Blessings for Food

Food is a source of sustenance and pleasure. It brings us together around the table for holiday feasts and simple weekday meals. Baking challah with an old family recipe reminds us how food connects us to time and tradition. Trying an international dish at a new restaurant or growing our own tomatoes can show us the complex relationship between food and place. All of this is remarkable, providing so many reasons to pause and offer a blessing.

Latest Rituals

Hazan et HaOlam: A Ritual for Starting Solids

This ritual frames starting solid foods as a time honor the sacredness of nourishment.

babies, blessings, food, gratitude, parenting

A smiling baby in a high chair being fed with a spoon by an adult.

Blessing for Hunger

Don’t fret about terms, / she croons. / Just watch the squirrels

blessing, food, hunger, mindfulness, nature

watercolor by author of a squirrel sitting on the branch of a tree

Hamotzi: Blessing My Bread

“The pause is mine. Hamotzi. All mine…”

food, hamotzi, mindfulness

a hand reaches towards a sliced challah

Sharing Shabbat With Neighbors

“The nearby porch clutter did not diminish their / prayers, inspiring my own return to Shabbat.”

at the shabbat table, neighbors, Shabbat

Shabbat candles and wine set on a white tablecloth

Dollar Bread Shabbat Blessing

at the shabbat table, essential workers, poverty, Shabbat, work

tearing a piece of white bread

Fresh Gefilte Fish

“G-d forbid we eat grocery store drek.”

cooking, family, grandparents

clawfoot bathtub

Rimonim

A poem of admiration for pomegranates

blessing, food, tree

bowl of pomegranates

As I Face my Plate: a Shehechayanu for an Eating Disorder

“Grant me the strength to sustain my life, / As you commanded…”

mental health, mental illness

woman eating breakfast in bed

An Embodiment Ritual for Planting the First Seeds of the Season

A ritual for the holy work of seeding your garden or farm

earth, garden, tree planting, water

Hands holding small brown seeds, with a blurred background.

Kavannah Before Eating

“For the treasures of healthy sustenance I enjoy each day”

Woman enjoying a meal at a cozy cafe, with a yellow cup and green plants on the wooden table.