Tefilah: Waking Up Jewish

Understanding the Morning Blessings

According to His Will

Women do not recite "Who did not make me a man." Rather, they thank Hashem, "Who made me according to His Will." What is the deeper meaning of this blessing?

Hashem initially created man and woman as one entity (Kedushin). After seeing their difficulty in functioning to their potential, He split them and made the woman a separate entity from the man. This way, each of them would be able to carry out their respective functions properly.

Although human beings are incapable of fathoming why Hashem does something and then changes it, one thing is clear. G-d originally created man in a certain way and then modified him. However, after He created woman, He did not alter His creation in the slightest. In this light, women thank the One "Who made me according to His Will," for Hashem has remained constant in His Will for womankind from the sixth day of creation to the present moment.

For some decades, secular society has been dominated by views that women have to strive to prove their equal status to men, if not their superiority. Nowadays, when Jewish women regularly leave the home and enter a workforce that was once dominated by men, they must be careful not to be ensnared by this way of thinking. Women should be proud that Hashem’s Will for them was distinct and ordained from the moment of their Creation.

We are given a myriad of presents daily. Reciting the morning blessings with the proper intention and respect that they deserve helps us appreciate these gifts.

Text Copyright © 2008 by Rabbi Daniel Travis and Torah.org