Protecting life is our most precious mitzvahLit. Commandment. It is traditionally held that there are 613 mitzvot (plural) in Judaism, both postive commandments (mandating actions) and negative commandments (prohibiting actions). Mitzvah has also become colloquially assumed to mean the idea of a “good deed.". As you receive the Covid-19 vaccine, members of the Greater Pittsburgh Rabbinic Association invite you to say these blessings:
This first blessing begins with words from the prayer Asher Yatzar, a morning blessing thanking God for the miracle of our bodies. Our version notes that just as the pandemic is worldwide, so too are God’s human partners in creating, distributing, and administering these vaccines.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה‘ אֱלֹקֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הַעוֹלָם
רוֹפֵא כָל בָּשָׂר וּמַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת בִּידֵי כָל יוֹשׂבֵי תֵבֵל
Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheinu, Melekh ha-olam,
rofei hol basar umafli laasot bidei hol yoshvei tevel.
rofei hol basar umafli laasot bidei hol yoshvei tevel.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe,
who heals all flesh, working wondrously through human hands.
who heals all flesh, working wondrously through human hands.
The following is to be said only upon receiving the first dose:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה‘ אֱלֹקֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הַעוֹלָם שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה
Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheinu, Melekh ha-olam,
shehekheyanu v’kiy’manu v’higi-anu lazman hazeh.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe,
who gives us life, sustains us, and has enabled us to reach this moment.
