One Bracha That Covers Everything
You pick up a glass of water. You reach for a piece of candy. You sit down to a plate of chicken or fish. Each of these moments is small. So small that most of the time we don’t even think about them. But each one is a chance to talk to Hashem.
That is what the Shehakol bracha is for. It is the bracha we say on foods and drinks that don’t grow from the ground or from a tree, things like water, meat, fish, eggs, candy, juice, cheese, and many others. Some people call it the “catch-all” bracha because it covers so many different items. But it is much more than a catch-all. It is a declaration that everything in this world, every single thing, came into being through Hashem’s word.
This bracha is short. Just nine words. And yet the Gemara in Brachos (40a) teaches that this bracha is so broad, so encompassing, that b’dieved it covers even foods that normally require a different bracha. There is something beautiful in that. One simple sentence that holds the entire world inside it.
Before You Say This Bracha
Take a moment before you say the words. Hold the food or drink in your hand and think about where it came from. Then speak to Hashem simply:
Ribono Shel Olam, I am about to eat from what You have given me. Everything I have comes from You. Help me remember that every bite, every sip, is a gift from Your hand. Open my eyes to see You in the ordinary things of my day. Let this bracha bring me closer to You. Elokah d’Meir aneni.
If giving tzedakah, add:
In the zechus of the tzedakah I am giving for Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, please accept my bracha with love. Ribono Shel Olam, I am sharing what You have given me with those who need it. Please continue to sustain me and my family with everything we need.
Shehakol: The Full Bracha
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיָה בִּדְבָרוֹ
Boruch Atoh Hashem Elokeinu Melech HaOilom Shehakol Nihyeh Bidvoroi.
Baruch Atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech HaOlam Shehakol Nihyeh Bidvaro.
Blessed are You, Hashem, King of the universe, through Whose word everything came to be.
The Shehakol bracha is said before eating or drinking items that do not have a more specific bracha. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 204) states that this includes foods that do not grow from the ground, such as meat, fish, eggs, and cheese, as well as beverages other than wine and olive oil. In practice, this includes water and many common drinks and sweets. If the proper bracha is genuinely uncertain, the Shulchan Aruch says that one recites Shehakol (Orach Chayim 204:13). One important nuance is that broth is not always Shehakol; for example, vegetable broth can have different rules (Orach Chayim 205:2). It is one of the first brachos many children learn to say, and one that adults say many times every day.
Understanding the Words of the Bracha
Boruch Atoh Hashem “Blessed are You, Hashem”
- Every bracha begins with these three words. Chazal teach that a bracha must include Hashem’s Name and His kingship. When you say “Boruch Atoh Hashem,” you are speaking directly to Hashem in the second person, “You.” These opening words set the tone. You are not reciting a formula. You are standing before the Creator of the world and addressing Him personally. When you say “Boruch Atoh,” you are saying: I know You are here. Right now, before this glass of water, I recognize that everything comes from You.
Melech HaOilom “King of the universe”
- After the intimacy of “Atoh,” speaking to Hashem as “You,” we step back and call Him Melech, King. The Gemara in Brachos 40b teaches that a bracha that does not include malchus, Hashem’s kingship, is not a proper bracha. Holding both of these truths together is at the heart of every bracha. Hashem is close enough to speak to as “You,” and at the same time He is the King over everything that exists. When you hold a cup of water and say “Melech HaOilom,” you are reminding yourself that the One who rules the galaxies is also the One to whom you are speaking in this small moment in your kitchen.
Shehakol Nihyeh “That everything came to be”
- This is the heart of the bracha. Shehakol, “everything.” Nihyeh, “came into existence.” The first chapter of Bereishis again and again describes creation with the words “And God said.” When you say “Shehakol Nihyeh,” you are connecting this piece of fish on your plate, this cup of coffee in your hand, all the way back to the moment of creation. Nothing in this world stands on its own. Everything traces back to Hashem’s creative word.
Bidvoroi “Through His word”
- The bracha closes with one word: Bidvoroi, through His word. Pirkei Avos 5:1 teaches that the world was created with ten utterances. Every item of food you hold carries the echo of those words. When you say Bidvoroi before drinking a glass of water, you are saying something quiet but enormous: this water is not ownerless, random, or self-created. It is here because the Creator brought the world into being. That single word gathers the whole bracha into one awareness: the food before you exists only because Hashem brought the world into being.
How to Say This Bracha
Say this bracha before you eat or drink, not after. Hold the food or drink in your right hand (or left hand if you are left-handed). Say the entire bracha, then take a bite or sip right away, without interrupting with conversation or anything else in between.
You can say it sitting, standing, or even walking. The key is kavanah. Before you rush through the words, pause for even one second and think: I am about to thank Hashem for this. That small pause changes everything. The Mishnah Berurah (Orach Chaim 5:1) writes that a person should think about the meaning of the words while saying a bracha.
If you are someone who says brachos many times a day and it has started to feel automatic, try something. Pick one bracha each day and say it slowly. Not the whole day’s worth. Just one. Let yourself really hear the words. “Everything came to be through His word.” Let that sink in. One bracha said with kavanah is worth a hundred said by rote.
Tefillah and tzedakah are deeply connected. When you make a bracha with genuine gratitude and then share what Hashem has given you with someone in need, the two acts rise together. Giving tzedakah in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness is not davening in the merit of Rabbi Meir. It is asking Hashem to hear your bracha in the combined merit of this great tzaddik and your own act of chesed. After your bracha, you may say: Elokah d’Meir aneni.
Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness
The Gemara in Avodah Zarah (18a–18b) tells that the sister of Beruriah, the wife of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, was taken captive by the Romans and placed in a brothel. Rabbi Meir traveled there himself, disguised his identity, and risked his life to rescue her. He bribed the prison guard to release her and instructed the guard that if he was ever caught and endangered for helping, he should say: “Elokah d’Meir aneini” — “God of Meir, answer me.” Later, when the authorities seized the guard and sought to punish him, he cried out those words and was miraculously saved. By davening to Hashem for salvation in the merit of Rabbi Meir, you are tapping in to his zechus, which brought miraculous salvation.
Even more so, when you give tzedakah in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, you are pairing your own act of giving with your tefillah, and asking Hashem to hear you in that combined merit. It is turning to Hashem with emunah that the zechus of a tzaddik and the zechus of your chesed together carry weight before the Kisei HaKavod.
Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities was founded in 1799. The scholars at the kever of Rabbi Meir in Tiberias daven on behalf of those who reach out to them. The charity supports Torah scholars and the poor in Eretz Yisrael. For generations, Yidden have given through this fund at moments of gratitude and at moments of need, trusting that their tzedakah and tefillos are accepted together.
Practical Steps for Better Brachos
Saying a bracha with kavanah is a spiritual act. But Hashem also wants us to do our part in the physical world. Both are essential.
If you struggle to remember brachos throughout the day, try building one small habit. Keep a bracha card on your kitchen counter or near the coffee machine. Some families put a small sign on the fridge. It does not need to be complicated. Just a visible reminder: stop, say the bracha, and then eat.
To say your brachos with more confidence, spend five minutes learning the halachos. The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Chapter 50-59) lays out which foods get which bracha. A short daily review builds confidence so you are not second-guessing yourself at every meal.
For parents teaching children, make it real. Let a child hold the food, say the bracha out loud together, and then eat. Children learn brachos best when they see the adults around them saying brachos with care. This builds a home where gratitude to Hashem is part of the rhythm of every day.
Shehakol is said before water, meat, fish, eggs, dairy products like cheese and milk, candy, chocolate, juice, coffee, tea, soup broth, and any food that does not grow directly from the ground or a tree. It also covers processed foods that have changed so much from their original form that a more specific bracha no longer applies.
If you genuinely do not know which bracha a food requires, Shehakol is valid b'dieved , after the fact, for all foods. The Gemara in Brachos (40b) teaches that even if someone said shehakol on bread or wine, they have fulfilled their obligation. That said, it is always better to learn the correct bracha when you can.
The primary halachic rule is that water drunk to quench thirst requires a bracha, while water drunk not for thirst does not. Later authorities discuss borderline cases where the person has some benefit or slight desire for the water. Therefore, if someone drinks water only to swallow a pill and has no interest in the water itself, there is strong basis not to recite a bracha; in mixed cases, one should ask a rav.
B'dieved, a bracha said in any language you understand is valid. But the preferred practice is to say it in Hebrew, the way Chazal established it. If you are just learning, saying it in English while you practice the Hebrew is a fine place to start. Hashem hears you in every language.
A bracha recognizes that everything comes from Hashem. Tzedakah takes that recognition and turns it into action: Hashem gave to me, so I give to others. The two together, gratitude in words and gratitude in deeds, strengthen your relationship with the One who sustains you.
A Blessing for Daily Sustenance
May we all live with more awareness, noticing Hashem in the ordinary moments—in a glass of water, a cup of coffee, and the simple foods that keep us going day after day.
May Hashem open your eyes to see Him in every bite and every sip. May this bracha become something alive in your mouth, not just words but a real conversation with the One who feeds the entire world. May He continue to sustain you and your family with everything you need, in good health and in peace. And may every bracha you say bring you closer to the menuchas hanefesh of a person who truly knows where everything comes from.
You can submit a prayer request to the scholars at the kever of Rabbi Meir in Tiberias at no cost. They will daven for you and your family by name through Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities. And if you would like to give tzedakah in Rabbi Meir’s zechus as well, your kindness will be a powerful advocate for your prayer.
