What is b'rachah?

[By Grace]

I was reading an article on another site and came across this term. Can someone explain it to me? The article said it means "blessing", but how is it used or done or applied or whatever?

TIA,

[Henaynei]

a b'rakha is a "blessing," - they are usually any of a group of prayers have been said for millennia - Yeshua said them even. Unlike the "christian blessing", these are NOT asking HaShem to bless any thing - rather we are recognizing His sovereign position over and above all things but .....

"There is a blessing for everything" to quote the village rabbi in "Fiddler"....

One of the purposes of the b'rakhot (plural) is to keep the sovereignity of HaShem ever before our eyes and heart..... There literally is a blessing for everything.... from opening one's eyes in the morning to putting on one's shoes, from washing one's face to relieving one's self, from smelling a beautiful fragrance to smelling an objectionable odor, from seeing a baby smile to specific blessings said before and after you eat, from when you wear a new piece of clothing to when you narrowly escape harm or death...... from the appearance of new life to the passing of the old.....

Ask the participants why Judaism uses Brachot (blessings): (http://www.jafi.org.il/education/lifecycle/jewishlc/04-17.html)

What are the purpose of Brachot?
Why do traditional Jews say Brachot, for example, when they wake up in the morning, when they see something unusual, when they say their daily prayers, etc.?
The answers might range from:
“in order to remember G-d”,
through:
“in order not to take things for granted”,
or from:
“in order to punctuate our day with constant reminders of how lucky we are to be alive”,
through:
“in order to remind ourselves how we ought to behave”, etc.
These ideas should be written up on poster board.
Anatomy of a Blessing... (http://www.aish.com/literacy/mitzvahs/Anatomy_of_a_Blessing.asp)

let me get a site for you...
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Brachot.html#Transliteration%20&%20Translation%20of%20Some%20of%20the%20Brachot

[By Grace]

Thank you! That's exactly what I was looking for!

[Sephania]

There is a wonderful book you may want to read called, Blessing the King of the Universe, by Irene Lipson, and is easy to read and understand and will bring more meaning to everything in your life! Available at http://www.messianicjewish.net/blessing.html for only $10.

[Henaynei]

great suggestion!!