Our school cricket team had just suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of
a nearby grammar school. The team was
feeling pretty down, as we’d been preparing day and night – not unusual for
cricket – for the big match. At the end
of the game, I trudged over to the water fountain together with our
captain. He uttered an expletive about
the game and began to drink. I paused
and recited the bracha, “Blessed are You Hashem our G-d, King of the universe,
for everything is made by Your word.” And
as I bowed my head and drank from the Almighty’s life-giving waters, I was
overcome by a feeling of gratitude and contentment.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: אָּסוּר לוֹ לָּאָּדָּם שֶׁיֵּהָּנֶׁה מִן הָּעוֹלָּם הַזֶׁה בְּלאֹ בְּרָּכָּה. וְּ ׇ כל הַנֶׁהֱנֶׁה מִן הָּעוֹלָּם הַזֶׁה בְּלאֹ בְּרָּכָּה מָּעַל. מַאי
תַקַנְּתֵּיהּ? — יֵּלֵּךְ אֵּצֶׁל חָּכָּם .
יֵּלֵּךְ אֵּצֶׁל חָּכָּם?! מַאי עָּבֵּיד לֵּיהּ? הָּא עֲבַד לֵּיהּ אִיסּוּרָּא? אֶׁלָּא אָּמַר רָּבָּא: יֵּלֵּךְ אֵּצֶׁל חָּכָּם מֵּעִיקָּרָּא וִילַמְּדֶׁנוּ בְּרָּכוֹת כְּדֵּי
שֶׁלאֹ יָּבאֹ לִידֵּי מְּעִילָּה
אָּמַר רַב יְּהוּדָּה אָּמַר שְּמוּאֵּל: ׇ כל הַנֶׁהֱנֶׁה מִן הָּעוֹלָּם הַזֶׁה בְּלאֹ בְּרָּכָּה כְּאִילוּ נֶׁהֱנָּה מִ ׇ קדְּשֵּי שָּמַיִם. שֶׁנֶׁאֱמַר: ״לַה׳ הָּאָּרֶׁץ
וּמְּלוֹאָּהּ״ ״רַבִי לֵּוִי רָּמֵּי: כְּתִיב: לַה׳ הָּאָּרֶׁץ וּמְּלוֹאָּהּ, וּכְּתִיב ״הַשָּמַיִם שָּמַיִם לַה׳ וְּהָּאָּרֶׁץ נָּתַן לִבְּנֵּי אדָּם״! לָּא קַשְּיָּא כָּאן
קוֹדֶׁם בְּרָּכָּה ,
כָּאן, לְּאַחַר בְּרָּכָּה .
אָּמַר רַבִי חֲנִינָּא בַר פָּפָּא: ׇ כל הַנֶׁהֱנֶׁה מִן הָּעוֹלָּם הַזֶׁה בְּלאֹ בְּרָּכָּה — כְּאִילוּ גּוֹזֵּל לְּהַקָּדוֹש בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּכְּנֶׁסֶׁת יִשְּרָּאֵּל.
תַקַנְּתֵּיהּ? — יֵּלֵּךְ אֵּצֶׁל חָּכָּם .
יֵּלֵּךְ אֵּצֶׁל חָּכָּם?! מַאי עָּבֵּיד לֵּיהּ? הָּא עֲבַד לֵּיהּ אִיסּוּרָּא? אֶׁלָּא אָּמַר רָּבָּא: יֵּלֵּךְ אֵּצֶׁל חָּכָּם מֵּעִיקָּרָּא וִילַמְּדֶׁנוּ בְּרָּכוֹת כְּדֵּי
שֶׁלאֹ יָּבאֹ לִידֵּי מְּעִילָּה
אָּמַר רַב יְּהוּדָּה אָּמַר שְּמוּאֵּל: ׇ כל הַנֶׁהֱנֶׁה מִן הָּעוֹלָּם הַזֶׁה בְּלאֹ בְּרָּכָּה כְּאִילוּ נֶׁהֱנָּה מִ ׇ קדְּשֵּי שָּמַיִם. שֶׁנֶׁאֱמַר: ״לַה׳ הָּאָּרֶׁץ
וּמְּלוֹאָּהּ״ ״רַבִי לֵּוִי רָּמֵּי: כְּתִיב: לַה׳ הָּאָּרֶׁץ וּמְּלוֹאָּהּ, וּכְּתִיב ״הַשָּמַיִם שָּמַיִם לַה׳ וְּהָּאָּרֶׁץ נָּתַן לִבְּנֵּי אדָּם״! לָּא קַשְּיָּא כָּאן
קוֹדֶׁם בְּרָּכָּה ,
כָּאן, לְּאַחַר בְּרָּכָּה .
אָּמַר רַבִי חֲנִינָּא בַר פָּפָּא: ׇ כל הַנֶׁהֱנֶׁה מִן הָּעוֹלָּם הַזֶׁה בְּלאֹ בְּרָּכָּה — כְּאִילוּ גּוֹזֵּל לְּהַקָּדוֹש בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּכְּנֶׁסֶׁת יִשְּרָּאֵּל.
The Sages taught: One is forbidden to derive benefit from this world,
without reciting a bracha (blessing). And anyone who derives benefit from
this world without a blessing has misappropriated. What is his remedy? He
should go to a sage. He should go to a
sage? What can he do for him? He has
already violated a prohibition! Rather, Rava said, the meaning is that he
should go to a sage initially, and he will teach him blessings, so that
he will not come to misappropriate. Rav
Yehuda said that Shmuel said: One who derives benefit from this world without a
blessing, it is as if he enjoyed objects consecrated to the heavens, as it is
stated: “The Earth and all it contains is the Lord’s.” Rabbi Levi raised a contradiction: It is
written: “The Earth and all it contains is the Lord’s,” and it is written
elsewhere: “The heavens are the Lord’s and the Earth He has given over to humankind.”
This is not a contradiction. One verse refers to before a blessing is recited,
the other refers to after a blessing is recited. Rabbi Chanina bar Pappa said:
Anyone who derives benefit from this world without a blessing, it is as if
he stole from God and the community of Israel.
How does skipping a bracha (blessing) entail misappropriation? Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov (D”P 37)
explains that, as children of Avraham, we have a duty to testify to the world
about G-d. Every bracha we make is a
public testament to the handiwork of the Creator. Failure to utter a bracha is akin to concealing
evidence in court – if you know something that will aid proceedings, Jewish law
obligates you to testify. Having
information relevant to a court-case and abstaining from testifying abets the miscarriage
of justice. Likewise, if you know Who
created the world and don’t tell the individuals judging the relationship
between nature and the Divine, you have missed an opportunity for which you are
stationed on this planet.
How does skipping a bracha entail theft?
According to Rabbi Yisroel Alter of Ger (P”Y Beshalach), everything
Hashem gives us is really on credit.
When we make a bracha, we repay our spiritual debt. And so if you don’t make a bracha, it’s like
stealing from G-d. But why does Rabbi
Chanina suggest that you have also stolen from the community? Rabbi Yisroel proceeds to explain that a
supplier will only continue to lend on credit provided his past debts have been
repaid. When we don’t make a bracha, we
stop the flow of goods from the Almighty Creditor. That closed tap doesn’t only affect the individual
who missed the bracha personally, but all people who are relying on the
unimpeded flow from the spiritual pipeline.
Rava insists that the only way to achieve success in this area is to learn
how to make the correct brachos (blessings).
Every food and spice has a distinct bracha. The way to get it right is by learning from
an expert and developing a proficiency. Without
knowing the correct brachos to recite over each item, the blessing experience
becomes dull and meaningless. But why
does it matter which blessings you make over which foods? Wouldn’t it be sufficient to make a single
general blessing demonstrating appreciation for Heaven’s bounty?
Every evening, Avraham would arrive home to a wonderful meal, ready on the
table. Sarah, his superhuman wife,
somehow managed to juggle her own job, the children’s various school,
extracurricular, and homework schedules, and still cook up a storm day-in,
day-out. And no two meals were ever the
same – surpassing the menu offerings of the fanciest restaurant, she would find
unique meals to prepare each day of the month.
Her efforts never went unnoticed by her husband, and his nightly
post-dinner refrain was, ‘Thank you my wonderful wife. The meal was delicious. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your incredible
dedication!’
But after a while, the message started sounding a little dull and lifeless.
‘Did he really mean it?’ Sarah wondered,
‘or is it nothing more than words?’ It
was almost like he could recite the line in his sleep. Yes, he appeared to be grateful. But after all her hard work, couldn’t he come
up with anything original?
Avraham’s mistake was in the details, or lack thereof. He should have been praising his wife for
specific delicacies. ‘Thank you for the
delicious chicken soup!’ ‘The brisket
was amazing!’ ‘I haven’t tasted fish-balls like these in years!’ ‘Just like
mama would make her chocolate pudding!’ Now, suddenly, the praise has been brought to
life. Sarah would be able to see that he
really means what he is saying, because he is specifying why he is grateful.
The same is true of brachos. If we
were to make the same bracha over everything, it would sound dull and
lifeless. When we tune in to a
particular bracha over a specific food item, not only does it make us think
about what we are doing, it deepens our relationship with Heaven. The difference, of course, is that it doesn’t
matter to Hashem the same way it matters to Sarah. The specificity makes a difference to the person
reciting the blessing. By focusing on
the particulars of the blessing, we deepen our attachment to Heaven.
You’re here on Earth to exalt the Almighty, testify about creation to all
humankind, and thereby make His name great. Every bracha you recite brings the world one
step closer to the day when “Hashem will be king over the whole Earth. On that day, Hashem will be one and His
name will be one.” May you become a
source of blessing for G-d and may He, in turn, shower His blessings upon you!
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