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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION

Siman ו׳ · Asher Yatsar and Elokaï Neshama

ברכת אשר יצר ואלהי נשמה — the wisdom of the creation of the body and the gift of the soul
סימן ו׳ · ד׳ סעיפים
ברכת אשר יצר ואלהי נשמה
🌱 Introductory level · Beginners
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A first approach to the 4 seifim: vocalized Hebrew text, clear English translation, pedagogical explanations on the Asher Yatsar blessing and the wisdom of the creation of the body, on the order of Al Netilat Yadayim, on Elokaï Neshama which does not open with « Baroukh », and on the minhag of blessing as a group — with a section of practical cases.

Topic: The blessings Asher Yatsar and Elokaï Neshama, the order of the birkhot hashachar and the minhag of answering amen as a group
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן ו' · ד' סעיפים

Compiled by: Rav Yossef Haim Samama
DAAT · daattorah.com

This whole siman is a song of hodaa (thanksgiving). In the morning, barely awake, the Jew marvels at two gifts we take for granted: the body, whose creation is of an unfathomable wisdom (אשר יצר את האדם בחכמה), and the pure soul that Hashem restores to him each day (אלהי נשמה). The siman teaches us to say « thank you » with precision: for what each berakha, in what order, and with what awareness. We study here at the level of principle; for the precise conduct, we refer to the ruling of the Rav.

📑 Study outline

A. Asher Yatsar — the wisdom of the creation of the body (the orifices, « if one of them were closed or opened »)
B. The order of Al Netilat Yadayim — at home or in the synagogue; not blessing twice
C. Elokaï Neshama — why it does not open with « Baroukh » (ברכת ההודאה)
D. The minhag of blessing as a group — one blesses, the others answer amen, then another blesses
+ Practical cases and comprehension questions

A. Asher Yatsar — the wisdom of the creation of the body (seif 1)

Original text (seif 1)

כְּשֶׁיֵּצֵא מִבֵּית הַכִּסֵּא יְבָרֵךְ « אֲשֶׁר יָצַר אֶת הָאָדָם בְּחָכְמָה », שֶׁבְּרִיאַת הָאָדָם הִיא בְּחָכְמָה נִפְלָאָה. וְיֵשׁ מְפָרְשִׁים עַל שֵׁם שֶׁהַגּוּף דּוֹמֶה לְנוֹד מָלֵא רוּחַ וְהוּא מָלֵא נְקָבִים. וְיֵשׁ מְפָרְשִׁים « בְּחָכְמָה » שֶׁהִתְקִין מְזוֹנוֹתָיו שֶׁל אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן וְאַחַר כָּךְ בְּרָאוֹ. וּבָרָא בּוֹ נְקָבִים נְקָבִים חֲלוּלִים חֲלוּלִים, שֶׁאִם יִסָּתֵם אֶחָד מֵהֶם אוֹ יִפָּתַח אֶחָד מֵהֶם אִי אֶפְשָׁר לְהִתְקַיֵּם אֲפִלּוּ שָׁעָה אֶחָת.
Note: seif 1 of the Shulchan Aroukh is long and offers several explanations (פירושים) of the word בחכמה. We quote here the essential; the detail of the three interpretations is studied at Level 2 — Lamdan.

English translation

When one comes out of the lavatory, one recites the blessing « Asher Yatsar et ha-adam be-ḥokhma » — « Who formed man with wisdom ». For the creation of man is of a marvelous wisdom. Some explain (the word « be-ḥokhma ») by the fact that the body resembles a skin-bottle full of breath, and that it is full of orifices. Others explain « be-ḥokhma » in the sense that Hashem first prepared the food of the first man, and then created him. And He created in him « orifices, orifices, cavities, cavities » (נקבים נקבים חלולים חלולים) — for if one of them were to close, or if one of them were to open, it would be impossible to survive even one hour.
אֲשֶׁר יָצַר (Asher Yatsar) — the blessing said after relieving oneself. Its theme: the health of the body and the wisdom of its making. It concludes with רוֹפֵא כָל בָּשָׂר וּמַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת — « Who heals all flesh and acts wondrously ».
The central idea: the human body is a balance of dizzying delicacy. נְקָבִים (orifices) — such as the mouth and the nose — which must remain open; and חֲלוּלִים (hollow organs) — such as the heart, the stomach, the intestines — which must remain closed. Let a single orifice close, or a single hollow organ open improperly, and « it would be impossible to survive one hour ». To acknowledge this at every visit to the lavatory is to turn an ordinary act into a moment of hodaa.
Seif 1 in one sentence: on coming out of the lavatory one blesses אשר יצר, marveling at the wisdom with which Hashem formed the body — a balance so delicate that « if one of its orifices were to close or open, it would be impossible to survive one hour ».

B. The order of Al Netilat Yadayim (seif 2)

Original text (seif 2)

יֵשׁ נוֹהֲגִין לְהַמְתִּין לְבָרֵךְ « עַל נְטִילַת יָדַיִם » עַד בּוֹאָם לְבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת, וּמְסַדְּרִים אוֹתָם עִם שְׁאָר הַבְּרָכוֹת, וּבְנֵי סְפָרַד לֹא נָהֲגוּ כֵן. וְעַל כָּל פָּנִים לֹא יְבָרֵךְ שְׁתֵּי פְעָמִים : מִי שֶׁמְּבָרְכָם בְּבֵיתוֹ לֹא יְבָרֵךְ בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת, וְכֵן מִי שֶׁמְּבָרְכָם בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת לֹא יְבָרֵךְ בְּבֵיתוֹ.
Some have the custom of waiting, to recite « Al Netilat Yadayim », until they arrive at the synagogue, and of saying it together with the other blessings (the birkhot hashachar); but the Sephardim did not have this custom. In any case, one shall not bless twice: whoever recites them at home shall not recite them again in the synagogue, and likewise whoever recites them in the synagogue shall not recite them again at home.
בִּרְכוֹת הַשַּׁחַר (the birkhot hashachar) — the morning blessings (on the washing of the hands, on the Torah, « Elokaï Neshama », and the long series « שלא עשני… », « פוקח עורים », etc.). The question of the seif is: where to say them — at home, upon waking, or in the synagogue, as a group?
Two customs, one common rule:
Remember: whether one follows the Ashkenazi custom (in the synagogue) or the Sephardic custom (at home), the principle is the same: only once. A berakha already said with its obligation is not repeated.

C. Elokaï Neshama does not open with « Baroukh » (seif 3)

Original text (seif 3)

בִּרְכַּת « אֱלֹהַי נְשָׁמָה » אֵינָהּ פּוֹתַחַת בְּ« בָּרוּךְ », מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא בִּרְכַּת הַהוֹדָאָה, וּבִרְכוֹת הַהוֹדָאוֹת אֵין פּוֹתְחוֹת בְּ« בָּרוּךְ », כְּמוֹ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ בְּבִרְכַּת הַגְּשָׁמִים.
The blessing « Elokaï Neshama » does not begin with the word « Baroukh », because it is a blessing of thanksgiving (ברכת ההודאה); and blessings of thanksgiving do not begin with « Baroukh » — as we find for the blessing of the rain (birkat ha-gueshamim).
בִּרְכַּת הַהוֹדָאָה (birkat ha-hodaa) — a blessing of thanksgiving, by which one thanks Hashem for a kindness received. Its hallmark: it does not open with « Baroukh ata Hashem… », for it wells up as a spontaneous overflow of the heart, and not as an instituted formula of praise.
Why no « Baroukh » at the start? As a rule, a berakha opens with « Baroukh ata Hashem ». But certain berakhot are exceptions. אלהי נשמה is a berakha of hodaa: in it one thanks Hashem for having restored the soul pure. Like the birkat ha-gueshamim (the blessing of the rain), which is also a hodaa, it does not begin with « Baroukh » — the surge of gratitude precedes the formula.
Remember: אלהי נשמה = ברכת ההודאה = no « Baroukh » at the start. In the morning, in saying « My God, the soul You have placed within me is pure », one gives thanks for the gift of the neshama restored each day.

D. The minhag of blessing and answering amen as a group (seif 4)

Original text (seif 4)

יֵשׁ נוֹהֲגִין שֶׁאַחַר שֶׁבֵּרֵךְ אֶחָד בִּרְכוֹת הַשַּׁחַר וְעָנוּ אַחֲרָיו אָמֵן, חוֹזֵר אֶחָד מִן הָעוֹנִים אָמֵן וּמְבָרֵךְ וְעוֹנִין אַחֲרָיו אָמֵן, וְכַסֵּדֶר הַזֶּה עוֹשִׂין כָּל אוֹתָם שֶׁעָנוּ אָמֵן תְּחִלָּה. וְאֵין לְעַרְעֵר עֲלֵיהֶם — שֶׁהַמְבָרֵךְ אֵינוֹ מְכַוֵּן לְהוֹצִיא אֲחֵרִים, וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם הָיָה מְכַוֵּן לְהוֹצִיאָם, הֵם מְכַוְּנִים שֶׁלֹּא לָצֵאת בְּבִרְכָתוֹ.
Some have the following custom: after one person has recited the birkhot hashachar and the others have answered amen after him, one of those who answered amen takes his turn, recites the blessings, and they answer amen after him; and in this order proceed all those who answered amen first. And there is no ground to object to them (saying that they have already discharged their obligation by the amen answered first) — for the one who blesses does not intend to discharge the others, and even if he did intend to discharge them, they intend not to be discharged by his blessing.
לְהוֹצִיא (to be motsi) — to « discharge » another of an obligation: when a person recites a berakha intending to discharge others, and they intend to be discharged, the amen they answer counts as if they had said it themselves. Everything rests on the mutual kavana (the one who says it, and those who listen).
Why may each one bless in turn? One might object: « whoever answered amen has already discharged his obligation, how can he bless again? » The Shulchan Aroukh answers: no, because (1) the one who was blessing did not intend to discharge the others, and (2) even had he wanted to, the others intended not to be discharged by his berakha — each wishing to bless himself. This double absence of kavana leaves each one free to bless in turn.
The 4 seifim, in summary:

Practical cases

Case 1 — Asher Yatsar in daily life

Situation: one comes out of the lavatory, after relieving oneself, at any moment of the day.
Conduct: one recites אשר יצר, each time, not by mechanical habit but pausing for a moment on what the words say: Hashem formed the body « with wisdom », and it is that very wisdom that maintains, at this instant, the balance of the orifices and the organs. It is the berakha of the health of the body — the occasion, several times a day, to say « thank you » for what one takes for granted. For the precise details (until when one may say it, after exactly what), one refers to the ruling of the Rav.

Case 2 — The order of the birkhot hashachar: at home or in the synagogue

Situation: upon waking, one washes one's hands; should one say « Al Netilat Yadayim » and the birkhot hashachar right away, at home, or wait for the synagogue?
Conduct: it depends on the custom (minhag). The Sephardic custom is to say them at home, upon waking; some Ashkenazim wait for the synagogue to say them in order with the community. The rule binding on all: do not repeat them — whoever said them at home does not recite them in the synagogue, and vice versa. To establish one's practice, one follows one's rite and the ruling of the Rav.

Case 3 — Elokaï Neshama: gratitude for the soul restored each morning

Situation: upon waking, one says « Elokaï Neshama she-natata bi tehora hi » — « My God, the soul You have placed within me is pure ».
Conduct: one has in mind that this is a berakha of hodaa: each night the soul « ascends », and each morning Hashem restores it, pure. That is why it does not begin with « Baroukh » — the gratitude wells up first. As siman 5 teaches (the kavana of the berakhot), one takes care to say it while thinking what one says. For the precise rules (where to say it, until when), one refers to the ruling of the Rav.

Comprehension questions

Check your understanding:
  1. When does one recite the אשר יצר blessing?
  2. What does « the creation of man is בחכמה (with wisdom) » mean? What are the נקבים and the חלולים?
  3. Which sentence of seif 1 teaches that the balance of the body is of a vital delicacy?
  4. According to the two customs, where does one say « Al Netilat Yadayim » and the birkhot hashachar? What rule holds for all?
  5. Why does אלהי נשמה not begin with « Baroukh »? To which other berakha is it compared?
  6. What does the minhag of seif 4 consist of? Why may each one bless in turn without already having discharged his obligation?

To go further

If you want to delve deeper into this siman:
Back to the previous siman← Siman 5
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DAAT · רב יוסף חיים סממה
Talmid Chacham · Teacher of shiurim in halakha and Chassidut
סימן ו' · ד' סעיפים · Level 1 — Introduction
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