100 Blessings A Day

Posted on 09/18/2016 by Rivkah Lambert Adler in Beliefs and Practices

There’s a tradition in Judaism to recite 100 brachot (blessings that begin with the words Baruch Atah) a day. For the most part, Orthodox men who pray with a minyan three times a day can get most of these brachot in during formal prayer. Add to that the blessings said before and after eating and after using the bathroom and for most people in this category, hitting 100 brachot a day is pretty doable.

If you don’t happen to be an Orthodox man who prays three times a day with a minyan, I’d like to suggest another way to express your thanks to God for all the blessings you have.

This started some years ago when, at night, just before nodding off, I would thank God for ten things that I appreciated from that day. Thank you that I found a parking space downtown. Thank you that my sister called today. Thank you that I had time to finish reading the novel I was so enjoying, etc.

About a year ago, I decided to take it up a notch and thank God for 100 specific things I appreciated. Having done it a bunch of times now, I have a system. I take a book and put my hand on page 1. I say “Thank you Hashem for …” Then I put my hand on page 2 and thank Hashem for something else. And so on, until I reach page 100. It’s how I keep track.

Recently, I mentioned this spiritual tool to a small group. A few people asked me for examples, so they would know what kinds of things they might focus on. So here’s a list of 100 blessings, 100 things to thank God for. If any of them apply to you, great. Feel free to add them to your list. But mostly it’s to inspire you to realize how many brachot Hashem literally showers us with every moment.

Thank you Hashem for these 100 things, which are definitely not in order of importance.

the ability to see color
clean dishes
a healthy marriage
the ability to read
BOOKS!!!
my children
my English vocabulary
my 10 fingers that all work
not being in a hospital bed
medicine when my knees hurt
not needing to save the carrot and potato peels to eat
the wireless speaker that plays my favorite music when I cook for Shabbat
Shabbat
guests for Shabbat
letting me live in Israel
the abundance of kosher food wherever I go in Israel
giving me a home of my own
my amazing husband
being able to breath without assistance
tickets to a concert I’ve been wanting to see
the fact that no one I love died yesterday
hot pizza
cold water
an app that tells me when my bus is coming
mild weather
the ability to make money in Israel
students to teach
teachers from whom I can learn
the ability to cry
hugs
shoes for every kind of activity I want to do
friends who understand what I’m feeling
technology that lets me see the faces of people who live far away when I talk to them
Cheerios
memories
birthdays
sweet white wine
breeze
the ability to walk all around a deserted parking lot after midnight looking for our car and finding it and having it start and getting home safely
the way we sing at our table on Shabbat
bentsching my children
my daughter and son-in-law’s dog
novels that make me cry when they end
the ability to read Hebrew
personal growth
the prayers and chapters of Tehillim I basically know by heart
our car
the long-awaited check that finally arrived
self-confidence
knowing Bircat haMazon by heart
friends who confide in me
the fact that I don’t have any desire to smoke
the ability to talk to You whenever I want
air travel
rain
the moments when I can actually feel my soul growing
my black Uggs
a climate-controlled home
the view into Jerusalem from my mirpeset
photographs and digital images
the ability to hire people to do the jobs I can’t or don’t want to do
my new kitchen
clients who pay on time
yellow peppers
the ability to teach adults
deep, meaningful conversations
faces I love
the technical skills I have
tissues
the way my heart aches when I miss someone
pasta
Jerusalem
my teudat zehut (Israeli citizenship papers)
my Israeli passport
my Israeli driver’s license
that I don’t need hearing aids yet and my hair is not yet grey
friends who are working on themselves
the ability to write what some people want to read
enough food
days when all my technology works
simple solutions that make problems go away
the combination of olive green, burgundy and light brown
breathing hard and sweating but not having a heart attack
floating on my back in the pool
our new dishwasher
the fact that the Kotel and Kever Rachel are just a short drive away
being comfortable to swim anywhere in my modest bathing suit
in-out-snap together-glide
that I don’t have a life-threatening illness
glasses that correct my vision
nails to scratch my skin when it itches
the ability to speak in funny accents
my loud laugh
the ability to love
forks
having just the right book to lend out
a flexible schedule
tzimmerim so we can afford to take our children on vacation
fans in the summer
movies

This is today's list. Tomorrow, I might pick 100 other things. The point is to remember how much Hashem gives all of us. Every single moment.

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