Laws of Blessings (Adv.)
Crash Course in Jewish Blessings
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When saying a bracha, the surrounding environment must be dignified and clean.
The Torah says: "Your camp should be holy, and He shall not see among you a matter of nakedness" (Deut. 23:15). This means that when engaging in "holy" activities, such as prayer and Torah study, one's surrounding environment must be modest and clean.1 With this in mind, we can appreciate the following guidelines that emphasize the need for dignity and honor when saying a bracha – both for the person saying the bracha, and also the setting in which the bracha is said.
Part and parcel of saying a "dignified bracha" is that all the people present are properly dressed. This includes both proper clothing and a proper head covering. As we will see in the following section, these requirements will differ slightly for men and women.
(a) Nudity
It is prohibited for a man to say a bracha while totally naked, i.e. with private parts exposed.2
Another aspect of "holiness" when saying a bracha is that a man is required to have a "separation between his heart and his lower body." This typically requires no special attention, as it is accomplished by wearing a belt, pants or underwear. However, if a man is at home wearing just a bathrobe, he would need to tie the robe's belt, in order to create a separation between the heart and lower body.3
It is improper to say a bracha with one's top half uncovered, unless there is no realistic option.4
Joe is sitting at the beach in his bathing suit and wants to say a bracha on a nice cold drink. This is permitted, since his private parts are covered by a bathing suit, which also acts as a separation "between his heart and lower body." If possible, Joe should use a towel or t-shirt to also cover his upper half.
(b) Head Covering
The Talmud5 suggests that a Jewish man should wear a head covering under all normal circumstances, so that the "fear of Heaven" will be upon him.6 Certainly, a man needs to have his head covered while saying a bracha.7
If there is no kippah or hat available, and you're really thirsty for a drink, can you cover your head with your hand? No,8 but you could:
(a) Nudity
The halacha is more lenient regarding women:
As long as a woman is sitting down, she is permitted to say a bracha, as long as her private parts are not directly exposed.11
Further, there is no need for a woman to "separate between her heart and her lower body."12
However, in both these aspects, it is recommended, when possible, for a woman to act strictly.13
(b) Head Covering
Jewish law requires all married women to cover their hair in public places, or even in private if she is likely to be seen by a man other than her husband.14
Furthermore, even if there is no one else around, it is preferable for a woman to cover her hair when saying a bracha.15
We have established the need to be adequately dressed when saying a bracha. Beyond this, we need to be aware of how other people around us are clothed. Here again, the rules differ for men and women.
A Man Around Other Men
A man may not say a bracha while facing the private parts of another male above the age of nine.16 Closing his eyes won't help; in order to say the bracha, he'll need to turn his body (not just his face) away so that he is not facing him anymore.17 This applies even in the dark.18
A Man Around Women
A man may not say a bracha while facing the private parts of any girl over the age of three. Similar to what we said above, he would need to turn his body away.19
In addition, since women are required to dress modestly, a man may not see certain other parts of a woman's body when saying a blessing. These are:
This applies to all women – even a wife and daughter.24 There are, however, different opinions as to what age these guidelines begin; consult your local rabbi for the custom in your community.25
As we said above, in instances when you are facing another person's private parts, you must turn your body away. But what about when the problem is that the other person is "improperly dressed"?
This is actually a quite common scenario, such as in work-related settings,26 or at a Shabbat table when you want to say Kiddush, but a female guest is not properly covered. In such a case, since there is no other feasible option, the man can face downwards or close his eyes while saying the bracha.27
Similar to what we said above, if there are other people around with private parts exposed, a woman may not say a bracha in front of them unless she turns her body away first.
What if a woman wants to say a bracha in the presence of other women who have other areas exposed – e.g. above the elbows and knees, below the neckline, or a married woman's hair? In this case the rules are more lenient, and it is permitted for a woman to say a bracha, even without closing her eyes or looking downwards.28
Even when not saying a bracha, Jewish men are not permitted to hear a female singing. This is called
Whatever the case, when it comes to actually saying a bracha, a man is not permitted to do so in the presence of any female singing voice. This even applies when one's wife or daughter is singing.31
This prohibition only applies to men listening to women; however the halacha permits a woman to recite a blessing when hearing a man (or other women) sing.32
Part of the "holiness" of a blessing is that one may not say a bracha if s/he presently feels the need to use the bathroom.33
Further, before saying a bracha, the anal area must be clean of any waste residue.34
One's hands must also be clean before saying a bracha. "Unclean" in this sense means:
If your hands are dirty, you should wash them before saying a bracha. In the event that water is not readily available, it is sufficient to wipe one's hands on something like a cloth or a rock.40
Another way in which we "dignify" a bracha is that the setting must be free of odors and waste.
(1) Odors
If there is a bad smell around, it is prohibited to say a bracha.41 For example:
If a child is in the area with a smelly soiled diaper, you could only say a bracha if you are 7 feet42 away from where the odor ends.43
If you are near a bathroom, close the door and be careful that there is no bad smell emanating.44
If someone passes wind, you need to wait until the smell disperses before saying a bracha. Alternatively, you can distance yourself till where the smell ends. 45
(2) Waste
Decaying organic matter46 – e.g. a garbage can – presents a problem when saying a bracha. If there is a smell emanating from it, then the rules stated above (regarding a diaper) apply – i.e. you must be at least 7 feet away from where the odor ends.
If, however, there is no smell, then it depends:
If the waste is uncovered, then you may not say a bracha when facing the waste. Shutting your eyes won't help in this case; you would need to turn away from the waste, and move 7 feet away from where it's lying.47
If the waste is covered, then there is no problem in saying a bracha (provided of course there is no smell). This applies even if the covering is "see-through," and even if you are standing right next to it.48