Asher Yatzar Blessing -
Blessing the Fashioner of Mankind
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. - Psalm 139:14
There are Jewish blessings for everything -- including such routine activities as using the bathroom. The Asher Yatzar blessing thanks God for creating the complexity of the human body and for the gracious gift of its proper functioning. It is recited every morning as part of the Birchot HaShachar of the morning service (and after using the bathroom).
The Asher Yatzar is mentioned in the Talmud (Berachot 60b) as one of the blessings compiled by the Men of the Great Assembly (c. 410-310 BC). In addition to acknowledging God's wisdom in creating our bodies, the blessing also includes an affirmation of God's healing power, rofei khol basar u'mafli la'asot, "who heals all flesh and is wondrous in His doings":
Blessed are You, LORD our God, Master of the universe, who formed
mankind in wisdom, and created in him all manner of openings
and cavities. It is manifest and known before the throne of your glory
that if any one of them ruptured or were blocked,
it would be impossible to survive and stand before You.
Blessed are You, LORD, who heals all flesh and is wonderful in His acts.
Note: Many Yeshivot (Jewish religious schools) post this prayer outside of the washroom. Since it is considered to be "bad form" to pray in that place, it is customary to wait until you have left before reciting this blessing.
In a sense, we are all like newborn babies in this world, entirely dependent upon God's love to sustain us and keep us alive for His purposes and glory. May the LORD give you health and peace as you reflect on His sustaining love today....
Transliterated Blessing:
Barukh attah Adonai, eloheinu melekh ha'olam, asher yatzar
et ha'adam b'khochmah, u'vara vo nekavim nekavim,
chalulim chalulim. Galuy ve'yadua lifnei khisei khevodekha
she'im yipateiach echad meihem, 'o yisateim echad meihem,
'i efshar le'hitkaiyeim ve'la'amod lefaneykha.
Barukh attah Adonai, rofei khol basar u'mafli la'asot.
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