ShehaKol is said so often, we kind of take it for granted. But for a number of years now, ShehaKol on my morning cup of coffee has been one of my most heartfelt prayers. And I don’t mean that entirely as a joke.

I know this is another detour from Shemoneh Esrei, but you can again blame Arukh HaShulchan Yomi. Orach Chaim 204:1 includes an explanation of what the berakhah means.

We must understand why the wording of the blessing “Shehakol” (“that everything came to be…”) is different [from the other berakhos before eating. Had it followed the pattern], it should have said “בורא כל בדברו – Who creates everything by His Word”, just as we say, “בורא מיני מזונות Who creates various kinds of foods,” “בורא פרי העץ – Who creates the fruit of the tree,” “the fruit of the ground,” and so on. So why don’t we use the same “creates” (בורא) wording here as well?

It appears that the term “creation” (beriah) applies only to things that are renewed each year — such as grain and fruits — because the term “beri’ah” expresses newness, as in the verse “In the beginning God created.”

But anything that is constant and ongoing — such as living creatures, water, and similar things — does not fit the term “creation.” Rather, it fits the term “being/coming into existence” (havayah), meaning “He said, and it came to be.” Therefore, we say “shehakol nihyeh bidvaro” — “that everything comes into being through His word.”

And the word “nihyeh” is vocalized with a segol under the yud, because this form is a present-tense expression (ongoing existence), not a kamatz, which would indicate past tense. For in all blessings, we use the present tense / continuous form, which encompasses both past and future, because God’s providence is constant and unceasing — as explained in siman 167, se’if 7.

Things that grow are new. So we use the verb borei, which the Torah used for the creation yeish mei’ayin – something from nothing, emphasizing newness. But we acknowledge that even this new cake, grain, or vegetable is part of an ongoing process by making sure to use a conjugation that is both ongoing, and about the past.

Here, though, we say nihyeh – is existing. The Arukh haShulchan’s take on nihyeh bidvaro sounds like it draws from a thought of the Baal Shem Tov. Bareishis uses the metaphor of speech to describe creation. When an author writes a book, there is the act of writing, and then the book continues existing after the author is done. With speech, the words only exist while they’re being said. Creation is “vayomer Elokim” because Hashem still speaks. In fact, the existence is the very speech itself. “Vayomer Elokim, ‘yehi or’ vayehi or — G-d said, ‘Let there be light’ and it was light.” Not the words “yehi or” caused light (although that would be a valid translation too), but the words themselves are what we experience as light. As long as there is light, Hashem is still “Saying” yehi or.

“Shehakol nihyeh bidvaro“, this meat, egg, or candy I am about to eat, or juice I am getting ready to drink, they exist because Hashem is still “Saying” them.

We haven’t discussed the usual opening for a berakhah, since we started with Shemoneh Esrei’s Birkhas Avos which lacks the usual “Melekh haOlam“. There are a number of approaches; the next post should be about one take that resonates with me for ShehaKol in particular.

But aside from a post or posts about the basic berakhah form, the above doesn’t touch on HaMotzi. So that’s another post that should eventually be written.