A
prayer spoken by
Jews upon tasting any
fruit for the first time that year, upon receiving good news, upon buying a new pair of
shoes, and many other occasions.
Baruch ata Adonai, elohainu melech ha-olam, sheheheyanu v'kee-y'manu v'hee-gee-anu lazman hazeh. (Transliteration from To Be A Jew.)
Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God (or "Lord of the Universe"), who has kept us in life, and sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season.
Like many Jewish prayers, there is a wonderful cadence to this benediction. It's usually said in a rhythm like this:
ba-RUKH ah-TAH ah-doh-NYE,
el-o-HAY-nu meh-lekh ha-o-LAHM,
she-heh-hee-YA-nu,
vuh-kee-yah-MA-nu,
vuh-hee-gee-YA-nu,
lahz-MAHN ha-ZEH.
Although I don't often pray, I recently had cause to invoke this blessing when I regained full hearing a few days before my appointment with the otolaryngologist finally arrived. By no means do I consider this a miracle or faith healing, but I felt blessed and I used the words above to convey my gratitude.