A woman hurried home from her stressful job at the hospital, wondering what she would prepare for dinner before her husband returned from his equally demanding job. She made rotisserie chicken for Friday night Shabbat dinner and served leftovers on Sunday. Then, she had another round of chicken-this time baked-on Monday. She found two pieces of fish in the freezer, but she knew that the fillets or to her husband’s favorite. Not finding anything else she could prepare just a few minutes, she decided the fish would have to do.
As she placed the dish on the table, she said somewhat
apologetically to her husband who had just arrived home: “I know this isn’t
your favorite.” Her husband looked up and said, “Honey, I’m just happy we have
food on the table.”
His attitude reminds me the importance of being
grateful and thankful for our daily provisions from God-whatever they are. The
rabbis in the Talmud learned the mitzvah of birkat
hamazon, Grace after Meals from this week’s Torah portion, Ve-etkhanan. The Torah commands us “When you have eaten your fill, give
thanks to your God for the good land given to you.”
(Deuteronomy 8:10)
Our ancestors were so grateful that God could not help
Himself but to show favor to them. “And how can I not show favor to Israel, as I wrote for them
in the Torah: “And you shall eat and be satisfied, and bless the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 8:10), meaning that
there is no obligation to bless the Lord until one is satiated; yet they are
exacting with themselves to recite Grace after Meals even if they have
eaten as much as an olive-bulk or an egg-bulk. Since they go beyond the
requirements of the law, they are worthy of favor.”
(TB Berakhot 20b, Sefaria.org translation)
We are so
fortunate for our bountiful kiddush
every Shabbat afternoon. We eat our fill and go home satisfied. We always thank
Tony for the love and hard work he puts into preparing our meal, but we forget
to thank God the ultimate source of all our provisions. I see that we flee (uvbeyrakhta-וּבֵּרַחְתָ) before we have a chance to bless Grace
after Meals (uveyrakhta-וּבֵֽרַכְתָּ֙). I encourage you to show your gratitude
to Hashem by reciting birkat
hamazon before you
leave shul Saturday afternoon because of “… His great goodness, we have never
lacked and we will not lack food forever and ever, for the sake of His great
Name. For He is Almighty Who nourishes and maintains all, does good to all, and
prepares nourishment for all His creatures which He has created.” (The first
paragraph of birkat hamazon)
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