Making One Hundred Brachot Daily

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Origin of the obligation

  1. Some hold that this law is a biblical obligation, while others hold it's of rabbinic origin. [1]
  2. There are several sources and reasons given for this law including:
    1. David Hamelech made 100 berachot a day to stop the plague that was killing a 100 people every day. [2]
    2. The Gematria of each letter of צדיק/tzaddik - 90 / צamen's a day, 4 / ד Kedushos a day, 10 י amen yehiy shemei rabba's, and 100 / ק berachot a day.[3]
    3. Corresponding to the one hundred poles of the mishkan
    4. The gemara (Menachot 43b) learns from the Pasuk in Ekev- mah Hashem elokecha shoel meemach - ...וְעַתָּה֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מָ֚ה ה' אֱלֹקיךָ שֹׁאֵ֖ל מֵֽעִמָּ֑ךְ כִּ֣י אִם־לְ֠יִרְאָה …Gemara: don't read "mah/מה" (what), but instead "me'ah" (100). (Devarim 10:12) [4]
    5. Moshe received it as a Halacha LeMoshe MeSinai [5]

Practically how to get to 100

Here's a basic breakdown of how you might say 100 berachot in a day:

[6]

How is a day counted?

  1. There is a dispute whether we count a day for the purposes of this halacha starting from the night starting from the day. The majority of poskim hold that the count of a hundred Brachot starts at night. [7]

Who's obligated?

  1. Some poskim say that women aren't obligated in making a hundred brachot daily since it's a time-bound positive obligation, [8] while others say that they are as obligated as men. [9]

What counts as a bracha?

  1. If one is unable to accumulate a hundred brachot on Shabbat or Yom Tov one can listen to the brachot of Torah reading with intent to accumulate a hundred brachot. [10]
  2. Some say that answering Zimmun is considered one of a person’s hundred Brachot every day. [11]
  3. Some count the "Baruch Elokenu" in Ein KeElokenu as a bracha to make up to a hundred brachot. [12]
  4. If one extends his third meal on Shabbat some hold that the brachot of benching aren't counted towards the hundred brachot of that day, while others consider it as part of the brachot of Shabbat. [13]

Getting to a hundred on Shabbat and Yom Tov

  1. Because we don't say a Shemoneh Esrei of 19 brachot but rather of 7, one should try to accumulate a hundred through having snacks. [14]
  2. According to the Mishna Brurah one is only lacking 13 Brachot on Shabbat. [15] The following is the Mishna Brurah's count of 87 Brachot:
  1. For the laws of making one hundred Brachot on Yom Kippur see the Yom Kippur page.

Making an unnessecary bracha

  1. It is forbidden to make an unnecessary bracha in order to get to a hundred brachot. [16]

Is intent (Kavanah) required?

  1. Some hold that no specific intent is required when saying brachot in order to fulfill the mitzvah of making a hundred brachot. However, one must make sure to make the bracha with the proper Kavana of the words or at least intent that one is speaking before Hashem in order that one fulfill the mitzvah of a hundred brachot. [17]

Sources

  1. ↑ See Sh"t Atret Paz 1:1 at length. The Chida (Machzik Bracha 290:1) writes that going out of the way to complete a hundred Brachot daily is only a virtuous practice. However, the Petach Dvir 290:3, Sdei Chemed (Chet 34), and Sh"t Atret Paz 1:1 write that it’s a complete obligation. [Chazon Ovadyah (Shabbat vol 2 pg 339) writes that even the Chida may mean that it’s only virtuous to go out of the way to make the Bracha oneself but accumulating a hundred (including Brachot one listens to such as the Brachot of Torah reading) is an obligation.] Tur 46 also says this obligation is also rabbinic and the pasuk brought in menachot 43b is an asmachta. The Arizal in Shaar Ruach Hakodesh 4a says that there is a level in blessing in heaven that the only way to get to it is saying 100 berachot each day. Kitzur S"A 6:7 writes that a person is obligated to make a hundred brachot daily.
  2. ↑ Bamidbar Rabba Parasha 18, Tur 46 quoting Rabbi Natronai Gaon
  3. ↑ The Reishit Chachma (Shaar HaKedusha ch. 17 s.v. BePrat) writes that the letters of Tzaddik are a hint to saying 90 amens, 4 Kedushot, 100 Brachot, 10 Kadishim. Part of this hint, the Reishit Chachma derives from the Zohar (Tikkunim page 29).
  4. ↑ Rashi Menachot 43b. Tosafot Menachot 43b "shoel" suggest that it is because the verse has 100 letters.
  5. ↑ See Sh"t Yosef Ometz 50 in name of Sefer Charedim, Sh"t Atret Paz 1:1 quotes this and discusses whether it is on a deoraitta obligation
  6. ↑ Magan Avraham 46:8, Mishna Brurah 46:14
  7. ↑ Sh"t Atret Paz 1:1 writes that it seems from most rishonim that we count from the day to the night, however he writes that it seems from Bet Yosef and Mishna Brurah that we count from the night to the day based on the fact that they begin their count of the brachot from HaMapil. Additionally, Sh"t Betzel Chachmah 4:155 proved from the poskim's counting of the brachot on Shabbat that we count from the nighttime. Sefer Ha'itim 195 says that the count starts from the morning and finishes the next morning. If one brought shabbat in early Rabbi Shimon Sofer in Hitorerut Teshuva 3:502 says that the berachot count for the count of shabbat, whole Sh"t Bitzel Hachochma 4:155 says they count for the previous day. According to Rav Stern in Bitzel Hachochma, one would need to make up all berachot recited before shabbat starts, including the 7 of the shemoneh esrei and 4 of kriat shema, and if he starts the meal then those berachot as well.
  8. ↑ Halichot Bayta 13:note 2 in name of Rav Shlomo Zalman, Sh”t Teshuvot VeHanhagot 2:129, Sh”t Shevet HaKehati 3:63, Birkat Eitan (pg 62), Vezot HaBracha (pg 185, chapter 20), Sh”t Ateret Paz 1:1, Shevet HaLevi 5:23, and Sh”t Rivevot Efraim 3:47, 5:114 write that a women is exempt and some base it on the Magan Avraham regarding Zecher Yetziat Mitzrayim in Shema who disagrees with the Shagat Aryeh.
  9. ↑ Rav Elyashiv in Yashiv Moshe (pg 19) and Birkat Eitan (pg 61), **Rav Shechter in “Women at Prayer” at yu.edu, Rav Ovadyah in Halichot Olam (vol 1 pg 59), Halacha Berura 46:8 and Yalkut Yosef (Otzer Dinim LeIsha pg 75), and Hilchot Bat Yisrael (end of chapter 14) write that a women is obligated since it’s a obligation that applies the whole day and is renewed every day similar to the Shagat Aryeh regarding Zecher Yetziat Mitzrayim in Shema.
  10. ↑ The Magan Avraham 46:8 writes that one should only rely on accumulating a hundred Brachot using Brachot that one heard from the Brachot on Torah reading if one is unable to make the Brachot oneself by eating snacks. So rules the S”A HaRav 46, and Mishna Brurah 46:14. See Sh"t Yabia Omer 8:23:24.
  11. ↑ Sefer Keysad Mezamnin 1:22
  12. ↑ Taz 46
  13. ↑ If one extends the third meal of Shabbat past the time of sunset, Chazon Ovadyah (Shabbat vol 2 pg 337) and Sh”t Shevet HaLevi 5:23 hold that the brachot one makes during the meal and the Birkat HaMazon count towards the hundred brachot of Shabbat. However, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Sh”t Minchat Shlomo 2:4:27, Halichot Shlomo (tefillah 22:23)) writes that it doesn't count towards the hundred brachot of Shabbat.
  14. ↑ S"A 290:1
  15. ↑ Mishna Brurah 46:14
  16. ↑ Magan Avraham 46:8 based on gemara in Yoma 70a which prohibits the recitation of unnecessary brachot.
  17. ↑ Rabbi Dovid Aharon Brizman (Av Bet Din Philadelphia) in Vol. 59 No. 1 Tishrei 5766 pg 4-5 writes that since the entire mitzvah of making a hundred brachot is meant to inspire Yirat Hashem one doesn't need specific intent to fulfill the mitzvah and making the brachot with Kavanah is sufficient. However, he does quote the Yaavetz and Seder HaYom who hold that a bracha without intent doesn't count for this mitzvah. Nonetheless, he suggests that perhaps intent that one is speaking before Hashem suffices (like the Grach in Hilchot Tefillah).
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