Blessings and thanksgiving

Gratitude, and the blessing of people, homes and meals.

Cited background on how traditions meet this moment, with no ritual instructions. The texts further down come from named editions and were checked against them; none has yet been signed by a reviewer credentialed in its tradition. How that works.

Thanksgiving is the prayer form people share most easily. Every major tradition has built structure around gratitude: words before and after meals, ceremonies for entering a new home, blessings spoken over children. The instinct is old and specific. Rabbinic tradition encourages a hundred blessings a day. The central Christian rite takes its name, Eucharist, from the Greek word for thanksgiving. Muslims open a meal with bismillah and close it with alhamdulillah, short phrases taught in the earliest hadith collections. A Sikh gurdwara feeds anyone who walks in, and the food is prayed over before it is served. People arrive at this moment from ordinary places: hosting a dinner where guests hold different beliefs, moving into a first apartment and wanting the place marked somehow, watching a child reach a milestone, or simply wanting to say thank you without knowing to whom or how. The words matter because gratitude spoken aloud does something the silent feeling does not, a claim psychologists have now tested. Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough's 2003 experiments found that people assigned to count blessings reported better well-being than those who counted burdens. What follows maps how traditions frame thanksgiving and blessing, at the level of awareness rather than instruction, so a host, a new homeowner, or a nurse can recognize what a moment calls for and who to ask.

Across traditions

Awareness-level notes: what this moment tends to involve, tradition by tradition. Each links to its background page.

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Christian
Saying grace before meals is the most familiar Christian gratitude practice, with wording ranging from fixed table prayers to spontaneous thanks by family custom. The central rite of communion is named for gratitude: Eucharist comes from the Greek eucharistia, thanksgiving. Anglican and many Protestant prayer books carry the General Thanksgiving, added to the Book of Common Prayer in 1662. At Epiphany, Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans and Methodists may bless homes, including the custom of chalking the door.
Orthodox
Orthodox Christians typically receive an annual house blessing tied to Theophany in January, when the priest visits and moves through the home with holy water. Many parishes schedule these visits over the weeks after the feast. Grace at meals is standard, and thanksgiving runs through worship itself: the Divine Liturgy is at heart a service of thanksgiving. Details of the home blessing vary by jurisdiction and parish.
Jewish
Blessing is the basic unit of Jewish prayer, and tradition encourages a hundred berakhot a day, a practice discussed in the Talmud (Menachot 43b). Grace after meals, Birkat Hamazon, follows any meal with bread and is rooted in Deuteronomy 8:10. On Friday evenings many parents bless their children with words drawn from the priestly blessing of Numbers 6. A new home is dedicated with chanukat habayit, centered on affixing the mezuzah. Observance varies widely by movement and family.
Muslim
Meals are framed by two short phrases taught in the hadith literature: bismillah, in the name of God, before eating, and alhamdulillah, praise belongs to God, after. Gratitude (shukr) is a core Quranic theme. There is no single fixed housewarming rite; many families mark a new home with Quran recitation, especially Surah al-Baqarah, which tradition associates with the home, and with a meal for relatives and neighbors. Customs vary by culture and school.
Hindu
In many households food is first offered to the deity as naivedya and received back as prasada, sanctified food, so eating itself becomes an act of receiving blessing. A new home is commonly entered with griha pravesh, a housewarming puja usually led by a priest on a date chosen as auspicious, with family and community present. Practices differ significantly by region, lineage and family; what one community treats as essential another may not observe.
Buddhist
Gratitude before food takes the form of reflection. Zen and other Mahayana communities recite the Five Contemplations before meals, considering the labor that produced the food and the purpose of eating. In Theravada countries such as Thailand, families often invite monks to a new home to chant protective texts known as paritta and to share a meal, a widely kept housewarming custom. Forms vary considerably across schools and countries.
Sikh
Every gurdwara runs a langar, a free community kitchen serving anyone who comes, regardless of religion, caste or status, with all seated at the same level. Before serving, Ardas, the communal prayer of petition and thanksgiving, is offered over the prepared food. Cooking and serving are done by volunteers as seva, selfless service, so gratitude in Sikh practice is enacted as much as it is spoken.
Interfaith
Thanksgiving is the theme mixed-faith gatherings share most easily. Interfaith Thanksgiving services, in which Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Baha'i and secular neighbors give thanks together, have been held in American communities since the early 1960s. At a mixed table, hosts often invite each guest to name a thanks, or hold a silence, so that no one tradition's words are made to stand for all. Blended families frequently keep customs from both sides in parallel.
Non-religious and spiritual
Gratitude needs no theology. Secular households keep the pause before a meal, a toast, or a round of naming thanks at the table, and gratitude journaling has become a widespread practice. The research base is specific: Emmons and McCullough's 2003 experiments found that people assigned to list blessings reported better well-being than those tracking hassles, and a 2018 review of more than 270 publications found consistent, though often modest, links between gratitude and well-being.

Texts from their published editions

Each text below comes from the edition named under it and was checked twice, independently, before it appeared. Neither check was a person. Where the two disagreed by even one character, the text is not shown here. That is a claim about wording only: these are not selected or endorsed for any particular situation, and nobody credentialed in the tradition has signed them. Older spelling is kept as the edition prints it. The full record, including the texts we held back because the two transcriptions disagreed, is at the verification record.

Ratana Sutta (Fausboll 1881)

A Suttanipata discourse traditionally recited to avert illness, famine and other affliction, invoking the qualities of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha as an asseveration of truth. It is a staple of paritta ceremonies in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand, chanted over the sick and at house blessings, often through the night by an assembly of monks.

English · The Sacred Books of the East, Vol. X: The Dhammapada and Sutta-Nipata, 1881Read twice, independently

Whatever spirits have come together here, either belonging to the earth or living in the air, let all spirits be happy, and then listen attentively to what is said.
Therefore, O spirits, do ye all pay attention, show kindness to the human race who both day and night bring their offerings; therefore protect them strenuously.
Whatever wealth there be here or in the other world, or whatever excellent jewel in the heavens, it is certainly not equal to Tathagata. This excellent jewel (is found) in Buddha, by this truth may there be salvation.
The destruction (of passion), the freedom from passion, the excellent immortality which Sakyamuni attained (being) composed, — there is nothing equal to that Dhamma. This excellent jewel (is found) in the Dhamma, by this truth may there be salvation.
The purity which the best of Buddhas praised, the meditation which they call uninterrupted, there is no meditation like this. This excellent jewel (is found) in the Dhamma, by this truth may there be salvation.
The eight persons that are praised by the righteous, and make these four pairs, they are worthy of offerings, (being) Sugata's disciples; what is given to these will bear great fruit. This excellent jewel (is found) in the Assembly (sangha), by this truth may there be salvation.
Those who have applied themselves studiously with a firm mind and free from desire to the commandments of Gotama, have obtained the highest gain, having merged into immortality, and enjoying happiness after getting it for nothing. This excellent jewel (is found) in the Assembly, by this truth may there be salvation.
As a post in the front of a city gate is firm in the earth and cannot be shaken by the four winds, like that I declare the righteous man to be who, having penetrated the noble truths, sees (them clearly). This excellent jewel (is found) in the Assembly, by this truth may there be salvation.
Those who understand the noble truths well taught by the profoundly wise (i.e. Buddha), though they be greatly distracted, will not (have to) take the eighth birth. This excellent jewel (is found) in the Assembly, by this truth may there be salvation.
On his (attaining the) bliss of (the right) view three things (dhammas) are left behind (by him): conceit and doubt and whatever he has got of virtue and (holy) works. He is released also from the four hells, and he is incapable of committing the six deadly sins. This excellent jewel (is found) in the Assembly, by this truth may there be salvation.
Even if he commit a sinful deed by his body, or in word or in thought, he is incapable of concealing it, (for) to conceal is said to be impossible for one that has seen the state (of Nibbana). This excellent jewel (is found) in the Assembly, by this truth may there be salvation.
As in a clump of trees with their tops in bloom in the first heat of the hot month, so (Buddha) taught the excellent Dhamma leading to Nibbana to the greatest benefit (for all). This excellent jewel (is found) in Buddha, by this truth may there be salvation.
The excellent one who knows what is excellent, who gives what is excellent, and who brings what is excellent, the incomparable one taught the excellent Dhamma. This excellent jewel (is found) in Buddha, by this truth may there be salvation.
The old is destroyed, the new has not arisen, those whose minds are disgusted with a future existence, the wise who have destroyed their seeds (of existence, and) whose desires do not increase, go out like this lamp. This excellent jewel (is found) in the Assembly, by this truth may there be salvation.
Whatever spirits have come together here, either belonging to the earth or living in the air, let us worship the perfect (tathagata) Buddha, revered by gods and men; may there be salvation.
Whatever spirits have come together here, either belonging to the earth or living in the air, let us worship the perfect (tathagata) Dhamma, revered by gods and men; may there be salvation.
Whatever spirits have come together here, either belonging to the earth or living in the air, let us worship the perfect (tathagata) Sangha, revered by gods and men; may there be salvation.

V. Fausboll and F. Max Muller. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1881. Published 1881, before 1929, US public domain, and both translators died before 1929. Source

Out of copyright in the United States on the basis stated here, and free to reuse there. Please keep the citation with it.

This prayer’s own page · How this text was verified

Wording and scope vary between editions and between communities, so this entry is tied to one named edition and makes no claim about which form is right in a given setting.

The Priestly Blessing (JPS 1917)

The three-verse blessing of Numbers 6:24-26, pronounced by kohanim in the synagogue service and used by parents to bless children on Sabbath eve and at weddings and other life-cycle moments. Its synagogue recitation is restricted to those of priestly descent; its domestic use is not.

English · The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text (JPS), 1917Read twice, independently

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee;
The LORD make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Jewish Publication Society of America, 1917. Published 1917, before 1929, US public domain. Source

Out of copyright in the United States on the basis stated here, and free to reuse there. Please keep the citation with it.

Hebrew · Tanach with Nikkud, a digital edition of the Leningrad Codex, 2026Checked against a second encoding

יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ׃
יָאֵר יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ׃
יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם׃

Sefaria, from the Unicode/XML Leningrad Codex at tanach.us, 2026. Tanach.us states that all biblical Hebrew text on its site may be viewed or copied without restriction, and Sefaria labels this version Public Domain. Retrieved and verified 2026-09-02. Cite as: Numbers 6:24-26, Tanach with Nikkud, a digital edition of the Leningrad Codex, via Sefaria.org. Source

Out of copyright in the United States on the basis stated here, and free to reuse there. Please keep the citation with it.

This prayer’s own page · How this text was verified

Wording and scope vary between editions and between communities, so each edition here is named and this entry makes no claim about which form is right in a given setting.

The Priestly Blessing (Singer 1904)

English · The Authorised Daily Prayer Book, with a New Translation, seventh edition, 1904Read twice, independently

Our God and God of our fathers, bless us with the three-fold blessing of thy Law written by the hand of Moses thy servant, which was spoken by Aaron and his sons, the priests, thy holy people, as it is said, The Lord bless thee, and keep thee : the Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee : the Lord turn his face unto thee, and give thee peace.

Simeon Singer. Eyre and Spottiswoode, London, 1904. Seventh edition, published 1904, before 1929, US public domain. The work first appeared in 1890 and the translator died in 1906, so it is also clear in life-plus-70 jurisdictions. Source

Out of copyright in the United States on the basis stated here, and free to reuse there. Please keep the citation with it.

This prayer’s own page · How this text was verified

Wording and scope vary between editions and between communities, so this entry is tied to one named edition and makes no claim about which form is right in a given setting.

Psalm 100 (JPS 1917)

A Psalm of thanksgiving, five verses long. It is part of the weekday morning service, where it recalls the thanksgiving offering.

English · The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text (JPS), 1917Checked against a second digitisation

A Psalm of thanksgiving.
Shout unto the LORD, all the earth.
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD He is God;
It is He that hath made us, and we are His,
His people, and the flock of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise;
Give thanks unto Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good; His mercy endureth for ever;
And His faithfulness unto all generations.

Jewish Publication Society of America, 1917. Published 1917, before 1929, US public domain. Retrieved and verified 2026-09-17. Source

Out of copyright in the United States on the basis stated here, and free to reuse there. Please keep the citation with it.

Hebrew · Tanach with Nikkud, a digital edition of the Leningrad Codex, 2026Checked against a second encoding

מִזְמוֹר לְתוֹדָה הָרִיעוּ לַיהוָה כָּל־הָאָרֶץ׃
עִבְדוּ אֶת־יְהוָה בְּשִׂמְחָה בֹּאוּ לְפָנָיו בִּרְנָנָה׃
דְּעוּ כִּי־יְהוָה הוּא אֱלֹהִים הוּא־עָשָׂנוּ ולא [וְלוֹ] אֲנַחְנוּ עַמּוֹ וְצֹאן מַרְעִיתוֹ׃
בֹּאוּ שְׁעָרָיו בְּתוֹדָה חֲצֵרֹתָיו בִּתְהִלָּה הוֹדוּ־לוֹ בָּרֲכוּ שְׁמוֹ׃
כִּי־טוֹב יְהֹוָה לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ וְעַד־דֹּר וָדֹר אֱמוּנָתוֹ׃

Sefaria, from the Unicode/XML Leningrad Codex at tanach.us, 2026. Tanach.us states that all biblical Hebrew text on its site may be viewed or copied without restriction, and Sefaria labels this version Public Domain. Retrieved and verified 2026-09-17. Cite as: Psalms 100:1-5, Tanach with Nikkud, a digital edition of the Leningrad Codex, via Sefaria.org. Source

Out of copyright in the United States on the basis stated here, and free to reuse there. Please keep the citation with it.

This prayer’s own page · How this text was verified

Wording and scope vary between editions and between communities, so each edition here is named and this entry makes no claim about which form is right in a given setting. The English keeps the line breaks of one digitisation of the 1917 volume. The second, which it was checked against, stores each verse as running text, so it confirms the words and cannot confirm where a line ends.

Psalm 103 (JPS 1917)

Bless the LORD, O my soul: a psalm of thanks for forgiveness and healing, which sets human frailty, days like grass, against a mercy that does not end.

English · The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text (JPS), 1917Checked against a second digitisation

[A Psalm] of David.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits;
Who forgiveth all thine iniquity;
Who healeth all Thy diseases;
Who redeemeth Thy life from the pit;
Who encompasseth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
Who satisfieth thine old age with good things;
So that Thy youth is renewed like the eagle.
The LORD executeth righteousness,
And acts of justice for all that are oppressed.
He made known His ways unto Moses,
His doings unto the children of Israel.
The LORD is full of compassion and gracious,
Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
He will not always contend;
Neither will He keep His anger for ever.
He hath not dealt with us after our sins,
Nor requited us according to our iniquities.
For as the heaven is high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far hath He removed our transgressions from us.
Like as a father hath compassion upon his children,
So hath the LORD compassion upon them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame;
He remembereth that we are dust.
As for man, his days are as grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone;
And the place thereof knoweth it no more.
But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him,
And His righteousness unto children's children;
To such as keep His covenant,
And to those that remember His precepts to do them.
The LORD hath established His throne in the heavens;
And His kingdom ruleth over all.
Bless the LORD, ye angels of His,
Ye mighty in strength, that fulfil His word,
Hearkening unto the voice of His word.
Bless the LORD, all ye His hosts;
Ye ministers of His, that do His pleasure.
Bless the LORD, all ye His works,
In all places of His dominion;
Bless the LORD, O my soul.

Jewish Publication Society of America, 1917. Published 1917, before 1929, US public domain. Retrieved and verified 2026-09-17. Source

Out of copyright in the United States on the basis stated here, and free to reuse there. Please keep the citation with it.

Hebrew · Tanach with Nikkud, a digital edition of the Leningrad Codex, 2026Checked against a second encoding

לְדָוִד בָּרֲכִי נַפְשִׁי אֶת־יְהוָה וְכָל־קְרָבַי אֶת־שֵׁם קָדְשׁוֹ׃
בָּרֲכִי נַפְשִׁי אֶת־יְהוָה וְאַל־תִּשְׁכְּחִי כָּל־גְּמוּלָיו׃
הַסֹּלֵחַ לְכָל־עֲוֺנֵכִי הָרֹפֵא לְכָל־תַּחֲלֻאָיְכִי׃
הַגּוֹאֵל מִשַּׁחַת חַיָּיְכִי הַמְעַטְּרֵכִי חֶסֶד וְרַחֲמִים׃
הַמַּשְׂבִּיַע בַּטּוֹב עֶדְיֵךְ תִּתְחַדֵּשׁ כַּנֶּשֶׁר נְעוּרָיְכִי׃
עֹשֵׂה צְדָקוֹת יְהוָה וּמִשְׁפָּטִים לְכָל־עֲשׁוּקִים׃
יוֹדִיעַ דְּרָכָיו לְמֹשֶׁה לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲלִילוֹתָיו׃
רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן יְהוָה אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חָסֶד׃
לֹא־לָנֶצַח יָרִיב וְלֹא לְעוֹלָם יִטּוֹר׃
לֹא כַחֲטָאֵינוּ עָשָׂה לָנוּ וְלֹא כַעֲוֺנֹתֵינוּ גָּמַל עָלֵינוּ׃
כִּי כִגְבֹהַּ שָׁמַיִם עַל־הָאָרֶץ גָּבַר חַסְדּוֹ עַל־יְרֵאָיו׃
כִּרְחֹק מִזְרָח מִמַּעֲרָב הִרְחִיק מִמֶּנּוּ אֶת־פְּשָׁעֵינוּ׃
כְּרַחֵם אָב עַל־בָּנִים רִחַם יְהוָה עַל־יְרֵאָיו׃
כִּי־הוּא יָדַע יִצְרֵנוּ זָכוּר כִּי־עָפָר אֲנָחְנוּ׃
אֱנוֹשׁ כֶּחָצִיר יָמָיו כְּצִיץ הַשָּׂדֶה כֵּן יָצִיץ׃
כִּי רוּחַ עָבְרָה־בּוֹ וְאֵינֶנּוּ וְלֹא־יַכִּירֶנּוּ עוֹד מְקוֹמוֹ׃
וְחֶסֶד יְהוָה מֵעוֹלָם וְעַד־עוֹלָם עַל־יְרֵאָיו וְצִדְקָתוֹ לִבְנֵי בָנִים׃
לְשֹׁמְרֵי בְרִיתוֹ וּלְזֹכְרֵי פִקֻּדָיו לַעֲשׂוֹתָם׃
יְהוָה בַּשָּׁמַיִם הֵכִין כִּסְאוֹ וּמַלְכוּתוֹ בַּכֹּל מָשָׁלָה׃
בָּרֲכוּ יְהוָה מַלְאָכָיו גִּבֹּרֵי כֹחַ עֹשֵׂי דְבָרוֹ לִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקוֹל דְּבָרוֹ׃
בָּרֲכוּ יְהוָה כָּל־צְבָאָיו מְשָׁרְתָיו עֹשֵׂי רְצוֹנוֹ׃
בָּרֲכוּ יְהוָה כָּל־מַעֲשָׂיו בְּכָל־מְקֹמוֹת מֶמְשַׁלְתּוֹ בָּרֲכִי נַפְשִׁי אֶת־יְהוָה׃

Sefaria, from the Unicode/XML Leningrad Codex at tanach.us, 2026. Tanach.us states that all biblical Hebrew text on its site may be viewed or copied without restriction, and Sefaria labels this version Public Domain. Retrieved and verified 2026-09-17. Cite as: Psalms 103:1-22, Tanach with Nikkud, a digital edition of the Leningrad Codex, via Sefaria.org. Source

Out of copyright in the United States on the basis stated here, and free to reuse there. Please keep the citation with it.

This prayer’s own page · How this text was verified

Psalm 113 (JPS 1917)

The first psalm of Hallel, sung on festivals and at the Passover table. It ends with the childless woman made a joyful mother of children, which is why it is turned to by those hoping for a child.

English · The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text (JPS), 1917Checked against a second digitisation

Hallelujah.
Praise, O ye servants of the LORD,
Praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
From this time forth and for ever.
From the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof
The LORD'S name is to be praised.
The LORD is high above all nations,
His glory is above the heavens.
Who is like unto the LORD our God,
That is enthroned on high,
That looketh down low
Upon heaven and upon the earth?
Who raiseth up the poor out of the dust,
And lifteth up the needy out of the dunghill;
That He may set him with princes,
Even with the princes of His people.
Who maketh the barren woman to dwell in her house
As a joyful mother of children.
Hallelujah.

Jewish Publication Society of America, 1917. Published 1917, before 1929, US public domain. Retrieved and verified 2026-09-17. Source

Out of copyright in the United States on the basis stated here, and free to reuse there. Please keep the citation with it.

Hebrew · Tanach with Nikkud, a digital edition of the Leningrad Codex, 2026Checked against a second encoding

הַלְלוּ יָהּ הַלְלוּ עַבְדֵי יְהוָה הַלְלוּ אֶת־שֵׁם יְהוָה׃
יְהִי שֵׁם יְהוָה מְבֹרָךְ מֵעַתָּה וְעַד־עוֹלָם׃
מִמִּזְרַח־שֶׁמֶשׁ עַד־מְבוֹאוֹ מְהֻלָּל שֵׁם יְהוָה׃
רָם עַל־כָּל־גּוֹיִם יְהוָה עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם כְּבוֹדוֹ׃
מִי כַּיהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ הַמַּגְבִּיהִי לָשָׁבֶת׃
הַמַּשְׁפִּילִי לִרְאוֹת בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ׃
מְקִימִי מֵעָפָר דָּל מֵאַשְׁפֹּת יָרִים אֶבְיוֹן׃
לְהוֹשִׁיבִי עִם־נְדִיבִים עִם נְדִיבֵי עַמּוֹ׃
מוֹשִׁיבִי עֲקֶרֶת הַבַּיִת אֵם־הַבָּנִים שְׂמֵחָה הַלְלוּ־יָהּ׃

Sefaria, from the Unicode/XML Leningrad Codex at tanach.us, 2026. Tanach.us states that all biblical Hebrew text on its site may be viewed or copied without restriction, and Sefaria labels this version Public Domain. Retrieved and verified 2026-09-17. Cite as: Psalms 113:1-9, Tanach with Nikkud, a digital edition of the Leningrad Codex, via Sefaria.org. Source

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This prayer’s own page · How this text was verified

Psalm 126 (JPS 1917)

A Song of Ascents about return and about sowing in tears and reaping in joy. It is sung before the Grace after Meals on Sabbaths and festivals.

English · The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text (JPS), 1917Checked against a second digitisation

A Song of Ascents.
When the LORD brought back those that returned to Zion,
We were like unto them that dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing;
Then said they among the nations:
'The LORD hath done great things with these.'
The LORD hath done great things with us;
We are rejoiced.
Turn our captivity, O LORD,
As the streams in the dry land.
They that sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
Though he goeth on his way weeping that beareth the measure of seed,
He shall come home with joy, bearing his sheaves.

Jewish Publication Society of America, 1917. Published 1917, before 1929, US public domain. Retrieved and verified 2026-09-17. Source

Out of copyright in the United States on the basis stated here, and free to reuse there. Please keep the citation with it.

Hebrew · Tanach with Nikkud, a digital edition of the Leningrad Codex, 2026Checked against a second encoding

שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת בְּשׁוּב יְהוָה אֶת־שִׁיבַת צִיּוֹן הָיִינוּ כְּחֹלְמִים׃
אָז יִמָּלֵא שְׂחוֹק פִּינוּ וּלְשׁוֹנֵנוּ רִנָּה אָז יֹאמְרוּ בַגּוֹיִם הִגְדִּיל יְהוָה לַעֲשׂוֹת עִם־אֵלֶּה׃
הִגְדִּיל יְהוָה לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמָּנוּ הָיִינוּ שְׂמֵחִים׃
שׁוּבָה יְהוָה אֶת־שבותנו [שְׁבִיתֵנוּ] כַּאֲפִיקִים בַּנֶּגֶב׃
הַזֹּרְעִים בְּדִמְעָה בְּרִנָּה יִקְצֹרוּ׃
הָלוֹךְ יֵלֵךְ וּבָכֹה נֹשֵׂא מֶשֶׁךְ־הַזָּרַע בֹּא־יָבוֹא בְרִנָּה נֹשֵׂא אֲלֻמֹּתָיו׃

Sefaria, from the Unicode/XML Leningrad Codex at tanach.us, 2026. Tanach.us states that all biblical Hebrew text on its site may be viewed or copied without restriction, and Sefaria labels this version Public Domain. Retrieved and verified 2026-09-17. Cite as: Psalms 126:1-6, Tanach with Nikkud, a digital edition of the Leningrad Codex, via Sefaria.org. Source

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Psalm 150 (JPS 1917)

The last psalm, a call for everything that has breath to praise. It closes the psalms of praise in the daily morning service.

English · The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text (JPS), 1917Checked against a second digitisation

Hallelujah.
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in the firmament of His power.
Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His abundant greatness.
Praise Him with the blast of the horn;
Praise Him with the psaltery and harp.
Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and the pipe.
Praise Him with the loud-sounding cymbals;
Praise Him with the clanging cymbals.
Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD.
Hallelujah.

Jewish Publication Society of America, 1917. Published 1917, before 1929, US public domain. Retrieved and verified 2026-09-17. Source

Out of copyright in the United States on the basis stated here, and free to reuse there. Please keep the citation with it.

Hebrew · Tanach with Nikkud, a digital edition of the Leningrad Codex, 2026Checked against a second encoding

הַלְלוּ יָהּ הַלְלוּ־אֵל בְּקָדְשׁוֹ הַלְלוּהוּ בִּרְקִיעַ עֻזּוֹ׃
הַלְלוּהוּ בִגְבוּרֹתָיו הַלְלוּהוּ כְּרֹב גֻּדְלוֹ׃
הַלְלוּהוּ בְּתֵקַע שׁוֹפָר הַלְלוּהוּ בְּנֵבֶל וְכִנּוֹר׃
הַלְלוּהוּ בְתֹף וּמָחוֹל הַלְלוּהוּ בְּמִנִּים וְעוּגָב׃
הַלְלוּהוּ בְצִלְצְלֵי־שָׁמַע הַלְלוּהוּ בְּצִלְצְלֵי תְרוּעָה׃
כֹּל הַנְּשָׁמָה תְּהַלֵּל יָהּ הַלְלוּ־יָהּ׃

Sefaria, from the Unicode/XML Leningrad Codex at tanach.us, 2026. Tanach.us states that all biblical Hebrew text on its site may be viewed or copied without restriction, and Sefaria labels this version Public Domain. Retrieved and verified 2026-09-17. Cite as: Psalms 150:1-6, Tanach with Nikkud, a digital edition of the Leningrad Codex, via Sefaria.org. Source

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Psalm 67 (JPS 1917)

A short psalm asking God to be gracious and bless, so that all peoples give thanks. It is said at the close of the Sabbath, and in many communities during the counting of the Omer.

English · The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text (JPS), 1917Checked against a second digitisation

For the Leader; with string-music. A Psalm, a Song.
God be gracious unto us, and bless us;
May He cause His face to shine toward us; Selah
That Thy way may be known upon earth,
Thy salvation among all nations.
Let the peoples give thanks unto Thee, O God;
Let the peoples give thanks unto Thee, all of them.
O let the nations be glad and sing for joy;
For Thou wilt judge the peoples with equity,
And lead the nations upon earth. Selah
Let the peoples give thanks unto Thee, O God;
Let the peoples give thanks unto Thee, all of them.
The earth hath yielded her increase;
May God, our own God, bless us.
May God bless us;
And let all the ends of the earth fear Him.

Jewish Publication Society of America, 1917. Published 1917, before 1929, US public domain. Retrieved and verified 2026-09-17. Source

Out of copyright in the United States on the basis stated here, and free to reuse there. Please keep the citation with it.

Hebrew · Tanach with Nikkud, a digital edition of the Leningrad Codex, 2026Checked against a second encoding

לַמְנַצֵּח בִּנְגִינֹת מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר׃
אֱלֹהִים יְחָנֵּנוּ וִיבָרְכֵנוּ יָאֵר פָּנָיו אִתָּנוּ סֶלָה׃
לָדַעַת בָּאָרֶץ דַּרְכֶּךָ בְּכָל־גּוֹיִם יְשׁוּעָתֶךָ׃
יוֹדוּךָ עַמִּים אֱלֹהִים יוֹדוּךָ עַמִּים כֻּלָּם׃
יִשְׂמְחוּ וִירַנְּנוּ לְאֻמִּים כִּי־תִשְׁפֹּט עַמִּים מִישׁוֹר וּלְאֻמִּים בָּאָרֶץ תַּנְחֵם סֶלָה׃
יוֹדוּךָ עַמִּים אֱלֹהִים יוֹדוּךָ עַמִּים כֻּלָּם׃
אֶרֶץ נָתְנָה יְבוּלָהּ יְבָרְכֵנוּ אֱלֹהִים אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃
יְבָרְכֵנוּ אֱלֹהִים וְיִירְאוּ אֹתוֹ כָּל־אַפְסֵי־אָרֶץ׃

Sefaria, from the Unicode/XML Leningrad Codex at tanach.us, 2026. Tanach.us states that all biblical Hebrew text on its site may be viewed or copied without restriction, and Sefaria labels this version Public Domain. Retrieved and verified 2026-09-17. Cite as: Psalms 67:1-8, Tanach with Nikkud, a digital edition of the Leningrad Codex, via Sefaria.org. Source

Out of copyright in the United States on the basis stated here, and free to reuse there. Please keep the citation with it.

This prayer’s own page · How this text was verified

The Traveller's Prayer (Singer 1904)

The Traveller's Prayer (Singer 1904), as it appears in the edition cited below.

English · The Authorised Daily Prayer Book, with a New Translation, seventh edition, 1904Read twice, independently

May it be thy will, O Lord our God and God of our fathers, to conduct us in peace, to direct our steps in peace, to uphold us in peace, and to lead us in life, joy and peace unto the haven of our desire. O deliver us from every enemy, ambush and hurt by the way, and from all afflictions that visit and trouble the world. Send a blessing upon the work of our hands. Let us obtain grace, lovingkindness and mercy in thine eyes and in the eyes of all who behold us. Hearken to the voice of our supplications; for thou art a God who hearkenest unto prayer and supplication. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who hearkenest unto prayer.
And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is the camp of God : and he called the name of that place Mahanaim (a double camp). Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. The Lord bless thee, and keep thee : the Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee : the Lord turn his face unto thee, and give thee peace.

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This prayer’s own page · How this text was verified

Wording and scope vary between editions and between communities, so this entry is tied to one named edition and makes no claim about which form is right in a given setting.

The prayer of Ibrahim for his family

Ibrahim asks that he and his descendants keep up prayer, and asks forgiveness for himself, his parents and the believers. It is said by many at the end of each daily prayer.

Arabic · The Tanzil Uthmani text, 2026Checked against a second service

رَبِّ ٱجْعَلْنِى مُقِيمَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِى ۚ رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَآءِ
رَبَّنَا ٱغْفِرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَىَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ ٱلْحِسَابُ

Tanzil Project (https://tanzil.net/), served by alquran.cloud, 2026. Not public domain, and the first licensed edition in this corpus. Tanzil grants permission to copy and distribute verbatim copies provided the source is named and tanzil.net is linked, and forbids altering the text. Both conditions are met here. Retrieved and verified 2026-09-17. Source

Licensed, not public domain: copy it only word for word, and name and link the source as its terms require. The terms.

This prayer’s own page · How this text was verified

Rabbana atina, for good in both worlds

A one-verse supplication asking for good in this world, good in the next and protection from the Fire. It is among the most often said of all supplications, and pilgrims say it while circling the Kaaba.

Arabic · The Tanzil Uthmani text, 2026Checked against a second service

وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةًۭ وَفِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ حَسَنَةًۭ وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ

Licensed, not public domain: copy it only word for word, and name and link the source as its terms require. The terms.

This prayer’s own page · How this text was verified

The Arabic is published without an English rendering. The securely public-domain English translations are nineteenth-century orientalist work that no Muslim community uses devotionally, and setting one beside the Arabic would present it as the meaning of the prayer. Recitation in Islamic practice has conditions this entry makes no claim about; what is verified here is the wording of the edition named below. The verse is given whole, as the edition prints it, including the words that introduce the prayer, because this text is used on condition that it is not altered, and a verse cut short is altered.

The General Thanksgiving

Two short prayers among the Occasional Prayers and Thanksgivings of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The General Thanksgiving, composed by Edward Reynolds for the 1662 revision, is used for recovery from illness and for deliverance generally. The Prayer of St Chrysostom closes Morning and Evening Prayer and is the usual ending for small gatherings and hospital prayer.

English · The Book of Common Prayer, 1662, 1662Read twice, independently

Almightie God, Father of all mercies, We thine vnworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty
thanks for all thy goodnes, and loving kindness to vs
and to all men [ particularly to those who desire now to offer vp their praises, and thanksgivings for thy late mercies vouchsafed vnto them] We bless thee for our creation,
preservation, and all the blessings of this life, but
above all for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the
means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And
we beseech thee give vs that due sence of all thy
mercies that our hearts may be vnfeignedly thankfull, and that we shew forth thy prayse, not only with
our lips, but in our lives, by giving vp our selves to
thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness
and righteousnes all our dayes through Jesus Christ
our Lord, to whom with thee and the holy Ghost be
all honour and glory world without end. Amen.

Church of England, 1662. Published 1662, long before 1929, US public domain. UK Crown patent applies within the United Kingdom, so this edition is used here on the US basis only. Source

Out of copyright in the United States on the basis stated here, and free to reuse there. Please keep the citation with it.

This prayer’s own page · How this text was verified

For the person holding this moment

Ask before assuming. At a mixed table, the simplest move is a direct question: would anyone like to offer thanks, or shall we take a quiet moment? Naming silence as an option gives everyone a way in. If you are hosting guests from a tradition not your own, inviting them to say their own words honors them more than attempting an approximation yourself. For a home blessing, ask the family what they want and who they want leading it; in several traditions the answer is specific clergy, and in others a gathering of friends is the whole ceremony. Nurses and care staff can support a family's grace or blessing moment best by offering a pause and privacy rather than supplying words. And nothing here requires an occasion: a spoken thank you over an ordinary meal is the most portable practice that every tradition described on this page has in common.

When to call someone instead: Formal home blessings usually call for clergy: an Orthodox family expects a priest, Catholic families may ask their parish, a Hindu griha pravesh is normally led by a pandit, and Thai Buddhist families invite monks. For a Jewish home dedication or questions about affixing a mezuzah, ask a rabbi. In a hospital or hospice, the chaplaincy office can arrange a blessing or thanksgiving moment in nearly any tradition and will know local clergy. For a mixed-faith gathering or milestone, an interfaith minister or celebrant can shape words that no single tradition owns.

Need your own words right now? The composer assembles a short prayer for blessings and thanksgiving from human-written lines, with or without religious language, free and without sending anything you type to anyone.

Questions people arrive with

Who should say grace at a dinner with guests of different faiths?#

The host usually decides, and asking beats guessing. Common options: invite a guest who prays to offer thanks in their own way, hold a short silence so each person can respond privately, or go around the table with each person naming one thing they are grateful for. Interfaith Thanksgiving services in the United States have used this shared-gratitude approach since the 1960s, because thanksgiving is where traditions overlap most. What lands badly is one tradition's words presented as everyone's.

What is a house blessing and who performs one?#

It depends on the tradition. Orthodox Christians receive an annual home blessing from a priest around Theophany in January. Many Western Christians keep the Epiphany custom of chalking the door. A Jewish home is dedicated when the mezuzah goes up, often with a chanukat habayit gathering. Hindus mark a new home with griha pravesh, a puja led by a priest. Thai Buddhist families invite monks to chant. Muslim families often mark a new home with Quran recitation and a meal for guests. Ask clergy in the relevant tradition.

Does practicing gratitude actually change anything?#

There is real evidence, with honest limits. Emmons and McCullough's 2003 studies in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people assigned to list blessings weekly or daily reported better mood and well-being than comparison groups, with the clearest effect on positive emotion. A 2018 review for the John Templeton Foundation, drawing on more than 270 publications, found consistent links between gratitude and well-being while noting that effects are often modest and some findings mixed. Gratitude practice helps many people; it is not a cure for anything.

What do different religions say before or after eating?#

Patterns differ. Jewish practice places its weightiest grace after the meal: Birkat Hamazon, tied to Deuteronomy 8:10, follows any meal with bread. Muslims say bismillah before eating and alhamdulillah after. Christians commonly say grace before eating, in set or spontaneous words depending on family custom. Many Hindus offer food to the deity first and receive it back as prasada. Zen and other Buddhist communities recite the Five Contemplations, reflecting on the labor behind the food. In Sikh practice, Ardas is offered over the langar meal before it is served.

Can I bless my child if I am not clergy?#

In many traditions, blessing children is precisely a parent's role. The best-known example is Jewish: on Friday evenings many parents bless each child with words drawn from the priestly blessing in Numbers 6, often resting a hand on the child's head, a custom kept across Jewish movements. Christian parents in many denominations pray over their children at bedtime, and Muslim parents make dua for their children. Formal rites such as baptism or a baby naming involve clergy, but the everyday blessing of a child by a parent needs no ordination.

Nearby moments

Work and provision: Work, money and having enough.
Faith: Holding on to belief, and finding it again.
Birth and new life: Arrival, naming and welcome.
Peace: Peace of mind, peace in a household, peace between peoples.

Sources

The claims above rest on the following. Where practice varies, the variation is stated rather than resolved.

Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life, Robert A. Emmons and Michael E. McCullough (2003). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 84(2), 377-389. Three experiments in which gratitude-listing groups reported higher well-being than hassle-listing and comparison groups, with the clearest effect on positive affect.
The Science of Gratitude, Summer Allen, Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley (2018). White paper prepared for the John Templeton Foundation reviewing more than 270 publications on gratitude, its cultivation, and its links to well-being.
Blessing the Children, My Jewish Learning. Explains the Friday-evening parental blessing of children, drawing on the priestly blessing of Numbers 6:24-26, and how the custom is kept.
Blessing of homes, OrthodoxWiki. Describes the annual Orthodox house blessing at and after Theophany, with the priest praying and sprinkling holy water through the home.
Langar: The Communal Meal, The Pluralism Project, Harvard University. Describes the gurdwara's free community kitchen, open to all regardless of religion or caste, and the Ardas offered over the food before serving.
General Thanksgiving, The Episcopal Church (glossary). Attributes the General Thanksgiving to Edward Reynolds, Bishop of Norwich, added to the Book of Common Prayer in 1662.
Riyad as-Salihin, chapter on mentioning Allah's Name before eating and praising Him after, Imam al-Nawawi (compilation); English presentation at AbdurRahman.org. Hadith collection chapter documenting bismillah before eating and alhamdulillah after as prophetic practice.
Thai Housewarming Ceremony, Thailand Foundation. Describes the Thai Buddhist custom of inviting monks to a new house for chanting and a meal as a blessing on the home and household.

Content last changed 6 October 2026. Dates come from this page’s own revision history, not from the last time the site was deployed.