Must women recite birchot ha-Shachar? 100 berachot a day?
In Brief
What are Birchot Ha-shachar for?
There are two main ways to view birchot ha-shachar: as berachot over personal enjoyment of the world, or as berachot in praise of the world’s basic functioning and God’s kindness in allowing it to function.
When are they recited?
Common custom is to recite them as a unit at the beginning of prayer, ideally by the end of four halachic hours into the day. But they can be recited all day if necessary, or even at night.
Why do women and men recite them?
These are blessings of praise over the world and our ability to partake in it. Since the timing is flexible, at least after the fact, birchot ha-shachar are not considered time-bound, and Shulchan Aruch does not allude to any exemption for women.
Should women recite feminine versions of the berachot?
A few of the blessings, including she-lo asani goy (Who did not make me a non-Jew), and she-lo asani aved (Who did not make me a bondsman), are identity blessings, written in first person with a masculine object. The feminine would be goya and shifcha. Using the feminine language in these berachot generally depends on a woman’s custom.
What is the obligation of 100 Berachot?
Rabbi Me’ir maintains that there is an obligation to recite one hundred berachot per day, based on Devarim 10:12: “What [ma] does the Lord your God ask of you?” The word “what,” “ma” in Hebrew, can be read instead as “me’a,” one hundred: ‘One hundred God asks from you.’ Other rabbis provide additional rationales for this halacha.
Should it apply to women?
The rationales for reciting 100 berachot aren’t exclusive to men, and the halacha of me’a berachot is not time-bound, so we would expect it to apply to women.
Does it apply to women?
None of the classic discussions of this topic reference women, even when they discuss the possibility of falling short of 100, and Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach infers from this silence that the enactment does not apply to women. In practice, many women rely on the opinion that one hundred berachot are not obligatory for women.
In Depth
Rav Ezra Bick, Ilana Elzufon, Shayna Goldberg, and Rav Da’vid Sperling, eds.
Birchot Ha-Shachar
Following the initial berachot, the next ritual recitation is of birchot ha-shachar, most of which are listed in the Talmud.
ברכות ס:
כי שמע קול תרנגולא לימא ברוך אשר נתן לשכוי בינה להבחין בין יום ובין לילה כי פתח עיניה לימא ברוך פוקח עורים כי תריץ ויתיב לימא ברוך מתיר אסורים כי לביש לימא ברוך מלביש ערומים כי זקיף לימא ברוך זוקף כפופים כי נחית לארעא לימא ברוך רוקע הארץ על המים כי מסגי לימא ברוך המכין מצעדי גבר כי סיים מסאניה לימא ברוך שעשה לי כל צרכי כי אסר המייניה לימא ברוך אוזר ישראל בגבורה כי פריס סודרא על רישיה לימא ברוך עוטר ישראל בתפארה … ויהי רצון מלפניך ה’ אלהי שתרגילני בתורתך ודבקני במצותיך ..ברוך אתה ה’ גומל חסדים טובים לעמו ישראל:
Berachot 60b
When he hears the voice of a rooster, he should say: “Blessed [is He] that gave the rooster discernment to distinguish between day and night.” When he opens his eyes, he should say: “Blessed…who makes the blind see.” When he sits up straight, he should say: “Blessed…who frees the imprisoned.” When he dresses, he should say: “Blessed…who clothes the naked.” When he stands up, he should say: “Blessed…who straightens those who are bent over.” When he alights on the ground, he should say: “Blessed…who suspends the land above the water.” When he walks, he should say: “Blessed…who prepares the steps of man.” When he ties his shoes, he should say: “Blessed…who made for me all my needs.” When he ties his belt, he should say: “Blessed…who girds Israel with strength.” When he spreads a cloth on his head, he should say: “Blessed…who crowns Israel with glory.”…”and May it be Your will, Lord our God that you accustom me to your Torah and attach me to your mitzvot…Blessed are You, God, who grants good kindnesses to His people Israel.”
These berachot cover, in great detail, the routine morning activities of waking up and getting dressed.
What are Birchot Ha-shachar for?
There are two main ways to view the series: as berachot over personal enjoyment of the world, or as berachot in praise of the world’s basic functioning and God’s lovingkindness in allowing it to function.
I. Personal Benefit The Talmudic passage suggests that one recites each of these berachot while progressing through the morning’s experiences and activities. For example, one recites the first beracha upon hearing the rooster — nature’s alarm clock. Rambam codifies this approach as halacha.
רמב”ם הלכות תפילה ז:ז
שמנה עשר ברכות אלו אין להם סדר אלא מברך כל אחת מהן על דבר שהברכה בשבילו בשעתו…וכל ברכה מהן שלא נתחייב בה אינו מברך אותה:
Mishneh Torah, Laws of Tefilla, 7:7
These eighteen berachot have no order. Rather one says each of them upon the matter that the beracha is for, in its time. If he has not become obligated in any one of these berachot [by experiencing it], he should not recite it.
Rambam sees birchot ha-shachar as berachot of praise recited only when they are personally experienced, much as we recite a beracha over lightning only after seeing it. Taken together, these berachot acknowledge God’s enabling us to perform an almost universal morning routine, so they should ideally be recited daily. But one cannot recite a beracha that accompanies an activity or experience when not directly partaking of it.
II. Praise of the World Ramban disagrees. On his view, these berachot can be made whether one experiences them personally or not.
חידושי הרמב”ן מסכת פסחים דף ז עמוד ב
נ”ל [נראה לי] שסדר ברכות הללו של שחרית ברכות שבח הן על נוהג העולם ואפי’ [ואפילו] לא שמע שכוי מברך עליו וכן בכולן, וכן נהגו ומנהג ישראל תורה היא.
Ramban Pesachim 7b
It seems to me that this set of morning berachot are berachot of praise over the way of the world, and even if he did not hear a rooster, he recites a beracha over it, and so too with all of them. This has become the custom, and the custom of Israel is Torah.
Ramban explains that birchot ha-shachar are blessings of praise over how God has arranged the world. Everyone can and should praise God for this each day, regardless of individual experience. Kolbo, writing in the late fifteenth century, expands on this idea:
ספר כלבו סימן א
וכן הנהיגו רב נטרונאי ורב עמרם ושאר הגאונים לסדר את כלם אפילו לא עשה המעשה, שלא על עצמו בלבד הוא מברך אלא על כל העולם מברך את השם שעשה כל הטובות והחסדים האלו תמיד לכל, ואף על פי שמלשון התלמוד משמע שראוי לברכן בשעת מעשה אפילו בעודו על מטתו ואפילו קודם נטילת ידים, הגדולים ז”ל החמירו בזה ונהגו לסדר כלן אחר נטילת ידים שיברכם בטהרה ובנקיות
Kolbo 1
Thus Rav Natronai and Rav Amram and the rest of the Ge’onim instituted: to say all of them in order even if he did not perform that act. For he does not bless for himself alone, but for the entire world he blesses God Who did all these good things and kindnesses always for everyone. Although the language of the Talmud implies that one should recite these berachot at the time of a [related] act – even when he is still in bed and even before washing hands – the great authorities were stringent with this and were accustomed to say all of them as a set after hand-washing, so as to recite them in purity and in cleanliness.
He adds that others’ benefit can be grounds to recite these berachot. They praise God’s kindness in creating and maintaining the world, and everyone should be grateful for the overall goodness of God.
Shulchan Aruch, following Rambam, rules that really one should recite only those berachot that apply to him or her personally that day. The others can be recited without mention of God’s name or kingship, so as to preserve the order of the berachot without reciting a beracha in vain. However, Shulchan Aruch acknowledges that common custom is to recite them as a unit at the beginning of prayer – like the Kolbo – rather than over the course of the morning’s activities. Rema rules like Ramban (and a Geonic view that precedes him).1
When are they recited?
We recite these berachot daily to refocus us each day on the wonder of the world and our place in it. While Shulchan Aruch notes that the obligation of reciting them takes effect each day, he does not assign a specific time to their recitation.2
Mishna Berura rules that birchot ha-shachar should ideally be recited by the end of four halachic hours into the day (the ideal time frame for shacharit, a third of daylight hours of each day). But they can be recited all day if necessary, or even at night.
משנה ברורה סימן נב סעיף קטן י
דזמן כל הברכות הוא כל היום בדיעבד וכן כתב בספר מעשה רב להגר”א ז”ל והוסיף שם עוד יותר דאפילו בלילה עד שעת השינה הוא חיובן אם שכח לאומרן קודם …ומ”מ [ומכל מקום] לכתחלה צריך ליזהר שלא לאחר הברכות יותר מד’ שעות על היום …
Mishna Berura 52:10
The time for all the berachot is all day long, after the fact. And so he wrote in Ma’aseh Rav about the Gra, and he added further that the obligation is even at night until one goes to bed, if one forgot to say them beforehand…In any case, ideally one must take care not to delay the blessings more than four [halachic] hours into the day.
Since the timing is flexible, at least after the fact, birchot ha-shachar are not considered time-bound.
Women and Birchot Ha-Shachar
Should women recite birchot ha-shachar?
In line with what we have seen, Mishna Berura raises and rejects the concern that they are time bound. So the exemption of women from positive time-bound mitzvot should not apply here.
Furthermore, Shulchan Aruch writes that women recite the beracha of she-asani kirtzono in place of she-lo asani isha. That beracha comes as part of the series of birchot ha-shachar, and Shulchan Aruch does not allude to any exemption for women.
משנה ברורה סימן ע
ומסתימת לשון הטוש”ע [הטור ושלחן ערוך] … משמע דמברכות ברכות השחר כמו אנשים
Mishna Berura 70
…From the silence of Tur and Shulchan Aruch…It is understood that they [women] recite the morning berachot like men.
Most important, it stands to reason that women should recite birchot ha-shachar, since these are blessings of praise over the world and our ability to partake in it, which apply equally to women and men.
Aruch Ha-shulchan makes this point clearly:
ערוך השולחן אורח חיים סימן ע
ובברכות השחר חייבות מדינא שגם הן בכללא דברכות שעליהן נתקנו כל ברכות השחר
Aruch Ha-shulchan OC 70
Women are obligated by Halacha in birchot ha-shachar, for they also are included in the blessings upon which all of birchot ha-shachar were enacted.
All Jews should recite birchot ha-shachar as a daily recognition of God and creation.3
Should women recite feminine versions of the berachot?
A few of the blessings, including she-lo asani goy (Who did not make me a non-Jew), and she-lo asani aved (Who did not make me a bondsman), are identity blessings, based on a different talmudic passage (that we will explore along with she-lo asani isha). They are written in first person with a masculine object. A female non-Jew is a goya and a female servant is a shifcha.
Should that affect what women recite?
Chida writes that it should:
חיד”א קשר גודל ה:כב
נשים מברכות שלא עשאני גויה שלא עשאני שפחה בשם ומלכות…
Chida, Kesher Gadol 5:22
Women bless “she-lo asani goya” “she-lo asani shifcha” with God’s name and [mention of His] kingship.
Presumably, Chida’s argument goes something like this: even though women, too, may express gratitude for not being male non-Jews or bondsmen, it is more precise for a woman to say she is grateful not to be exactly as she is, but with each distinct change.
Chida’s ruling that women recite these blessings “with God’s name and [mention of His kingship]” is particularly significant. It means that these are full-fledged blessings. The change in language is significant enough to be preferable, but not so much that it in any way distinguishes the resulting blessing from the one that originally appears in the Talmud.
Roughly two hundred years later, Shevet Ha-levi disagrees:
שו”ת שבט הלוי חלק י סימן ח: א
אשר שאל בענין ברכת שלא עשני גוי ועבד לאשה אם יאמרו כן או גויה ושפחה כדעת… החיד”א … לדידי אין ספק … שגם נשים מברכות גוי ועבד והנראה לענ”ד [לפי עניות דעתי] , בסי’ מ”ו ס”ד הלשון צריך לברך בכל יום שלא עשני גוי ושלא עשני עבד ושלא עשני אשה ומסיים המחבר והנשים מברכות שעשני כרצונו, פשוטם וסתימתם של דברים שבשאר ברכות אין הבדל בין איש לאשה…והיינו גוי כולל זכר ונקבה, וכן עבד כולל זכר ונקבה…
Responsa Shevet Ha-levi 10:8:1
What he asked about the beracha “she-lo asani goy” and”[she-lo asani] eved” for a woman, if they should say it thus or “goya” and “shifcha” in accordance with the opinion of…Chida…In my opinion there is no doubt…that women also bless “goy” and “eved.” And it seems in my humble opinion that in Shulchan Aruch 46:4 the language is “One must bless each day ‘she-lo asani goy’ and’[she-lo asani] eved‘ and ‘she-lo asani isha’” and the author concludes, “Women bless ‘she-asani kirtzono.'”The simple reading of these wordsand lack of further discussion shows that in other berachot there is no difference between man and woman…and “goy” includes both male and female, and so too “eved” includes male and female…
According to Shevet Ha-levi, a woman who says she is grateful not to be a bondsman intends to refer to bondswomen as well.
What is this argument about? Notably, neither of these authorities questions women’s obligation to recite birchot ha-shachar. Rather, they disagree on what to emphasize: precision in describing one’s personal circumstances, or fidelity to the exact text of the beracha as it appears in the Talmud. Following Chida, there might be more occasions on which women could adapt a prayer in first person singular to feminine language. Following Shevet Ha-levi, women understand that the masculine language refers to both genders, and there is no need to make the adjustment, especially when there is a clear custom to the contrary.
Even Shevet Ha-levi, however, allows for an adjustment when a prayer is informal and non-Talmudic, as in the case of modeh/moda ani. When a woman crafts her own, personal prayer, there is no question that she can use feminine language.
Must women pray in male language?
In our discussion of modeh ani, we saw that women have the option of saying “moda” in feminine form. Here we see a debate as to whether women may recite “she-lo asani goya” and “she-lo asani eved.” In general, do women have to pray in masculine language?
With a prayer like “moda ani,” where only the vocalization changes, but not the letters or words, it is hard to imagine there being an issue. As we see in birchot ha-shachar, changing words from masculine to feminine forms when praying in the first person is a bit more contentious, though it should generally be permissible when the only shift in meaning is the grammatical gender shift.
Why, then, doesn’t this question come up more?
For most prayers, this issue is irrelevant, because the Talmud teaches us that prayer should be phrased in the plural, not the singular:
ברכות כט:-ל.
אמר אביי: לעולם לישתף איניש נפשיה בהדי צבורא
Berachot 29b-30a
Abbaye said: A person should always include himself together with the community.
We pray as part of a “we,” not as solitary “I”s. We pray in the context of our community and our people. Beyond that, when we pray in the plural, looking out not only for ourselves, our prayer has a greater likelihood of being heard.
Hebrew grammar’s first person plural includes males and females in the same verb forms. Even in the first person singular, the forms differ only for adjectives and participles. For this reason, most of our prayers are not specifically male to start with.
Often, prayers that seem to be in singular are actually chapters of or quotations from Tehillim, as in Pesukei De-zimra. There, we specifically recite scriptural verses, on the assumption that David ha-Melech’s expression of prayer can speak for all of us and teach all of us about God, humanity, and prayer. Changing his words would be missing part of the point of quoting him.
The fact that Tehillim are sometimes in masculine singular has not gotten in the way of reciting Tehillim being a particularly popular custom among women, even outside the context of formal prayer. At the same time, women often frame recitation of Tehillim with supplicatory prayers, which may be in the feminine, and that combination can be satisfying.
100 Berachot
Al Netilat Yadayim, Asher Yatzar, Elokai Neshama, birchot ha-Torah, and birchot ha-shachar provide us with our first opportunities to approach a greater goal—at least quantitatively—reciting one hundred berachot each day.
Rabbi Meir maintains that there is an obligation to recite one hundred berachot per day:
מנחות מג:
היה רבי מאיר אומר חייב אדם לברך מאה ברכות בכל יוםשנאמר “ועתה ישראל מה ה’ אלקיך שואל מעמך” (דברים י:יב)
Menachot 43b
Rabbi Meir would say: A person must recite one hundred berachot every day, for it is said “What [ma] does the Lord your God ask of you?” (Devarim 10:12)
At first glance, it is not clear how Rabbi Meir connects this halacha to the verse he cites. Of all the things God might ask of us, why should we think of one hundred berachot?
Rav Amram Gaon cites a homiletical reading of the verse to explain this point. The word “what,” “ma” in Hebrew, can be read instead as “me’a,” one hundred. On this reading, the verse becomes a statement rather than a question: ‘One hundred God asks from you.’
סדר רב עמרם גאון (הרפנס) ברכות השחר
שנאמר “ועתה ישראל מה ה’ אלקיך שואל מעמך” (דברים י:יב). אל תקרא ‘מה’ אלא ‘מאה.’ ודוד מלך ישראל תקנן, כשהודיעוהו יושבי ירושלים שמתים מישראל מאה בכל יום, עמד ותקנן. ונראה הדבר שנשתכחו ועמדו תנאים ואמוראים ויסדום
Seder Rav Amram Gaon, Birchot Ha-shachar
For it is said, “And now Israel, what [ma] does the Lord your God ask of you” (Devarim 10:12). Don’t read [it as] ma [what], but rather as ‘me’a’ [one hundred[. David, King of Israel, enacted them. When the inhabitants of Jerusalem informed him that one hundred Israelites were dying every day, he stood and enacted them. It seems that the matter was forgotten and the Tanna’im and Amora’im stood and enacted them [the berachot].
Women and 100 Berachot
None of the rationales provided are exclusive to men and the halacha of me’a berachot is not time-bound, so we would expect it to apply to women. Rambam places this halacha in the context of the laws of tefilla,6 which might indicate that anyone obligated in tefilla, as women are, should be obligated to recite 100 berachot per day. However, both he and Shulchan Aruch present this halacha without mentioning women’s obligation or exemption.
שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן מו סעיף ג
חייב אדם לברך בכל יום מאה ברכות, לפחות.
Shulchan Aruch OC 46:3
A person is obligated to recite at least one hundred berachot each day
Filling the Quota
Various halachic authorities have tried to work out how a person can most easily reach a total of one hundred berachot a day, from sunset to sunset.
A man, on an average weekday, will recite about 90 berachot as part of his routine daily prayers. Over the course of the day, he will almost certainly recite another ten before and after eating and after using the bathroom and will probably surpass the total of one hundred without making any conscious effort.
Shabbat is much more challenging, since the Shabbat Shemoneh Esrei consists of only seven berachot. Even with the additional Shemoneh Esrei of musaf and possibly the addition of the berachot of kiddush,7 this leaves a cumulative deficit of at least 26 berachot to make up on Shabbat.
Women and the Quota
A woman who prays shacharit and mincha but not ma’ariv will recite only about 65 berachot as part of her routine weekday prayers, leaving her 35 short of one hundred. And her Shabbat prayers will total only about 40 berachot, less than half the goal. A woman who recites Shemoneh Esrei only once, or not at all, will accumulate even fewer berachot.
Yet none of the classic discussions on this topic reference women, even when they discuss the possibility of falling short. Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach infers from this silence that women are exempt from the obligation.
הליכות ביתה יג:א הערה ב
ומדודי הגרש”ז [הגאון רב שלמה זלמן] שליטא שמעתי, דמסתבר כיון שבחשבון של מאה כלול התפילות וברכות קריאת-שמע וכו’ לכן מעיקרא לא חייבום לנשים, שהרי ביום צום אי אפשר לנשים שאינן מתפללות להשלים מאה ברכות.
Rav David Auerbach, Halichot Beitah 13:1, note 2
And from my uncle Rav Shlomo Zalman [Auerbach] I heard that it makes sense that, since in the accounting of 100, the prayers and berachot of Keriat Shema and so on are included, therefore from the beginning they did not obligate women. For on a fast day it would be impossible for women who do not pray [all three services] to complete 100 berachot.
Rav Auerbach assumes that it is common practice for women not to pray three times a day. Women could perhaps make up the shortfall by eating frequently, reciting a beracha before and after each snack – but this would be impossible on a fast day. He deduces that the enactment never applied to women.8
Rav Yitzchak Yosef disagrees:
ילקוט יוסף פסוקי דזמרה וקריאת שמע סימן מו סעיף ג’- דין מאה ברכות בכל יום סעיף ה
גם הנשים צריכות להשתדל מאד לברך מאה ברכות בכל יום.
Rav Yitzchak Yosef, Yalkut Yosef Pesukei De-zimra U-keriat Shema 46:3:5
Also women must make a great effort to recite 100 berachot every day.
According to Rav Yosef, women should make every effort to recite one hundred berachot a day.
When necessary, hearing a beracha and responding “amen,” as in the aliyot to the Torah on Shabbat, can count towards the hundred berachot.9
ברכות נג:
ר’ יוסי אומר גדול העונה אמן יותר מן המברך
Berachot 53b
Rabbi Yosei says: Greater is one who answers ‘amen’ than one who recites a beracha.
Perhaps a woman who wishes to fulfill the hundred berachot may rely on this approach to achieve it.10
Is this the basis for the se'udat amen?
In recent years, it has become increasingly popular for groups of women to gather together for a se’udat amen, an amen feast. At these events, different foods are served in careful order so that each attendee can recite a maximum amount of berachot and so that everyone present can respond “amen” to each beracha. The minimum goal is often to reach one hundred “amen”s.
Where does this come from? There is the talmudic passage praising one who says “amen” more than the one who recites the beracha. There is also another passage that ascribes special power to saying “amen.”
שבת קיט:
אמר ריש לקיש כל העונה אמן בכל כחו פותחין לו שערי ג”ע [גן עדן] שנאמר פתחו שערים ויבא גוי צדיק שומר אמונים אל תיקרי שומר אמונים אלא שאומרים אמן.
Shabbat 119b
Reish Lakish said: Whoever responds ‘amen’ with all his might, the gates of Gan Eden open for him, as it is said “Open the gates and the righteous nation will come who is shomer emunim [a keeper of the faith]. Don’t read shomer emunim, rather she’omerim amen [who say ‘amen’].
Among Sefardi Jews, it is a common practice to provide a range of foods at a shiva or other memorial events, over which people can recite berachot and “amen” in order to open the gates of Gan Eden for the deceased. Modern women have adapted this practice to seek other types of salvation from God through reciting ‘amen’ en masse.
Perhaps on a strict halachic level, it would be better for the attendees to pray ma’ariv, but these events can be very meaningful for the women involved, since they create the opportunity to share and pray as a group.
Based in the home, and not in the synagogue, and couched as a voluntary assembly, rather than a daily obligation, the se’udat amen translates the idea of me’a berachot to a more feminine context.
In practice, most women either take care to recite three tefillot a day or rely on the opinions that one hundred berachot are not obligatory for women.
Notes
שולחן ערוך אורח חיים הלכות ברכות השחר ושאר ברכות סימן מו סעיף ח
כל הברכות האלו אם לא נתחייב באחת מהן, כגון שלא שמע קול תרנגול או שלא הלך או לא לבש או לא חגר, אומר אותה ברכה בלא הזכרת השם. הגה: וי”א [ויש אומרים] דאפילו לא נתחייב בהן מברך אותן, דאין הברכה דוקא על עצמו אלא מברכין שהקב”ה [שהקדוש ברוך הוא] ברא צרכי העולם. וכן המנהג, ואין לשנות.
Shulchan Aruch OC 46:8
All these berachot: if one was not obligated in one of them, such as if he did not hear the cock crow or did not walk or did not get dressed or did not put on a belt, he recites that beracha without mentioning God’s name. Rema: And some say that even if one was not obligated in them, one recites them, for the beracha is not specifically about oneself; rather, we recite a beracha on [the fact that] God created the necessities of the world. And this is the custom, and one should not change.
שולחן ערוך אורח חיים הלכות ברכות השחר ושאר ברכות סימן מו
עכשיו, מפני שאין הידים נקיות וגם מפני עמי הארצות שאינם יודעים אותם, נהגו לסדרם בבהכ”נ [בבית הכנסת] ועונין אמן אחריהם, ויוצאים ידי חובתן.
Shulchan Aruch OC 46:2
Now, because the hands are not clean, and also because of the unlearned people who do not know them [the text of the berachot], the practice is to recite them in order in the synagogue, and they answer “amen” after them, and fulfil their obligation.
שולחן ערוך אורח חיים הלכות ברכות השחר ושאר ברכות סימן מו סעיף ד
צריך לברך בכל יום:
Shulchan Aruch OC 46:4
One must recite the berachot each day
במדבר רבה (וילנא) פרשת קרח פרשה יח סימן כא
נגד מאה ברכות שבכל יום היו מתים מישראל מאה אנשים בא דוד ותקן להם מאה ברכות כיון שתקנם נתעצרה המגפה
Bemidbar Rabba 18:21
Corresponding to the 100 daily berachot, 100 people from Israel were dying each day. David came and enacted for them 100 berachot. Because he enacted them, the plague stopped.
ספר כד הקמח, ערך ברכה
ונראה מכל זה כי משה רבינו ע”ה יסדם תחלה ואחר כך שכחום וחזר דוד ויסדן ואחר זמנו של דוד שכחום וחזרו חכמי התלמוד ויסדום. ועוד יש לך להתבונן כי היו מאה ברכות בכל יום בחשבון אות ראשונה שבשם הגדול …קו”ף זה הבורא ומפני שבעשרה מאמרות נברא העולם אנו מברכין עשר ברכות כנגד כל מאמר ומאמר..
>Kad Ha-kemach, s.v. Beracha
And it seems from all this that Moshe Rabbeinu a”h originally enacted them, and afterwards they forgot them and David enacted them again. After the time of David, they forgot them and the sages of the Talmud enacted them again. One can further contemplate that the 100 berachot are the amount of the first letter of the great name of [God]….One hundred is the Creator. Since the world was created with ten [Divine] utterances, we recite ten berachot for each and every utterance.
רמב”ם הלכות תפילה ז:יד
חייב אדם לברך מאה ברכות בין היום והלילה
Mishneh Torah, Laws of Tefilla 7:14
A person is obligated to recite one hundred berachot during the day and night [combined]
8. See also Responsa Shevet Ha-levi 5:23:
שו”ת שבט הלוי חלק ה סימן כג
ואשר שאל אם נשים חייבות בתקנת ק’ ברכות, מפשטות דברי הב”י [הבית יוסף] והפוסקים ריש סי’ מ”ו דחשבו ק’ ברכות של כל אדם וחשבו בחשבון טלית ותפילין וכה”ג [וכהאי גוונא] ברכות דלא שייכי בנשים ולא כתבו נשים מאי איכ”ל [איכא לומר] מכלל דפשיטא להו דהתקנה לא שייכי בנשים.
Responsa Shevet Ha-levi 5:23
What he asked about whether women are obligated in the enactment of 100 berachot, from the simple understanding of the words of the Beit Yosef and the authorities at the beginning of Siman 46, who calculated the 100 berachot for each person and included in the calculation tallit and tefillin and so on, berachot that do not apply for women, and did not write “what about women?” – one can infer that it was obvious to them that the enactment does not apply to women.
בית יוסף אורח חיים סימן מו
וכיון שיכול לענות אמן אף על פי שלא שמע משמע דהכי נמי נפיק ידי חובת אותה ברכה בכך
Beit Yosef OC 46
And since he can answer “amen” even if he did not hear, we understand that likewise he fulfills his obligation in that beracha with that.
פרי מגדים אורח חיים משבצות זהב סימן קכד
וקיימא לן [ברכות נג, ב] גדול העונה אמן מהמברך, אז עולה לו למאה ברכות.
Peri Megadim OC Mishbetzot Zahav 124
And we maintain [Berachot 53b] that “greater is one who answers ‘amen’ than one who recites a beracha,” so it counts for the one hundred berachot.
Sources
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Birchot Ha-Shachar
ברכות ס:
כי שמע קול תרנגולא לימא ברוך אשר נתן לשכוי בינה להבחין בין יום ובין לילה כי פתח עיניה לימא ברוך פוקח עורים כי תריץ ויתיב לימא ברוך מתיר אסורים כי לביש לימא ברוך מלביש ערומים כי זקיף לימא ברוך זוקף כפופים כי נחית לארעא לימא ברוך רוקע הארץ על המים כי מסגי לימא ברוך המכין מצעדי גבר כי סיים מסאניה לימא ברוך שעשה לי כל צרכי כי אסר המייניה לימא ברוך אוזר ישראל בגבורה כי פריס סודרא על רישיה לימא ברוך עוטר ישראל בתפארה … ויהי רצון מלפניך ה’ אלהי שתרגילני בתורתך ודבקני במצותיך ..ברוך אתה ה’ גומל חסדים טובים לעמו ישראל:
Berachot 60b
When he hears the voice of a rooster, he should say: “Blessed [is He] that gave the rooster discernment to distinguish between day and night.” When he opens his eyes, he should say: “Blessed…who makes the blind see.” When he sits up straight, he should say: “Blessed…who frees the imprisoned.” When he dresses, he should say: “Blessed…who clothes the naked.” When he stands up, he should say: “Blessed…who straightens those who are bent over.” When he alights on the ground, he should say: “Blessed…who suspends the land above the water.” When he walks, he should say: “Blessed…who prepares the steps of man.” When he ties his shoes, he should say: “Blessed…who made for me all my needs.” When he ties his belt, he should say: “Blessed…who girds Israel with strength.” When he spreads a cloth on his head, he should say: “Blessed…who crowns Israel with glory.”…”and May it be Your will, Lord our God that you accustom me to your Torah and attach me to your mitzvot…Blessed are You, God, who grants good kindnesses to His people Israel.”
רמב”ם הלכות תפילה ז:ז
שמנה עשר ברכות אלו אין להם סדר אלא מברך כל אחת מהן על דבר שהברכה בשבילו בשעתו…וכל ברכה מהן שלא נתחייב בה אינו מברך אותה:
Mishneh Torah, Laws of Tefilla, 7:7
These eighteen berachot have no order. Rather one says each of them upon the matter that the beracha is for, in its time. If he has not become obligated in any one of these berachot [by experiencing it], he should not recite it.
חידושי הרמב”ן מסכת פסחים דף ז עמוד ב
נ”ל [נראה לי] שסדר ברכות הללו של שחרית ברכות שבח הן על נוהג העולם ואפי’ [ואפילו] לא שמע שכוי מברך עליו וכן בכולן, וכן נהגו ומנהג ישראל תורה היא.
Ramban Pesachim 7b
It seems to me that this set of morning berachot are berachot of praise over the way of the world, and even if he did not hear a rooster, he recites a beracha over it, and so too with all of them. This has become the custom, and the custom of Israel is Torah.
ספר כלבו סימן א
וכן הנהיגו רב נטרונאי ורב עמרם ושאר הגאונים לסדר את כלם אפילו לא עשה המעשה, שלא על עצמו בלבד הוא מברך אלא על כל העולם מברך את השם שעשה כל הטובות והחסדים האלו תמיד לכל, ואף על פי שמלשון התלמוד משמע שראוי לברכן בשעת מעשה אפילו בעודו על מטתו ואפילו קודם נטילת ידים, הגדולים ז”ל החמירו בזה ונהגו לסדר כלן אחר נטילת ידים שיברכם בטהרה ובנקיות
Kolbo 1
Thus Rav Natronai and Rav Amram and the rest of the Ge’onim instituted: to say all of them in order even if he did not perform that act. For he does not bless for himself alone, but for the entire world he blesses God Who did all these good things and kindnesses always for everyone. Although the language of the Talmud implies that one should recite these berachot at the time of a [related] act – even when he is still in bed and even before washing hands – the great authorities were stringent with this and were accustomed to say all of them as a set after hand-washing, so as to recite them in purity and in cleanliness.
משנה ברורה סימן נב סעיף קטן י
דזמן כל הברכות הוא כל היום בדיעבד וכן כתב בספר מעשה רב להגר”א ז”ל והוסיף שם עוד יותר דאפילו בלילה עד שעת השינה הוא חיובן אם שכח לאומרן קודם …ומ”מ [ומכל מקום] לכתחלה צריך ליזהר שלא לאחר הברכות יותר מד’ שעות על היום …
Mishna Berura 52:10
The time for all the berachot is all day long, after the fact. And so he wrote in Ma’aseh Rav about the Gra, and he added further that the obligation is even at night until one goes to bed, if one forgot to say them beforehand…In any case, ideally one must take care not to delay the blessings more than four [halachic] hours into the day.
Women and Birchot Ha-Shachar
משנה ברורה סימן ע
ומסתימת לשון הטוש”ע [הטור ושלחן ערוך] … משמע דמברכות ברכות השחר כמו אנשים
Mishna Berura 70
…From the silence of Tur and Shulchan Aruch…It is understood that they [women] recite the morning berachot like men.
ערוך השולחן אורח חיים סימן ע
ובברכות השחר חייבות מדינא שגם הן בכללא דברכות שעליהן נתקנו כל ברכות השחר
Aruch Ha-shulchan OC 70
Women are obligated by Halacha in birchot ha-shachar, for they also are included in the blessings upon which all of birchot ha-shachar were enacted.
חיד”א קשר גודל ה:כב
נשים מברכות שלא עשאני גויה שלא עשאני שפחה בשם ומלכות…
Chida, Kesher Gadol 5:22
Women bless “she-lo asani goya” “she-lo asani shifcha” with God’s name and [mention of His] kingship.
שו”ת שבט הלוי חלק י סימן ח: א
אשר שאל בענין ברכת שלא עשני גוי ועבד לאשה אם יאמרו כן או גויה ושפחה כדעת… החיד”א … לדידי אין ספק … שגם נשים מברכות גוי ועבד והנראה לענ”ד [לפי עניות דעתי] , בסי’ מ”ו ס”ד הלשון צריך לברך בכל יום שלא עשני גוי ושלא עשני עבד ושלא עשני אשה ומסיים המחבר והנשים מברכות שעשני כרצונו, פשוטם וסתימתם של דברים שבשאר ברכות אין הבדל בין איש לאשה…והיינו גוי כולל זכר ונקבה, וכן עבד כולל זכר ונקבה…
Responsa Shevet Ha-levi 10:8:1
What he asked about the beracha “she-lo asani goy” and”[she-lo asani] eved” for a woman, if they should say it thus or “goya” and “shifcha” in accordance with the opinion of…Chida…In my opinion there is no doubt…that women also bless “goy” and “eved.” And it seems in my humble opinion that in Shulchan Aruch 46:4 the language is “One must bless each day ‘she-lo asani goy’ and’[she-lo asani] eved‘ and ‘she-lo asani isha’” and the author concludes, “Women bless ‘she-asani kirtzono.'”The simple reading of these wordsand lack of further discussion shows that in other berachot there is no difference between man and woman…and “goy” includes both male and female, and so too “eved” includes male and female…
ברכות כט:-ל.
אמר אביי: לעולם לישתף איניש נפשיה בהדי צבורא
Berachot 29b-30a
Abbaye said: A person should always include himself together with the community.
100 Berachot
מנחות מג:
היה רבי מאיר אומר חייב אדם לברך מאה ברכות בכל יוםשנאמר “ועתה ישראל מה ה’ אלקיך שואל מעמך” (דברים י:יב)
Menachot 43b
Rabbi Meir would say: A person must recite one hundred berachot every day, for it is said “What [ma] does the Lord your God ask of you?” (Devarim 10:12)
סדר רב עמרם גאון (הרפנס) ברכות השחר
שנאמר “ועתה ישראל מה ה’ אלקיך שואל מעמך” (דברים י:יב). אל תקרא ‘מה’ אלא ‘מאה.’ ודוד מלך ישראל תקנן, כשהודיעוהו יושבי ירושלים שמתים מישראל מאה בכל יום, עמד ותקנן. ונראה הדבר שנשתכחו ועמדו תנאים ואמוראים ויסדום
Seder Rav Amram Gaon, Birchot Ha-shachar
For it is said, “And now Israel, what [ma] does the Lord your God ask of you” (Devarim 10:12). Don’t read [it as] ma [what], but rather as ‘me’a’ [one hundred[. David, King of Israel, enacted them. When the inhabitants of Jerusalem informed him that one hundred Israelites were dying every day, he stood and enacted them. It seems that the matter was forgotten and the Tanna’im and Amora’im stood and enacted them [the berachot].
Women and 100 Berachot
שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן מו סעיף ג
חייב אדם לברך בכל יום מאה ברכות, לפחות.
Shulchan Aruch OC 46:3
A person is obligated to recite at least one hundred berachot each day
הליכות ביתה יג:א הערה ב
ומדודי הגרש”ז [הגאון רב שלמה זלמן] שליטא שמעתי, דמסתבר כיון שבחשבון של מאה כלול התפילות וברכות קריאת-שמע וכו’ לכן מעיקרא לא חייבום לנשים, שהרי ביום צום אי אפשר לנשים שאינן מתפללות להשלים מאה ברכות.
Rav David Auerbach, Halichot Beitah 13:1, note 2
And from my uncle Rav Shlomo Zalman [Auerbach] I heard that it makes sense that, since in the accounting of 100, the prayers and berachot of Keriat Shema and so on are included, therefore from the beginning they did not obligate women. For on a fast day it would be impossible for women who do not pray [all three services] to complete 100 berachot.
ילקוט יוסף פסוקי דזמרה וקריאת שמע סימן מו סעיף ג’- דין מאה ברכות בכל יום סעיף ה
גם הנשים צריכות להשתדל מאד לברך מאה ברכות בכל יום.
Rav Yitzchak Yosef, Yalkut Yosef Pesukei De-zimra U-keriat Shema 46:3:5
Also women must make a great effort to recite 100 berachot every day.
ברכות נג:
ר’ יוסי אומר גדול העונה אמן יותר מן המברך
Berachot 53b
Rabbi Yosei says: Greater is one who answers ‘amen’ than one who recites a beracha.
שבת קיט:
אמר ריש לקיש כל העונה אמן בכל כחו פותחין לו שערי ג”ע [גן עדן] שנאמר פתחו שערים ויבא גוי צדיק שומר אמונים אל תיקרי שומר אמונים אלא שאומרים אמן.
Shabbat 119b
Reish Lakish said: Whoever responds ‘amen’ with all his might, the gates of Gan Eden open for him, as it is said “Open the gates and the righteous nation will come who is shomer emunim [a keeper of the faith]. Don’t read shomer emunim, rather she’omerim amen [who say ‘amen’].
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Hashkafic Q&A
Must women pray in male language?
In our discussion of modeh ani, we saw that women have the option of saying “moda” in feminine form. Here we see a debate as to whether women may recite “she-lo asani goya” and “she-lo asani eved.” In general, do women have to pray in masculine language?
With a prayer like “moda ani,” where only the vocalization changes, but not the letters or words, it is hard to imagine there being an issue. As we see in birchot ha-shachar, changing words from masculine to feminine forms when praying in the first person is a bit more contentious, though it should generally be permissible when the only shift in meaning is the grammatical gender shift.
Why, then, doesn’t this question come up more?
For most prayers, this issue is irrelevant, because the Talmud teaches us that prayer should be phrased in the plural, not the singular:
ברכות כט:-ל.
אמר אביי: לעולם לישתף איניש נפשיה בהדי צבורא
Berachot 29b-30a
Abbaye said: A person should always include himself together with the community.
We pray as part of a “we,” not as solitary “I”s. We pray in the context of our community and our people. Beyond that, when we pray in the plural, looking out not only for ourselves, our prayer has a greater likelihood of being heard.
Hebrew grammar’s first person plural includes males and females in the same verb forms. Even in the first person singular, the forms differ only for adjectives and participles. For this reason, most of our prayers are not specifically male to start with.
Often, prayers that seem to be in singular are actually chapters of or quotations from Tehillim, as in Pesukei De-zimra. There, we specifically recite scriptural verses, on the assumption that David ha-Melech’s expression of prayer can speak for all of us and teach all of us about God, humanity, and prayer. Changing his words would be missing part of the point of quoting him.
The fact that Tehillim are sometimes in masculine singular has not gotten in the way of reciting Tehillim being a particularly popular custom among women, even outside the context of formal prayer. At the same time, women often frame recitation of Tehillim with supplicatory prayers, which may be in the feminine, and that combination can be satisfying.
Is this the basis for the se'udat amen?
In recent years, it has become increasingly popular for groups of women to gather together for a se’udat amen, an amen feast. At these events, different foods are served in careful order so that each attendee can recite a maximum amount of berachot and so that everyone present can respond “amen” to each beracha. The minimum goal is often to reach one hundred “amen”s.
Where does this come from? There is the talmudic passage praising one who says “amen” more than the one who recites the beracha. There is also another passage that ascribes special power to saying “amen.”
שבת קיט:
אמר ריש לקיש כל העונה אמן בכל כחו פותחין לו שערי ג”ע [גן עדן] שנאמר פתחו שערים ויבא גוי צדיק שומר אמונים אל תיקרי שומר אמונים אלא שאומרים אמן.
Shabbat 119b
Reish Lakish said: Whoever responds ‘amen’ with all his might, the gates of Gan Eden open for him, as it is said “Open the gates and the righteous nation will come who is shomer emunim [a keeper of the faith]. Don’t read shomer emunim, rather she’omerim amen [who say ‘amen’].
Among Sefardi Jews, it is a common practice to provide a range of foods at a shiva or other memorial events, over which people can recite berachot and “amen” in order to open the gates of Gan Eden for the deceased. Modern women have adapted this practice to seek other types of salvation from God through reciting ‘amen’ en masse.
Perhaps on a strict halachic level, it would be better for the attendees to pray ma’ariv, but these events can be very meaningful for the women involved, since they create the opportunity to share and pray as a group.
Based in the home, and not in the synagogue, and couched as a voluntary assembly, rather than a daily obligation, the se’udat amen translates the idea of me’a berachot to a more feminine context.
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