Barech Aleinu - Etz Yosef

We ask Hashem, please bless this year to allow us to engage in business to earn a livelihood.

The word תְבוּאָתָהּ is possessive, "it's crops." The object being discussed is unclear. Etz Yosef clarifies that the subject of the beracha is the land of Eretz Yisrael, and we're asking Hashem that the fields which grow the seven species of which Eretz Yisrael is praised, yield healthy and bountiful crops.

Eretz Yisrael is praised with these seven species in Devarim:

Alternatively, the term תְבוּאָתָהּ refers to the all types of crops.

Although the word is structured as a possessive noun which would imply that we are discussing the crops of a particular field, there is a source in Nach which supports that this word תְבוּאָתָהּ can refer to all kinds of crops. The passuk in Nechemia says:

Essentially, the beracha revolves around the central point that the world is blessed with an abundance of crops so that everyone can live comfortably, with the ability to afford life's necessities, but not on the account of overabundance where there is no demand for business dealings.

We ask Hashem, "Let the crops be abundant to save us from the effects of a poor socio-economic state of society which forces people to be stingy and quarrelsome.

Introduction:

Whenever an adjective is added to a word, it gives automatically assumes that the noun under discussion can theoretically have another defining attribute, and the adjective clarifies this ambiguity. For example, a dog can have many defining attributes. There are big dogs, small dogs, fast dogs, and slow dogs. By describing a dog as a "fast dog", it presumes that there are many possibilities of a "dog", and the defining factor of this one is that it is indeed a fast dog. Other words do not have the need for adjectives, because there is only one option as to what it can be, and an adjective doesn't add anything.

"Dew" and "rain" fit into the first category, in that they are simple nouns but can have defining qualities. In this context, there is a possibility for "dew"and "rain" to fall and be beneficial to the earth, but there is another possibility for them to fall and have a destructive effect on the earth. Therefore, we ask Hashem to bring "dew" and "rain" for blessing, and not for curse.

In the following few paragraphs, Etz Yosef shows from the sources how both dew and rain have the potential to bring beneficial benefits to the earth or destructive effects to the earth.

Introduction 2:

In order to better understand the sources being brought, a short background to the story with Eliahu and Achav is in order, as related in I Kings 17:1 - 18:1. In the year 3020, Achav and his wife ruled over Malchus Yisrael. They were both very wicked in the eyes of Hashem because they worshipped an Avodah Zara called Baal, and also convinced Klal Yisrael to believe in it.

Although the nation was sinful, the nation was prosperous. Achav even went as far to mock the believers in Hashem and the Torah because of this oddity of Hashem bestowing prosperity despite rampant Avoda Zara, as the Gemara in Sanhedrin relates (brought by Rashi in Melachim I 17:1):

Metzudos brings a similar account from the Yerushalmi in Sanhedrin:

No sooner had he finished his jibe, than Eliahu informed him of an impending drought unless he and the nation immediately did teshuva.

They didn't heed Eliahu's warning and so a drought ensued for three years. In the third year of the drought, although many had taken the sudden turn of events to do teshuva, Achav and many of his subjects still had not repented.

Hashem told Eliahu to return to Acahav in order to persuade him and the nation to repent.

After a showdown between Eliahu and the worshippers of Baal, Achav finally admitted his guilt and the nation repented, and Hashem brought about a torrential rain to end the drought.

The Gemara in Taanis clearly implies that dew can either fall for blessing or for curse.

We see from the Gemara that there are two manners in which dew can fall, for curse and for blessing. Therefore we specify in this beracha that Hashem descends dew of blessing for us in order to help the crops grow.

We find that rain too has the potential to fall in the manner of blessing or curse from a Gemara in Tennis further on. The Gemara says:

We see that even if we are in need of rain, the timing of when it falls can determine whether it is being brought down for blessing or for curse.

Therefore we ask Hashem to bring the rain during times of the week which will be for blessing, particularly not during the Erev Shabbos rush.

After delineating when the incovenient time for rain is, Etz Yosef says that there is a particular time that is convenient for rain to come, and that also falls under the umbrella (no pun intended) of "for blessing". The Gemara says in Taanis further on:

Etz Yosef adds an indication for blessing that applies to both dew and rain, and that is the topographical location in which they fall. This is based on another Gemara in Taanis which says:

Thus, we also have in mind that Hashem please bring the rain and dew into the locations where they will be most effective to help the crops grow, such as fields, vineyards, pits, and cisterns.

Introduction:

In the next clause there is a large dispute among the meforshim as to a particular word - a particular letter to be exact - and depending on which edition one uses, it drastically changes the meaning of the beracha. Etz Yosef brings the two schools of thought and their supporting reasons.

This girsa is supported by the Gra (in Maaseh Rav) where he writes:

In Biur HaGra he adds, that "its" is referring specifically to the goodness of the land of Eretz Yisrael (which we referred to earlier in the beracha, see above paragraph s.v. תבואתה)

Other Meforshim agree with the nusach endorsed by the Gra, but offer a different interpretation. They say that "its" goodness refers to the general goodness that will come from the blessing of the year, and we are asking Hashem that we have the ability to partake in it.

Gra brings a proof to his explanation of the nusach to which he subscribes, from the sequence of each of the last letters of this clause, which spell out Hashem's name. (Havaya), which can be taken as an allusion to the land of Eretz Yisrael, Hashem's chosen city.*

The Ohr Zarua and Elya Rabba support a different nusach, which has the word מִטּוּבֶֽךָ, "from Your goodness" referring to the infinite goodness that Hashem has, and we are turning to Him here to ask Him to bestow us from His goodness.

The Yaaros Devash also subscribes to the nusach of "from His goodness" and adds a beautiful depth into the meaning of what exactly we are asking here, to be satiated of Hashem's goodness; after all doesn't all goodness come from Hashem? What are we adding by specifying to be satiated from Hashem's goodness?

Yaaros Devash answers that we are asking Hashem to satiate us from goodness that He would approve of, only goodness that comes from honest means can be attributed to His goodness. However, if one accumulates his wealth in dishonest business dealings, or if he is unscrupulous in tithing his food or indulges in non-kosher food with his wealth, such "goodness" cannot be attributed to Hashem.

And even if the food was bought by honest means and is one hundred percent kosher, a food can lose its attribution to Hashem if one is partaking of the food in the company of scorners!* (SEE R' ZILBERSTEIN ON THIS....)

Our supplication, therefore, is that Hashem help us help ourselves in making sure the goodness we partake of could be attributed to Him, and as a result the food will retain its kedusha, and not Chas v'shalom , leave from the food only to be replaced by tumah and evil spirits which can latch on to our souls and sway us to wickedness.

Therefore we ask Hashem here to make sure the food we partake in doesn't have anything inherent in it that will disqualify it from being "holy" and additionally that we muster the strength within ourselves to stay away from tables that are engaging in frivolous talk.

Yaaros Devash guarantees, that if one really concentrates on attaining Hashem's goodness in these regards, he will surely be guided by Hashem that no iniquities and tumah come into contact with his food!

This concept of "unholy food" wrecking havoc on ones righteousness, should not be taken lightly. According to the Arizal, the unfortunate fate of Rav Yochanan Kohen Gadol who fell from great heights of piety into the clutches of the Sadducees happened because he wasn't careful that the food he was partaking in had Hashem's approval. The Gemara says:

What time period in history are we referring to when we say the "bless our year like the good years"?

Simply understood it refers to years which brought about widespread prosperity. However, Etz Yosef follows the approach of the meforshim who say that the "good years" refer to particular periods of history where there was clear proof of Hashem bestowing bounty to the righteous.

The Machzor Kol Bo (quoting Rokeach) says that this refers to "the years of Elisha" (circa 3055). The story takes place in Melachim I , Perek 7:

The Seder HaYom says that a notably "good year" occurred hundreds of years before Elisha's times, in the times of the Avos (circa 2225) when Hashem caused Yitzchak Avinu's crops to yield a hundredfold, , as the pesukim say: