Part 3: The 100 Daily Brachos

The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis
This Column is dedicated in memory of:
Rav Chaim Yisroel ben Reb Dov HaLevi Belsky, zt’l
Senior OU Kosher Halachic Consultant from 1987-2016

Following is the recommended list of daily brachos according to the Mishnah Brurah (46:14), based on the assumption that the obligation begins at night:

Before bed

Hamapil (1)

In the morning


Al Netilas Yadim (+1 = 2)
Asher Yatzar (+1 = 3)
Elokai Neshama (+1 = 4)
Morning blessings (+15 = 19)
Blessings on Torah study (+3 = 22)
Tzitzis (+1 = 23)
Tefillin (+2 = 25)

Shacharis


Baruch Sheamar (+1 = 26)
Yishtabach (+1 = 27)
Blessings of Shema (+3 = 30)
Shemoneh Esrei (+19 = 49)

Lunch


Al netilas yadayim (+1 = 50)
HaMotzi (+1 = 51)
Birkas hamazon (+4 = 55)

Mincha


Shmoneh Esrei (+19 = 74)

Maariv


Blessings before Shema (+2 = 76)
Blessings after Shema (+3 – 79)
Shemoneh Esrei (+19 = 98)

Dinner


Al netilas yadayim (+1 = 99)
HaMotzi (+1 = 100)
Birkas hamazon (+4 = 104)
This arrangement gives a person 104 daily brachos without even taking into account brachos that one would recite before and after food and drink outside of those two meals, after using the washroom, on smelling pleasant fragrances, on witnessing natural phenomena, and for other purposes.Other authorities may have varying lists of suggested daily brachos. See, for example, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Tefillah u’Birkas Kohanim 7:14. There, the Rambam counts tefillin as one bracha (rather than two), each Shemoneh Esrei as 18 brachos (rather than 19), and each bentching as three brachos (rather than four). These subtractions bring one’s daily count down to below 100 brachos. However, Rambam assumes that one will recite bentching at each meal over a cup of wine, entailing a bracha before and a bracha after each cup, which adds another four brachos back in.