Yevarech'cha
Blessing of the Children

(click music notes to listen)


Atem habracha shelanu
You are our blessing

Atem hako'ach shelanu
You are our strength

Atem he'atid shelanu
You are our future

Anachnu ge'im bachem uv'bchirot sheta'asu
We are proud of you and the choices you will make.

Y'varech'cha Hashem v'yishm'recha
May Hashem bless you and safeguard you.

Ya-eyr Hashem panav eilecha vichunecha
May Hashem illuminate His countenance for you and be gracious to you.

Yisa Hashem panav eilecha v'yaseim l'cha shalom v'yasem l'cha shalom
May Hashem turn His countenance to you and establish peace for you, and establish peace for you.

Al tefachdu lalechet acharai hal'vavot shelachem
Don't be afraid to follow your heart.

Al tefachdu lomar et ha'emet shelachem
Don't be afraid to tell your truth.

Al tefachdu levakesh ezra mehamishpachot shelachem
Don't be afraid to ask for help from your family.

Anachnu ge'im bechem uvachayim shetichyu
We are proud of you and the life you will live. (From Rick Recht's - Tov cd)


The Traditional prayer of Y'varech'cha from Siddur (Prayerbook):

Y'simcha Elokim k'Efrayim v'chiMenashshe
May Elokim make you like Efrayim and Menashshe

(if a girl---Y'simcha Elokim k'Sarah Rivkah Rachel v'Leah.... May G-d make you like Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah)

Y'varech'cha Hashem v'yishm'recha
May Hashem bless you and safeguard you.

Ya-eir Hashem panav eilecha vichunecha
May Hashem illuminate His countenance for you and be gracious to you.

Yisa Hashem panav eilecha v'yaseim l'cha shalom
May Hashem turn His countenance to you and establish peace for you.


The flow of Divine beneficence and blessing which comes with the beginning of the Shabbat makes it a particularly auspicious time for such blessings. When conferring the blessing, parents should have in mind a silent prayer that they should be able to raise their children and grandchildren to lives of Torah, marriage and good deeds. Both hands should be laid upon the head of the child to signify that the blessing is conveyed with complete generosity of spirit.

May G-d make you like Efrayim and Menashshe. This is the blessing that the Patriarch Yaakov conferred upon his grandchildren, the two sons of Yosef and the first Jews born and raised in exile. What is more, they grew to be sources of pride to the Patriarch, despite having been raised in Pharaoh's court at a time when there was no Jewish religious life in Egypt except for the intimacy of their own family. Yaakov himself indicated that this blessing should be given by Jewish parents to their children throughout history.

May G-d make you like Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah. Unlike that of sons, this blessing is not a Scriptural quote. However, it is logical to wish Jewish girls that they be like the Matriarchs who grew up in alien surroundings and surmounted infertility and other distress to become the mothers of the nation.

May Hashem bless you. These verses from the Priestly Blessings (BaMidbar 6:22-27). The priests in the Temple were designated as the instruments through which Elokim allows His blessing to rest upon Yisrael. Similarly, parents in their own families serve as agents to bestow G-d's blessing upon their children.



Sources:

  • Artscroll Siddur

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