Word Prompt – SHEHAKOL – Orit Esther Riter

“Shehakol nih’ye bidvaro – for everything came into being by His word.”

Every time I say Shehakol, I feel the Baal Shem Tov’s teaching pulsing through me: that Hashem’s speech is not only the origin of creation, but its constant sustainer. The moment His word ceases, so does the thing itself.

When I drink a glass of water or taste something simple, this blessing reminds me that even the most “ordinary” experiences are born from the extraordinary breath of G-d. Shehakol is a bridge between the mundane and the miraculous.

The Baal Shem Tov taught that by speaking a blessing with awareness, we release sparks of holiness trapped in the physical. In that moment, I’m not just quenching thirst – I’m aligning my soul with the divine energy flowing through all matter.

To me, Shehakol is an act of love. It is pausing to say: “Hashem, I see You in this moment. I acknowledge You as the source of everything.” It’s the Or Emunah path – living with faith so tangible that even a sip of water becomes a sacred encounter.

Every Shehakol is a reminder: all, truly all, is from Him – and through Him, all is renewed.