Rabbi Benjamin Yudin Discusses Parshas Eikev (5786)

Good morning, nachum. Good Shabbos, everybody. Tomorrow we have the privilege of reading parshas Eikev. According to the chinuch, there are eight mitzvahs in parshas Eikev, six positive, two restrictions, and one of these mitzvahs is the mitzvah of birkat hamazon, literally to bless Hashem after we have eaten a meal and we are satiated. This is found in Devarim, chapter eight, verse 10, you shall eat, you shall be satisfied, and you shall bless Hashem your God for the good land that he has given you. At first glance, this mitzvah seems straightforward. We thank Hashem for the food he has provided. Yet the Sefer HaChinuch points out something remarkable. This is the only blessing that the Torah explicitly commands us to recite in conjunction with a mitzvah. Nearly every other blessing we recite is rabbinic in nature. The Ramban, interestingly, counts the blessing before Torah study as a Torah obligation based on the opening verses of Ha'azinu, ki shem Hashem ekra havu godel leloheinu. But as far as blessings commanded explicitly by the Torah itself, birkat hamazon stands alone. However, it is interesting to note that Gemara in Berakhot 48b teaches that Birkat Hamazon consists of three biblical blessings and one rabbinic blessing. The Torah obligation includes Hazan, first blessing, thanking Hashem for sustaining the entire world. Second blessing, Al Ha'aretz, thanking him for the land of Israel. Third blessing, Boneh Yerushalayim, thanking him for Yerushalayim, Beit Hamikdash, and the Davidic monarchy. >> [clears throat] >> And the rabbis later added a fourth blessing, Hatov U'meitiv, commemorating the miracle that followed the defeat of Bar Kokhba at Betar. And after thousands of Jews had been left unburied for more than two years, the Romans finally permitted their burial. Miraculously, the bodies had not decomposed. The blessing praises Hashem as Hatov that the bodies were preserved. U'meitiv that they were ultimately granted burial. Now, all this seems very puzzling. If the purpose of Birkat Hamazon is simply to thank Hashem for our food, why isn't the first blessing sufficient? Once we have the knowledge that he sustains the world, why must we continue by speaking about the land of Israel, circumcision, Torah study, Beit Hamikdash, King David, and the tragedy of Betar? The Meshech Hochma in his commentary on this week's parashah offers a profound answer. When we thank Hashem for our food, we are not merely expressing gratitude for a single meal. We are placing that meal within the larger story of Jewish history. Every time we bench, we relive the journey, history of the Jewish people. The first blessing Hazan was instituted by Moshe Rabbenu after the giving of the man. It thanks Hashem for sustaining us during our formative years in the wilderness. The second blessing Al Ha'aretz was composed by Yehoshua after the Jewish people entered Eretz Yisrael. It celebrates the next stage of our national existence. The third blessing was formulated by David HaMelech and completed by HaMelech upon the establishment of Yerushalayim and the Beit HaMikdash. It reflects the spiritual pinnacle of Jewish national life. Then comes the rabbinic blessing of HaTov UMeitiv, but even after the destruction of the Temple, even after the catastrophic defeat at Betar, Hashem had not abandoned his people. His providence continued to accompany them. Even in exile, miracles still occur. Birkat Hamazon therefore becomes much more than gratitude for nourishment. It is a compressed history of the Jewish people. Every meal reminds us that not only that Hashem feeds us physically, but that he has sustained our nation spiritually throughout every chapter of its history. Rav Schwab develops this idea even further through a famous passage in the Gemara Berakhot 20b. The angels we are taught challenge Hashem with an apparent contradiction. Further, in Parshas Eikev, Hashem describes himself as the great, mighty, awesome God who has shown no upon him, who shows no favoritism, and accepts no bribe. Yet, in the Birkat Kohanim, the priestly blessing, we say May Hashem lift his countenance toward you. How can Hashem show favor if the Torah itself declares that he does not? Interestingly, Hashem answers, "How can I not show favor to Israel? I commanded them, you shall eat and be satiated, and bless, yet they bless me even when they have eaten only a kazayis or a kabeitzah, the compressed volume of an olive or an egg. Strictly speaking, the Torah obligates Birkat Hamazon only after one has eaten enough to become satiated. The rabbis, however, required us to recite Birkas Hamazon even after eating the minimal Halachic quantity. At first glance, this seems merely an act of extra piety. However, Reb Schwab suggests something much deeper. If eating a kazayis does not ordinarily satisfy a person, why did the rabbis choose precisely that amount? And the answer lies in another verse. In the beginning of Parshas Bechukotai, among the blessings promised for the future, the Torah says, "V'achaltem lachem l'sovah." You'll eat your bread and be satisfied. Rashi explains this describes a miraculous future reality. People will eat only a small amount, yet experience complete satisfaction. The blessing itself will occur, reside within the food, and expand within our stomach. Nor is this merely a future dream. The Gemara in Yoma 39a tells us that during the lifetime of Shimon HaTzaddik, the Kohanim who received only a kazayis of the showbread, the lechem ha'panim, often became completely satiated from that tiny portion. Some were even able to leave part of it over for later. Such a phenomena has already existed in Jewish history. According to Rav Schwab, when we recite Birkas Hamazon after eating only a kazayis, we are affirming our belief that this miraculous reality will one day return. We are expressing faith in the coming of Moshiach and in the rebuilding of the third Beit Hamikdash. Birkas Hamazon therefore does something extraordinary. It connects us simultaneously to our past and to our future. We begin with the manna and the man in the desert. We continue with Yehoshua bringing the Jewish people into the promised land. We remember King David, King David already, built the first Beit Hamikdash. And we acknowledge Hashem's miracles even in the darkness of exile through the story of Beitar. And finally, by blessing even after the smallest amount of food, we quietly proclaim our faith in the redemption yet to come. Therefore, I recommend and suggest that this should change the way we experience Birkas Hamazon. Yes, it is a prayer of gratitude for the food before us. But, it is also something much richer. It is a journey through Jewish history. It is a declaration that the God who sustained us in the wilderness brought us into our land established his temple accompanied us through exile and continues to perform miracles for his people and will yet bring us to the final redemption. Let's be practical. A Shabbos meal may last if not, at least 2 hours. Yet, I'm afraid to ask how long does the Birkas Hamazon taste take. I hope you enjoy the Shabbos meal. Do we enjoy the Birkas Hamazon? Which often time unfortunately we rush through it in just a few moments. The Mishna Berurah and Rav Shmuel remind us that those few minutes contain an astonishing amount of history theology gratitude and hope. Perhaps, the next time we bench we should slow down just a little. After all, we're not simply thanking Hashem for a meal. We are retelling the story of the Jewish people from the mun the manna in the desert to the coming of Moshiach. Bimheirah viyameinu, amen. Shabbat shalom to all.