When we hear someone begin a sentence “Baruch Atah…” or “Blessed are You…” , we might be reminded of the formula for blessings in Judaism. Before we take pleasure from the world, whether it is biting into an apple or smelling a fragrance, we thank Hashem for creating the object and for sustaining our lives. We also say blessings over mitzvos (commandments) such as lighting candles and putting on tefillin. There is also a special blessing we say when partaking of a fruit for the first time in a season, buying a new garment or for the first day of holidays; in this blessing, we thank G-d for brining us to the point where we can enjoy this object or participate in the holiday. It is a mitzvah, to thank Hashem for everything we use in the world.
Once, I was having a snack in a park in New York City, and a stranger came up to me and said, “Why are you talking to your fruit?” He walked off, so I didn’t have the opportunity to explain to him that I wasn’t talking to my apple, but I was saying a blessing over the apple; when we say a blessing, we are talking to G-d and not to the objects themselves. There is a common misconception that something that is kosher is “blessed” by a rabbi. Kosher means “fit” or “proper” –meat that was slaughtered in a certain way or food that was prepared according to the Torah. Although our blessings have the power to transform the essence of ordinary food to holy use, we do not make something kosher or not kosher by saying a blessing over it. In fact, according to Torah law, if someone is faced with starvation, Gd forbid, and must eat something that is not kosher, he is not allowed to say a blessing over it.
Many Jews say 100 blessings a day. I didn’t think this was possible, until someone counted them up for me. Of course, this is a goal and not achievable by everyone, at least not at the beginning. One blessing leads to another, and once a person is in the habit of saying blessings, it becomes second nature.