--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A few years ago, I listened to a rabbi…" description: "\"“A few years ago, I listened to a rabbi give a talk and she was explaining what a blessing is. It is a naming of something, she said. What you are bles..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/christopher-beha-57982_blessings_a-few-years-ago-i-listened-to-a-rabbi-gi_879311.jpg" --- # A few years ago, I listened to a rabbi give a talk and she… ![“A few years ago, I listened to a rabbi give a talk and she was explaining what a blessing is. It is a naming of something, she said. What you are blessing already has to be latent in the person, otherwise it doesn't mean anything. But if it is (latent), and you bless what hasn't yet come forth…” quote by Christopher Beha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/christopher-beha-57982_blessings_a-few-years-ago-i-listened-to-a-rabbi-gi_879311.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/christopher-beha-57982_blessings_a-few-years-ago-i-listened-to-a-rabbi-gi_879311.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/christopher-beha-57982_blessings_a-few-years-ago-i-listened-to-a-rabbi-gi_879311.jpg) > ““A few years ago, I listened to a rabbi give a talk and she was explaining what a blessing is. It is a naming of something, she said. What you are blessing already has to be latent in the person, otherwise it doesn't mean anything. But if it is (latent), and you bless what hasn't yet come forth - the fruit - it is a very powerful action. Think of your writing as bestowing a blessing. I'll leave you with that. (Aimee Bender, "On the Making of Orchards")”” [Christopher Beha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-beha/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Blessings name latent potential, activating it before it manifests, similar to empowering writing with intention. **In simple terms:** Blessing names and activates hidden potential. Key Takeaway Name and nurture potential early. Themes spirituality creative writing intentionality Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - writing practice - personal development - mentorship Key Concepts latent potential blessing empowerment Questions to Reflect On - What latent qualities do you nurture? - How can naming influence outcomes? A Different Perspective May be seen as superstition by skeptics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessing/) [Blessing Latent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessing-latent-1036123/) [Blessing Naming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessing-naming-1036129/) [Blessings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessings/) [Explaining Blessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explaining-blessing-1036125/) [Latent Bless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/latent-bless-1036127/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [Being a new mother is a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phaedra-parks/being-a-new-mother-is-a-blessing/) [Phaedra Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phaedra-parks/) > [But I think this: that whatever prices I've paid, whatever sorrows I shoulder, well, I have blessings, too. Not just my family now, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/but-i-think-this-that-whatever-prices-i-ve-paid-whatever-sorrows-i/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [You can't just be a recipient of a blessing, you have to do something to make it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-d-jakes/you-can-t-just-be-a-recipient-of-a-blessing-you-have-to-do-something/) [T. D. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-d-jakes/) > [He had a face like a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/he-had-a-face-like-a-blessing/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [I feel that I'm very blessed. But with great blessings come great responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/i-feel-that-i-m-very-blessed-but-with-great-blessings-come-great/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [God often hides His blessing in trouble or trial, which makes it all the sweeter when it comes our way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/god-often-hides-his-blessing-in-trouble-or-trial-which-makes-it-all/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Everyone is blessed in some way or the other. My greatest blessing? My mom! I love you Mom. I just want you to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-is-blessed-in-some-way-or-the-other-my-greatest-blessing-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is such a very troublesome matter, when all is said and done, that it's as well even to take its blessings quietly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-braddon/life-is-such-a-very-troublesome-matter-when-all-is-said-and-done-that/) [Mary Elizabeth Braddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-braddon/) > [One of the noblest words in our language is "grace," defined as "unearned blessing." We live by grace far more than by anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-elton-trueblood/one-of-the-noblest-words-in-our-language-is-grace-defined-as-unearned/) [D. Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-elton-trueblood/) > [“I've never felt a pain that didn't bear a blessing. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-knudsen-hoffman/i-ve-never-felt-a-pain-that-didn-t-bear-a-blessing/) [Gene Knudsen Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-knudsen-hoffman/) > [“When Jesus finished teaching in a synagogue one day, a woman called out from the audience, 'God bless your mother—the womb from which you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/when-jesus-finished-teaching-in-a-synagogue-one-day-a-woman-called/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [Life is all about experiences and being able to work with good people is a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhumika-chawla/life-is-all-about-experiences-and-being-able-to-work-with-good-people/) [Bhumika Chawla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhumika-chawla/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [God loves to glorify himself by suspending his gifts and blessings on our asking him for them. We should never presume to receive from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-storms/god-loves-to-glorify-himself-by-suspending-his-gifts-and-blessings-on/) [Sam Storms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-storms/) > [I do believe that children are all blessings from god. And I feel it's all positive, it's positive experience. You know, I don't like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadya-suleman/i-do-believe-that-children-are-all-blessings-from-god-and-i-feel-it-s/) [Nadya Suleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadya-suleman/) ## More by Christopher Beha > [“There's an exercise I'll do sometimes with a class in which we'll start with a word; I'll give everyone a word, and they'll write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-beha/there-s-an-exercise-i-ll-do-sometimes-with-a-class-in-which-we-ll/) [Christopher Beha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-beha/) > [“Fans of the Peanuts comic strip may also remember Snoopy beginning his novel again and again, always starting with the line 'It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-beha/fans-of-the-peanuts-comic-strip-may-also-remember-snoopy-beginning/) [Christopher Beha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-beha/) > [“A more generous, more useful interpretation of the phrase is that we should write about what we know, \*however we come to know it,\*…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-beha/a-more-generous-more-useful-interpretation-of-the-phrase-is-that-we/) [Christopher Beha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-beha/) > [“We weep for characters, and then we go brush our teeth and have to face the fact that the world is warming at such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-beha/we-weep-for-characters-and-then-we-go-brush-our-teeth-and-have-to/) [Christopher Beha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-beha/) > [“Research serves fiction best when it's dissolved entirely into the work, reprecipitated only to be embodied in characters, images, and the sensual details bringing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-beha/research-serves-fiction-best-when-it-s-dissolved-entirely-into-the/) [Christopher Beha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-beha/) [Explore all 6 Christopher Beha quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-beha/) ## More Blessing quotes > [Being a new mother is a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phaedra-parks/being-a-new-mother-is-a-blessing/) [Phaedra Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phaedra-parks/) > [God loves to glorify himself by suspending his gifts and blessings on our asking him for them. We should never presume to receive from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-storms/god-loves-to-glorify-himself-by-suspending-his-gifts-and-blessings-on/) [Sam Storms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-storms/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Life is all about experiences and being able to work with good people is a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhumika-chawla/life-is-all-about-experiences-and-being-able-to-work-with-good-people/) [Bhumika Chawla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhumika-chawla/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [“When Jesus finished teaching in a synagogue one day, a woman called out from the audience, 'God bless your mother—the womb from which you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/when-jesus-finished-teaching-in-a-synagogue-one-day-a-woman-called/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [“I've never felt a pain that didn't bear a blessing. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-knudsen-hoffman/i-ve-never-felt-a-pain-that-didn-t-bear-a-blessing/) [Gene Knudsen Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-knudsen-hoffman/) > [Mechanical instruments, potentially a vehicle of rational human purposes, are scarcely a blessing when they enable the gossip of the village idiot and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/mechanical-instruments-potentially-a-vehicle-of-rational-human/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [One of the noblest words in our language is "grace," defined as "unearned blessing." We live by grace far more than by anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-elton-trueblood/one-of-the-noblest-words-in-our-language-is-grace-defined-as-unearned/) [D. Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-elton-trueblood/) > [The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy. Others attain unto a glory and may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigham-young/the-only-men-who-become-gods-even-the-sons-of-god-are-those-who-enter/) [Brigham Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigham-young/) > [Being of Indian heritage is a challenge - and it's a blessing as well sometimes - because being good isn't good enough. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sacha-dhawan/being-of-indian-heritage-is-a-challenge-and-it-s-a-blessing-as-well/) [Sacha Dhawan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sacha-dhawan/) > [“Time wasted can never be compensated”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/time-wasted-can-never-be-compensated/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [The Louvre! The Louvre has me in its clutches. Every time I'm there rich blessings rain down upon me. I am coming to understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-modersohn-becker/the-louvre-the-louvre-has-me-in-its-clutches-every-time-i-m-there/) [Paula Modersohn-Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-modersohn-becker/) > [Life is such a very troublesome matter, when all is said and done, that it's as well even to take its blessings quietly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-braddon/life-is-such-a-very-troublesome-matter-when-all-is-said-and-done-that/) [Mary Elizabeth Braddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-braddon/) > [Down where I grew up, able-bodied people do that which we believe God created them to do. Work is a blessing; it's not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-southerland/down-where-i-grew-up-able-bodied-people-do-that-which-we-believe-god/) [Steve Southerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-southerland/) [Browse all 4,617 Blessing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A few years ago, I listened to a rabbi give a talk and she was explaining what a blessing is. It is a naming of something, she said. What you are blessing already has to be latent in the person, otherwise it doesn't mean anything. But if it is (latent), and you bless what hasn't yet come forth - the fruit - it is a very powerful action. Think of your writing as bestowing a blessing. I'll leave you with that. (Aimee Bender, \"On the Making of Orchards\")”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Beha" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-beha/a-few-years-ago-i-listened-to-a-rabbi-give-a-talk-and-she-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blessing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-beha/a-few-years-ago-i-listened-to-a-rabbi-give-a-talk-and-she-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/christopher-beha-57982_blessings_a-few-years-ago-i-listened-to-a-rabbi-gi_879311.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/christopher-beha-57982_blessings_a-few-years-ago-i-listened-to-a-rabbi-gi_879311.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/christopher-beha-57982_blessings_a-few-years-ago-i-listened-to-a-rabbi-gi_879311.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A few years ago, I listened to a rabbi give a talk and she was explaining what a blessing is. It is a naming…” — Christopher Beha", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Christopher Beha", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-beha/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A few years ago, I listened...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-beha/a-few-years-ago-i-listened-to-a-rabbi-give-a-talk-and-she-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-beha/a-few-years-ago-i-listened-to-a-rabbi-give-a-talk-and-she-was/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```