This blessing was created by my 7-year-old daughter, who asked me about the kind of prayer that we say before opening presents. Since we didn’t find a blessing such as that one, I suggested she create her own: what would she want to bless when opening presents this Hanukkah? This, after slightly editing, what came up:
Thank you God, for all that you’ve done for us.
Thank you God, for creating us.
Thank you God, for creating us Jewish.
Thank you God, for these presents from my parents and grandparents, from all my family and friends.
Amen.
My adult version is:
Blessed are you Adonai, our God, for sustaining us every day with the gift of life. We thank you today for these gifts, channeled through loved ones on this holiday.
May it be your will, Adonai our God, that we enjoy these gifts for days to come. Strengthen our ability to increase this joy within us and gift it to others through simple acts of kindness, tzedakah and gemilut hasadim.
Amen.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדוֹנִי אֱלֹהֵינוּ, שֶׁקִּיַּמְנוּ יוֹם-יוֹם בְּמַתְּנַת הַחַיִּים.
אָנוּ מוֹדִים לְפָנַיִךְ הַיּוֹם עַל הַמַּתָּנוֹת שֶׁנִּתְּנוּ לָנוּ, מִיָּדַי מִשְׁפָּחָה וַחֲבֵרִים בְּחַג זֶה.
כֵּן יִהְיֶה רָצוֹן לְפָנַיִךְ, אֲדוֹנִי אֱלֹהֵינוּ, שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה לֵהָנוֹת מִמַּתְּנוֹת אֵלּוּ לִזְמַן רַב. חָזָק בָּנוּ אֶת הַיְּכֹלֶת לְתַעֵל אֶת רִגְשׁוֹת הַשִּׂמְחָה וְהָאֹשֶׁר בְּתוֹכֵנוּ לִנְתִינָה בֵּין אָדָם לְאָדָם: בְּהַכָּרַת הַטּוֹב, בִּצְדָקָה וּגְמִילוּת חֲסָדִים.
אָמֵן.
