Have you ever wondered why Jews whisper to apples before they take a bite?
No, we're not auditioning for a horror movie with sentient fruits. We're engaging in a millennia-old mitzvah that's equal parts gratitude and spiritual connection - we’re making a beracha (a blessing).
This week, I had an enlightening experience in the laws of Berachos (blessings over food). By sheer chance, I discovered I'd been botching the blessing over a particular food (granola to be exact), for years.
That’s the spiritual equivalent of calling your coworker “Rick” every single day for a decade, only to find out during the company's 10-year anniversary party that his name is actually “Jeff.”
But this mistake actually led me to find a deeper appreciation of why we make these blessings in the first place. In this week's parsha, we find Moshe admonishing Klal Yisrael, by quoting something Hashem had told him to tell Klal Yisrael after the Giving of the Torah.
The verse says:
No, we're not auditioning for a horror movie with sentient fruits. We're engaging in a millennia-old mitzvah that's equal parts gratitude and spiritual connection - we’re making a beracha (a blessing).
This week, I had an enlightening experience in the laws of Berachos (blessings over food). By sheer chance, I discovered I'd been botching the blessing over a particular food (granola to be exact), for years.
That’s the spiritual equivalent of calling your coworker “Rick” every single day for a decade, only to find out during the company's 10-year anniversary party that his name is actually “Jeff.”
But this mistake actually led me to find a deeper appreciation of why we make these blessings in the first place. In this week's parsha, we find Moshe admonishing Klal Yisrael, by quoting something Hashem had told him to tell Klal Yisrael after the Giving of the Torah.
The verse says:
(כו) מִֽי־יִתֵּ֡ן וְהָיָה֩ לְבָבָ֨ם זֶ֜ה לָהֶ֗ם לְיִרְאָ֥ה אֹתִ֛י וְלִשְׁמֹ֥ר אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺתַ֖י כׇּל־הַיָּמִ֑ים לְמַ֨עַן יִיטַ֥ב לָהֶ֛ם וְלִבְנֵיהֶ֖ם לְעֹלָֽם׃
(26) May they always be of such mind, to revere Me and follow all My commandments, that it may go well with them and with their children forever!
The Gemara (Avoda Zara 5a) explains that Moshe was essentially calling out the Children of Israel for missing a golden opportunity. When Hashem made this statement, they should have jumped at the chance and said, "You can grant it [i.e. the ability to always be in awe of You].” Instead, they proved themselves ungrateful by later complaining about the manna.
תנו רבנן (דברים ה, כז) מי יתן והיה לבבם זה להם אמר להן משה לישראל כפויי טובה בני כפויי טובה בשעה שאמר הקדוש ברוך הוא לישראל מי יתן והיה לבבם זה להם היה להם לומר תן אתה
§ The Gemara returns to a verse cited above. The Sages taught with regard to the verse: “Who would give that they had such a heart as this always, to fear Me, and keep all My commandments, that it might be good for them, and with their children forever” (Deuteronomy 5:26). At a later stage, Moses said to the Jewish people: Ingrates, children of ingrates! When the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to the Jewish people: “Who would give that they had such a heart as this always,” they should have said: You should give us a heart to fear You.
Tosfos, one of the commentators on this Gemara, offers an intriguing explanation as to why Klal Yisrael didn't seize Hashem's offer. Tosfos explains that they didn't want to become forever indebted to Him. The reluctance to feel indebted is deeply ingrained in human nature.
I see this on a weekly basis in my work in the nursing home industry. In the nursing home industry, I see this on a weekly basis. Resident falls are chiefly caused by a resident being too proud to press the call light in order to transfer out of bed. Despite a call button within easy reach and a staff eager to assist, time and again, residents choose to go it alone. (Yes, even the bilateral amputees!)
In our own ways, we all hold this superior attitude, and we fall – not physically, but spiritually. We fall away from feeling Hashem's presence in our lives. And that's where saying a beracha comes in to bring Hashem back into focus.
Some people like to explain a beracha as a “thank you.”
But it’s so much deeper and more significant than that. A beracha is pronouncing our utter dependence on Hashem as the Source of blessing, who without Him, I would not be able to partake in this food, and I am totally dependent on His kindness for feeding me. It's a seismic opportunity to bond with Hashem, acknowledging His bounty pouring down on us.
One apple at a time.
Have a blessed Shabbos
I see this on a weekly basis in my work in the nursing home industry. In the nursing home industry, I see this on a weekly basis. Resident falls are chiefly caused by a resident being too proud to press the call light in order to transfer out of bed. Despite a call button within easy reach and a staff eager to assist, time and again, residents choose to go it alone. (Yes, even the bilateral amputees!)
In our own ways, we all hold this superior attitude, and we fall – not physically, but spiritually. We fall away from feeling Hashem's presence in our lives. And that's where saying a beracha comes in to bring Hashem back into focus.
Some people like to explain a beracha as a “thank you.”
But it’s so much deeper and more significant than that. A beracha is pronouncing our utter dependence on Hashem as the Source of blessing, who without Him, I would not be able to partake in this food, and I am totally dependent on His kindness for feeding me. It's a seismic opportunity to bond with Hashem, acknowledging His bounty pouring down on us.
One apple at a time.
Have a blessed Shabbos