening.

Blessings for Water

Blessed be the water which sustains us, delights us, is us.

Blessed be the water in which we come clean and the water we work to make clean again.

Thank you for the water inside and outside our bodies. Without it, we could not live. It’s wet & good!

Bless this water than cleans our hands, slakes our thirst, and fills the cells of our body. Bless this giver of life and health. Bless this gift!

Blessed are thou o' G-d who has blessed us with abundant water.

May clean water be abundant in all corners of the world, be provided as an inherent right for all humans and other creatures, and be available to sustain the plants.

May we be blessed in our appreciation of water not as a resource to be managed, but as a living spiritual part of this earth.

Blessed are you who gives us life through this clean, sweet, water. May it bathe and nurture us so we may grow.

Source of all blessing – Love cannot take this water for granted.

Thank you for this water which gives us the essence of life and creates substance for all.

Blessed who restores life!

Oh Lord our G-d, King of the universe, help me to remember how vital is your gift of water to your people Israel.

Holy! Healthy! Omnipresent! (H20)

L’Mayim!

Got a blessing of your own in Hebrew, English or any other language, please share.

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