Tuesday 12 January 2016

blessing - What is the source of the Birkat Habayit?


What is the source of the text of the Birkat Habayit:


A hamsa with the following English text of Birkat Habayit, underneath the Hebrew word



May this house be a place of happiness and health, of contentment, generosity and hope, a home of creativity and kindness.
May those who visit and those who live here know only blessing and peace.



I've seen them written on a hand, and some come with garlic, multi-colored beads, and some other strange objects.


Inspired by: http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/4423114#4423114



Answer




It is anonymous in a modern hebrew, here is a document in pdf of Rabbi Ari Zivotofsky:



Over the last few decades, the so-called Birchat Habayit has found its way into many Jewish homes. Its words even have been used as a popular song on a recent Jewish album. This “prayer” seems to be a relatively recent phenomenon. The language and style are modern Hebrew, indicating a recent composition. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner,8 the rav of Beit El, has pointed out that the style is not a Jewish style. There is no “Yehi ratzon” or “Ribon Olamim.” God is not addressed and no request is made.


It is simply a statement. Rabbi Aviner is sure it is a translation from a non-Jewish source, and recalls a claim that the contents may be from a work by Rudyard Kipling. I have been unable to locate any such formulation in the writings of Kipling. Other scholars speculate that it is modern Hebrew poetry.



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