This past year, I discovered a new way to look at something very familiar. I discovered the value of exploring the blessings of blessings. I often found myself reciting blessings, such as Shehecheyanu and Hagafen, without knowing what they truly meant. While I had a cursory understanding, I never really thought deeply about their significance or deeper meaning. This year, I decided to make a conscious effort to stop and examine these blessings. By doing so, I’ve been able to find a new meaning for these blessings and change the way I think about my life.

The shehecheyanu is a very meaningful prayer in the Jewish tradition. Over the past couple of years, my life has undergone a period of transition. Through this change, I have learned to appreciate the meaning and subtlety of this prayer on an even greater scale. Celebrating shehecheyanu has truly transformed my perspective on life. Here’s why:

Shehecheyanu is a prayer recited at initial celebrations. This blessing is used when lighting the Hanukkah candles for the first time each year, celebrating a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, or lighting the candles at the Passover Seder.

Some may say that lighting the Hanukkah or Seder Candles is not new because it happens every year. For those, I offer a quote from Hericlatus who famously said, “No man enters the same river twice; for it is not the same man and not the same river.” Thus, each holiday celebration is new. The family configuration may be different based on various life transitions or milestones (e.g., birth, death, divorce, marriage, bar/bat mitzvah) and new friends may have entered your life. Furthermore, often based on these changes, our personal outlooks and perspectives evolve; altering the way we interact, communicate, and express ourselves. I firmly believe that celebrating joyous occasions and momentous experiences helps prevent calcification of the mind, body, and spirit — enhancing our own lives, the lives of those around us, and the lives of those we’ve yet to meet.

There are three key elements of experiencing Shehecheyanu fully. By definition, Shehecheyanu must be recited during a new and happy experience. It cannot be said in a sad context and its significance must not be diminished through routine recitations. Therefore, when attempting to connect to the deeper meaning of the blessing, I begin by actively seeking out new and happy experiences. Next, I take the time to intentionally acknowledge each new and happy moment as such. Finally, I set aside time to express genuine gratitude for the blessing of the moment. By re-examining the meaning of Shehecheyanu, and making myself a more active participant in its significance, I have learned to appreciate and seek out the feelings of adventure, growth, and gratitude.

After a lifetime of experiences, challenges, successes, and relationships, I’ve found that we simply cannot live our lives without exploring the boundaries of our minds, bodies, and spirits. In doing so, we must find new friends to celebrate with, cry with, and discover with. “Blessed our God King of the universe who brings us to this very happy first-time moment.” I hope that you can live your life full of many and frequent happy first-time experiences. One of the greatest blessings of my life has been to share shehecheyanu with as many family and friends, new and old, as I can, and I encourage you to do the same.

All biblically-based celebrations involve a glass of wine, which means all biblically-based celebrations involve the Hagafen blessing. The blessing over the wine is part of the experience and an integral part of the celebration. In the Jewish tradition, there is only one blessing concerned with wine: “buray pre hagafen.” I would like to share my understanding of this blessing and how it has enhanced my life.

Within biblical tradition, there are a number of ritual prayers that one recites depending on the origin of a food or drink. For example, the Haetz Blessing is recited for fruits and foods grown on trees far from the ground, such as apples, oranges, grapes and figs. The Adama Blessing is recited for food that is grown in the ground, such as carrots, eggplant and potatoes. Finally, there is the Shehakol Blessing, which is recited for foods not grown in the ground or in trees, such as meat, fish, eggs, water, juice, and other drinks. The Shehakol Blessing, however, does not include wine.

Given these prayer groupings, why is the blessing over wine separated from other drinks? The Kiddush blessing is an important blessing to honor the special significance of wine (Hagefen). But why is Hagafen only for wine?

I would like to share my understanding of the blessing over the wine: “buray pre hagafen.” My interpreted translation is as follows:

Blessed our God, King of the universe, who brings us from the fermented spoiled rotten lowly grapes to the sanctified and holy wine. From the suffering of the grape to the soaring sanctified wine. Wine is the catalyst for all Jewish celebrations. While we celebrate and rejoice, let us pause and reflect on the path of suffering we overcame and learned from so that we can fully appreciate and achieve today’s blessing and celebration.

David Ortiz, a very famous Boston Red Sox Superstar Baseball player affectionately known as “Big Papi,” always celebrated his home runs, the penultimate celebratory baseball moment, by pointing to the sky. He did this to acknowledge the resting place of his mother in heaven and honor her memory as he crossed home plate. He wanted to celebrate his home run, while acknowledging the pain associated with the loss of his mom. In this way, his success was a tribute to her love, impact, and memory.

I think of the Hagafen prayer in the same way, in that it has helped me learn to acknowledge the inevitable highs and lows of life. These blessings have been recited over and over again in different centuries, different regions, and different traditions. While the people present for these blessings, the place in which they are recited, and the circumstances under which they are read may have changed, the blessings remain a constant. Throughout the highs and lows of life, I turn to these blessings as a source of eternal stability and gratitude.

Let’s explore how God is described in biblical blessings:

The Hebrew prayer “Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech Haolam” translates to:

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe.”

This is a common opening phrase in Jewish blessings and prayers, expressing reverence and gratitude towards God.

The word for “creator” in Hebrew is “בּוֹרֵא” (Boreh).

This term comes from the verb “בָּרָא” (bara), which means “to create.” It is often used in religious contexts to refer to God as the Creator, especially in the opening verse of the Hebrew Bible:

“בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים” (Bereishit bara Elohim), which means “In the beginning, God created.”

So, “Boreh” is the specific form for “Creator.”

God is described as

1. Lord our God
2. King of the Universe
3. Creator

We are literally praising and elevating and amplifying our view of God and his role in our lives.

Prayer Details:

Shehecheyanu:

Hagafen:

Haetz Blessing:

Adama Blessing: 

Shehakol Blessing:

Fun fact: While orange juice falls under the Shehakol blessing, the orange itself is grown from the trees, which makes it part of the Haetz blessing.

Ice Skating in the Desert

Speed skating is a complicated, high-stakes competitive sport which requires athleticism, focus, and speed. Skaters start together on a track and make their way around it. They start slowly and then speed up as the competition progresses. Skaters must endure years of intense training to learn how to efficiently conserve their energy in order to win. Those are the unspoken rules of the game, but when Vlad Bykanov, an Israeli speed skater, won the 2015/16 ISU World Cup, it wasn’t because he followed the rules.

Everyone knows the story of David and Goliath (Samuel 17:21-52). David, a scrawny, unprepared and unequipped boy, takes on Goliath, the mighty giant. Conventional wisdom says that some twist of fate or divine intervention allowed David to miraculously defeat Goliath. But what if I told you that conventional wisdom has it all wrong? David wasn’t unprepared or unequipped. In fact, years of experience and training had primed him for this exact battle.

In Israel, there is an area marked by valleys and ridges called the Shephelah. It’s a beautiful landscape of vineyards, fields, and forests and historically, it served as a strategic location for hostile armies. 3,000 years ago, the Philistines began to make their way through the valleys of the Shepelah, up through the mountains, and towards the city of Bethlehem. Their goal was simple: to split the Kingdom of Israel into two.

When King Saul heard of this plan, he sent his army to confront the Philistines. Upon arrival, however, the two armies were at a standstill. Neither one wanted to move down into the valley, because doing so would leave them vulnerable on the other side.

In an attempt to break this gridlock, the Philistines sent Goliath, their strongest, meanest, and most capable warrior, down to the valley floor. In doing so, they challenged the Israelites to send their own warrior to partake in single combat and settle the dispute. The 6-foot-9 Goliath descended, towering over the valley in head-to-toe bronze armor and bearing an array of deadly weapons.

The Israelites looked on with fear, knowing that to fight Goliath was to wish death upon oneself. Finally, a young shepherd boy named David approached King Saul and asked to fight the giant. After much pleading, Saul realized he had no choice but to send the boy. Before he went, however, Saul insisted David put on a set of armor. But David refused. He explained that he’s never worn such heavy armor before, and therefore, wouldn’t know how to fight in it. He made his way towards Goliath with nothing but his staff and five stones he picked up off the ground.

The giant sees a figure approaching, but he can’t quite make him out. He urges him to come closer and is offended once he sees the small, staff-bearing shepherd coming to fight him. He’s insulted, saying, “Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?” (Samuel 17:43 JPS). Before he can say much else, however, David launches a rock between Goliath’s eyes, causing him to fall over. David runs towards him, grabs his sword, and cuts his head off. The Philistines run and the Israelites are victorious.

How could David have won? By all available information, he was sure to lose instantly. He has no overpowering strength, no modern weapons, no fancy protection. If he had, however, we might be talking about the victory of Goliath today, instead.

In those times, ancient warfare called for three types of warriors, one of which was the artillery branch, otherwise known as slingers. Slingers, as the name implies, carried a sort of sling that could launch objects towards a target. While this may sound like a juvenile toy, it was actually quite deadly. An experienced slinger could launch a rock at speeds as fast as 78 miles per hour, or 35 meters per second. Furthermore, the rocks in this region were twice as dense as typical rocks, which would effectively render David’s weapon as powerful as a .45 caliber handgun. Lastly, slingers were famous for their accuracy and were trained to hit targets, even moving targets, from up to 200 yards away.

When David approaches Goliath he is much closer than 200 yards. The only factor that could cause him to miss would be Goliath suddenly deciding to move. But he can’t. He’s weighed down by metal armor and heavy weapons. He is waiting for David to approach him and fight him mano a mano. So, he stays still — leaving him vulnerable to the power of David’s aim.

So, what does all this have to do with speed skating and Vlad Bykanov?

David didn’t follow the unspoken rules of the game, and neither did Vlad. If you watch a video of the 2015/16 ISU World Cup, you will notice something peculiar. While most of the competitors maintain modest speeds, slowly building up power as the race goes on, one skater appears to muster up all of his power to pass the other skaters. Anyone who’s watched speed skating knows this is an amateur mistake and assumes the lone skater will run out of steam and eventually fall behind.

After “lapping” the others, the skater again reaches the back of the pack and regulates his speed to match the other skaters. They continue on as they’ve been trained to do, slowly speeding up as the draft from their speed acts as an advantage for the lone skater. Eventually, the skater passes the finish line, throwing his hands up in the air in a victorious state of shock. The other skaters, however, are clueless. They continue racing until, eventually, the second-place skater passes the finish line. He too victoriously throws his hands up in the air. His glee, however, quickly turns to shock as he glances up at the scoreboard and sees he’s been beat. Vlad Bykanov, the Israeli underdog, has just won. He knew that if he played the game just like the other faster, stronger, and more experienced skaters, he’d essentially be admitting defeat. So instead, he did as David did. He turned his opponents’ strengths into weaknesses and shocked the world with his triumph.

Throughout history, we’ve often associated victory with those who play by the rules, who appear to be strongest, and who, on paper, are certain to win. In reality, however, the underdog is the one who must exhibit extraordinary innovation, ambition, and creativity and it is the underdog whose victories are far more satisfying.

Further Reading:

Bykanov wasn’t the first speed skater to secure an unconventional win. In 2002, Steven Bradbury stunned the word when he won the gold medal, beating out famed speed skater Apolo Ohno. Throughout the competition, Bradbury maintained a substantial distance between himself and his fellow competitors, remaining a few feet behind them at all times. To the average viewer, it appears undeniable that he is destined to lose. He just wasn’t as strong or as fast as the other athletes. At the last minute, however, one of the skaters falls, bringing down the other skaters with him. Bradbury, though, manages to escape the chaos, crossing the finish line far ahead of the others. While Ohno, who was predicted to be the overwhelming favorite, did not win first place, he later noted he was content with his performance. He knew he had prepared as much as possible and given the race his best effort. With this in mind, he was satisfied with earning second place.

You can watch Steven Bradbury’s race in against Apolo Ohno during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City here:

You can watch Vlad Bykanov’s race on February, 2016 in Dordrecht, Holland here: