Blessed Is He Who Did Not Make Me Ignorant
Blessed is God who has graciously endowed me with knowledge; thanks to God who granted me the merit to learn and to know, and not to remain ignorant.
(“Rabbi Yehuda says: A person is obligated to recite three blessings every day: ‘Blessed [is He] who did not make me a gentile; blessed [is He] who did not make me an ignoramus; blessed [is He] who did not make me a woman.’ ‘A gentile’—as it is said: ‘All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are accounted to Him as naught and emptiness.’ ‘An ignoramus’—for an ignoramus does not fear sin. ‘A woman’—because women are not obligated in the commandments as he is.” — Tosefta, Berakhot (Lieberman), chapter 6 And likewise: “Four things a person is obligated to say every day: that He did not make me a gentile; that He did not make me a slave; that He did not make me a woman; that He did not make me an ignoramus—because an ignoramus does not fear sin. That He did not make me a woman—because women are exempt from the commandments; that He did not make me a slave—because slaves are regarded as beasts; that He did not make me a gentile—because the gentiles are as nothing before Him.” — Otzar HaMidrashim (Eisenstein), Rabbeinu HaKadosh, p. 510)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
בָּרוּךְ שֶׁלֹּא עָשַׂנִי בּוּר
Definition (Hebrew)
מְבֹרָךְ הָאֵל שֶׁחָנַן אוֹתִי בַּיֶּדַע.תּוֹדָה לָאֵל שֶׁזִּכָּה אוֹתִי לִלְמֹד וְלָדַעַת וְלֹא לִהְיוֹת נִבְעָר מִדַּעַת.
("ר' יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: שָׁלֹשׁ בְּרָכוֹת חַיָּב אָדָם לְבָרֵךְ בְּכָל יוֹם- בָּרוּךְ שֶׁלֹּא עִשְׁנִי גּוֹי, בָּרוּךְ שֶׁלֹּא עֲשָׂאַנִי בּוּר, בָּרוּךְ שֶׁלֹּא עֲשָׂאַנִי אִשָּׁה. גּוֹי- שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר כָּל הַגּוֹיִם כְּאַיִן נֶגְדּוֹ כְּאֶפֶס וַתְּהִי נֶחְשְׁבוּ לוֹ. בּוּר- שֶׁאֵין בּוּר יְרֵא חֵטְא. אִשָּׁה- שֶׁאֵין הַנָּשִׁים חַיָּבוֹת בְּמִצְוֹת מִשֶּׁלּוֹ"-תּוֹסֶפְתָּא מַסֶּכֶת בְּרָכוֹת (לִיבֶּרְמָן) פֶּרֶק ו, וְכֵן:"ד' דְּבָרִים חַיָּב אָדָם לוֹמַר בְּכָל יוֹם: שֶׁלֹּא עִשְׁנִי גּוֹי, שֶׁלֹּא עִשְׁנִי עֶבֶד שֶׁלֹּא עִשְׁנִי אִשָּׁה, שֶׁלֹּא עִשְׁנִי בּוּר, שֶׁאֵין בּוּר יְרֵא חֵטְא. שֶׁלֹּא עִשְׁנִי אִשָּׁה, שֶׁהַנָּשִׁים פְּטוּרוֹת מִן הַמִּצְוֹת, שֶׁלֹּא עִשְׁנִי עֶבֶד שֶׁהָעֲבָדִים נֶחְשְׁבוּ כִּבְהֵמָה, שֶׁלֹּא עִשְׁנִי גּוֹי שֶׁהַגּוֹיִם כְּאַיִן נֶגְדּוֹ"-אוֹצֵר הַמִּדְרָשִׁים (אַיְזֶנְשְׁטֵיְן) רַבֵּנוּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ, 510).