The brachah of Hanosein Laya’ef Koach is not mentioned in the order of Birchos Hashachar brought down in the Gemara (Brachos 60b). It was instituted after the Talmud was sealed, by the Gaonim, in gratitude for the renewal of strength that a person feels each morning after sleeping. It is based on the words of the passuk (Yeshayah 40:29): “Nosein laya’ef koach ule’ein onim atzmah yirbeh, Who gives the tired strength, and to him who has no strength, He increases strength.” The reason that the Gaonim established it at that point, after the Talmud was closed, is because they saw that a fatigue and weakness had descended on the world, and they felt it was appropriate to institute a special brachah about the strength that HaKadosh Baruch Hu gives us to overcome this fatigue. (Seder Hayom, Seder Birchos Hashachar).
The Tur (Orach Chaim 46) cites with this brachah the words of the Midrash (Tehillim 25:2) on the passuk (Eichah 3:23): “Chadashim labekarim rabbah emunasecha, they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Sometimes, a human being gives something to his friend for safekeeping and the friend returns it heavily used and broken. But HaKadosh Baruch accepts the person’s soul each night when it is tired, and He returns it new and calm. The greater the burden a person carries on his shoulders, the greater his gratitude should be when he rises from sleep. Aside for his tiredness from the day before being lifted, he is also given new strength to tackle the toil of his day. (Siddur Tzelosa D’Avraham p. 54).
In this brachah, we do not only thank Hashem for the renewal of energy in our body, but also for the renewal of strength for our soul. At night, before we go to sleep, it is not only the body that is tired from the toil of the day; the soul is weary as well. When we arise from sleep, not only do our physical strengths get replenished and refreshed, our nightly rest also gives strength to our soul, so that we can arise each morning and fulfill our tasks. (Sifsei Chaim – Rinas Chaim p. 60)
A Brachah Not Mentioned in Chazal
Some Rishonim are of the opinion that one should not make this brachah, because it is not in our power to add brachos after the Talmud was sealed. (See Sefer Ha’agur, Brachos 87, in the name of a number of Rishonim; the Rambam did not include it in his order of brachos, either; likewise, the Shulchan Aruch rules this way in Orach Chaim 46:6.) However, some Rishonim included this brachah in the order of Birchos Hashachar (see Semag 27) and that seems to be the opinion of Rashi, who writes (Sefer Hapardes 5): “One should not worry about adding brachos, as it only states not to subtract, but to add we have permission to do, and to make a blessing when he feels gratitude for something.” The Rema rules likewise (ibid). The Bach (ibid beginning with od bracha achas) also raises the possibility that this brachah is not instituted by the early sages, but rather it was copied in their siddur according to the edition of the Gemara that they had before them. Today, the custom among the Bnei Sephard is that it is recited with Hashem’s Name, in accordance with the Arizal (Pri Eitz Chaim, Shaar Hatefillah 2). As the Chida writes (Tov Ayin 7, beginning with ‘umita’am): “It has spread in a few communities to say the brachah of Hanosein Laya’ef Koach even though it is a brachah that is new, and the Shulchan Aruch rejects it. Because the Arizal wrote that it should be said, and explained its secret, it is worthy to do so, because surely if Maran would have known of the greatness of the Arizal who said to say it, he would have said so as well.” Additional Meanings of This Brachah The Targum Yonasan explains the passuk (Yeshayah 40:29): “Nosein laya’ef koach” – to mean that HaKadosh Baruch Hu gives wisdom to the tzaddikim who thirst for divrei Torah, as it says (Tehillim 63:4): “Tzamah Lecha nafshi, kamah Lecha besari b’eretz tziyah v’ayef bli mayim.” Based on this Rav Chaim Palaji explained that in this brachah we thank Hashem for the strength that He gives us to engage in Torah despite the burdens of the galus. (Yafeh Lalev, Kuntres Acharon Orach Chaim 46:9)
The Olas Tamid (9) writes: “He should also have in mind with this to give gratitude to HaKadosh Baruch Hu that often, a person feels weakness and fatigue, and HaKadosh Baruch Hu gives him strength and helps him do many things that he needs very much, both physical and spiritual, and he sees clearly how Hashem treats him beyond the course of nature.” The Seder Hayom further writes (ibid) that the meaning of the brachah also has a tefillah for the future – “that He should give us strength and wherewithal to engage in Torah and in the mitzvos properly and we should not refrain from doing all that we do with our hand.”
The Placement of the Brachah of Hanosein Laya’ef Koach
The Shaarei Teshuvah (Orach Chaim 46:6) writes that according to sod one must take care to say this brachah after the brachah of Malbish Arumim. That is how it appears in the Siddur Ha’Ari. But the accepted practice is to say it before the brachah of Hama’avir Sheinah. The Siddur Tzelosa D’Avraham (p. 57), explains that because the brachah is not mentioned in the Talmud, therefore it is said after all the short brachos, and before Hama’avir Sheinah, which is a long brachah, in order to differentiate between the brachos mentioned in the Talmud and this one, instituted after the sealing of the Talmud.
A Rav in Poland once came to the Rebbe the Yismach Yisrael of Alexander. He told the Rebbe that despite the fact that he was weak, he still prepared extensively for davening, and because he was strict not to eat anything before davening, he did not eat until he finished davening – at about midday. When the Rebbe told him he had to take care of his health, the Rav replied, “I make the brachah of Hanosein Laya’ef Koach each morning, and I draw strength from that.” “If you appreciate the power of this brachah to such an extent,” the Rebbe replied with veiled rebuke, “then please, daven earlier, so that you should be infused with strength and energy already early in the morning…” (Agudas Eizov p. 88)
[עלון בני אמונים]
