First Blessing
Borukh Ato Adoynoy Eloyheynu Melekh Ho-oylom Asher Kiddeshonu Be-mitsvoysov Ve-tsivonu Lehadlik Neyr Shel khanuko.Second Blessing
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukkah.
Borukh Ato Adoynoy Eloyheynu Melekh Ho-oylom She-oso Nissim La-avoseynu Ba-yyomim Ho-heym Ba-zzman Ha-zze.Third Blessing
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old, at this season.
Borukh Ato Adoynoy Eloyheynu Melekh Ho-oylom She-hekheyonu Ve-kiymonu Ve-higgi'onu La-zzman Ha-zze.The blessings are lovely.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has kept us alive, and has preserved us, and enabled us to reach this time.
UPDATE: According to About.com:
The third blessing is recited only on the first time the Hanukkah menorah is lit. Called the Shehechiyanu, it is an important blessing that thanks God for sustaining us and reminds us to appreciate the goodness in our lives.
Todah rabbah! (Thank you!)
ReplyDeleteThere's also another paragraph read after the blessings.
We kindle these lights on account of the miracles, the deliverances, and the wonders which You worked for our fathers in those days and in this season, by means of your holy priests [=the Maccabees, who were Cohenim]. During all the eight days of Chanukah these lights are sacred, nor may we make any profane use of them, but we are only to look at them, in order that we may give thanks unto Your Name, for Your miracles, and Your deliverances, and Your wonders.
The ban on profane use of the lights is the reason we use the extra candle, the "Shamash"--while it is lit, we can attribute to it whatever light from the candles we use for any reason other than visual delight.
Kishnevi, todah rabbah for the additional information.
ReplyDeleteHanukkah sameach!