Tefilah: Waking Up Jewish

The Ninth Blessing: Prosperity

“Bless on our behalf – O Hashem, our G-d – this year and all its kinds of crops for the best and give (dew and rain for) a blessing on the face of the earth, and satisfy us from Your good, and bless our year like the best years. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who blesses the years.”

The ninth blessing of Shemoneh Esrei is Barech Aleinu, asking Hashem for prosperity. Some versions say, “and satisfy us from Your good,” while others read, “and satisfy us with its good.” What is the significance of this distinction?

Although this part of Shemoneh Esrei is a prayer for general prosperity, it refers specifically to agricultural bounty. For this reason, some versions ask that we be satisfied from its good, referring to the land. We beg Hashem to bless the land so that it will produce an abundance of crops (Vilna Gaon on Shulchan Aruch).

However, prosperity is not necessarily equated with material abundance. If Hashem blesses the produce, then a person will be satisfied with even a small quantity. For this reason, some ask that we should be satisfied from Your blessing, referring to Hashem (Responsa of the Rosh 4,20 and Responsa of Maharshal 64).

Text Copyright © 2010 by Rabbi Daniel Travis and Torah.org