Blessing for the Home | Birkat HaBayit

The Shalom papercut I created last summer was so well received that I decided to cut another piece, this time a Blessing for the Home or Birkat Habayit. This blessing is traditionally hung on the wall next to the front door or next to a window of many Jewish homes. It can also be found on keyrings holding the keys to the home. It is meant to drive any evil spirits out of the house and protect the occupants within. Besides bringing a blessing upon the home, variations from around the world are also seen as great works of art and are often given as housewarming gifts. A Birkat Haesek, "Blessing for the Business," is also popular in Israel.

The provenance and original authorship of the Birkat Habayit (Blessing for the Home) is unknown. A variation of it appears in a printed amulet for protection against plague, dated from 1925 in Hungary and is attributed to Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum, the Rebbe of Ujhely (Sátoraljaújhely) in Hungary. 

Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, an Israeli Orthodox rabbi born in France, believes that the prayer originates from a poem created by Rudyard Kipling, although there is no proof of this claim.

There are different versions of the blessing and the text is commonly written in either Hebrew or in English and increasingly in other languages as well.

The text I have used reads as follows:

יבורך זה הבית בברכת שמים

והיה כעץ שתול על פלגי מים

אהבה רעות וששון בו ישכנו

פרנסה הצלחה ובריאות בו יכונו

יברכך האל וישמרך

וישא את פניו אליך

ישם לך שלום ושלווה

ונחת והרבה אהבה

אמן

May this house be blessed with blessings and dreams

As a tree that is fed by fresh waters and streams

May love, joy and friendship dwell here in its walls

May health, wealth and success be strong in these halls

May God bless you and guard you

And lift up His face to you

May God grant you calmness and peace

And pleasure and love without end

Amen

My papercut makes a great wedding, holiday or housewarming gift. It is drawn and cut entirely by hand from a single sheet of Textura Recycled Bright White Card, using just a scalpel knife. It measures 30x21cm and fits perfectly into a standard frame. If you would like to order a papercut or take a further look, it is available right here in my Etsy shop.

When you check out, please be sure to note which colour backing paper you would like, if you prefer something other than purple. Unless you are a local customer, this papercut is available unframed.

* This post has been shared on Inspire Me Monday, Happiness is Homemade, The Good. The Random. The Fun., Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) and All Seasons.