A lovely way to end your meal. This short blessing gives thanks for the food you’ve eaten and for feeling satisfied as a result.
In Judaism, saying thank you for food doesn’t end when you take your first bite. There’s also a blessing for after you’ve eaten, called Birkat Hamazon (or benching, if you want to sound like you’ve been doing this forever). It’s a way of pausing after a meal to appreciate having enough to eat, something that’s easy to forget when you’re busy wondering what’s for dessert.
Grace After the Meal is traditionally recited after a meal that includes bread, whether it’s a regular weekday lunch, a Shabbat dinner, or a holiday celebration. The full Birkat Hamazon is considerably longer, but this shorter version makes it easy to bring a little gratitude to the table without turning dinner into an endurance event.
And if you’re planning a Friday night dinner, our FREE Shabbat Booklet has the blessings, readings, and explanations you need to make Shabbat your own.
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam hazan et ha’olam kulo b’tuvo b’chen b’chesed w’rachamin. Hu noten lechem l’chol basar ki l’olam chasdo. Uv’tuvo hagadol tamid lo chasar lanu v’al yech’sar lanu mason l’olam va’ed. Ba’avur sh’mo hagadol ki hu zan um’farnes lakol umetiv lakol umechin mazon l’chol b’riyotav asher bara. Baruch atah Adonai hazan et hakol.
Blessed are You, God, Spirit of the Universe. You are the origin of love and compassion, the source of bread for all.
We praise God, source of food for everyone. As it says in the Torah: When you have eaten and are satisfied, give praise to God who has given you this good earth. We praise God for the earth and for its sustenance. Renew our spiritual center in our time. May the source of peace grant peace to us, to the Jewish people, and to the entire world.