Baruch Dayan HaEmet: The Jewish Blessing Upon Hearing Bad News
Table of Contents
Receiving bad news, such as the injury or loss of a loved one, can be shocking, confusing, and agonizing. However, receiving bad news is used as yet another opportunity to praise and bless the Lord. As it is written in Job 1:21:
“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
Likewise, Psalm 34:1(2) reminds us to praise God at all times, no matter what situation we are in:
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
In the Talmud, the principle of blessing God despite hearing devastating news is found in Berachot 54a, where it explains that one must recite a blessing for the bad things that happen to him just as he does for the good. The idea is elaborated even more in reference to Deuteronomy 6:5:
“One is obligated to recite a blessing for the bad that befalls him just as he recites a blessing for the good that befalls him, as it is stated: ‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.’”
The mishna explains this verse as follows:
“‘With all your heart’ means with your two inclinations, with your good inclination and your evil inclination, both of which must be subjugated to the love of God. ‘With all your soul’ means even if God takes your soul. ‘And with all your might’ means with all your money, as money is referred to in the Bible as might. Alternatively, it may be explained that ‘with all your might’ means with every measure that He metes out to you; whether it is good or troublesome, thank Him.”
The blessing itself is rather short and simple, however, it holds a deep meaning:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם דַּיָּן הָאֱמֶת
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha'olam, dayan ha-emet.
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, the Judge of Truth.
Declaring that God is the righteous and true Judge amidst sorrow and heartache reminds us of His glory and of the fact that He is ultimately in control of all that happens in our lives.
Let us remember that even in our darkest times, we are not alone. Our sovereign Lord is watching over us and has a plan for all things, even if it may not make sense to us in the moment. May we remember to praise the Almighty at all times; through both good news and bad, He remains faithful.
Get Downloads
File Title
Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to update the font, size and more. To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles.
Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to update the font, size and more. To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles.
Netivyah Staff
Glossary
Adonai (אֲדֹנָי) means “Lord” and is commonly used in Jewish reading and prayer as a reverent way to refer to God.
Talmud (תַּלְמוּד) means “study” or “learning” and refers to a collection of rabbinic discussions, teachings, laws, stories, and interpretations of the Hebrew Scriptures and discussions of applying God’s commandments to daily life
More Topics
More For You
God Does Not Live in Buildings, He Lives in People
The Torah spends 45 chapters on the Tabernacle, but why? What made this tent so central to Israel’s identity, worship, and understanding of God’s presence?
Article
The Thunderstorm Blessing: A Reminder of God’s Power
Learn about thunder and lightning in the Bible and Jewish tradition, and the traditional blessings recited during thunderstorms .
Article
