THE IMPORTANCE OF BLESSINGS ON FOOD AND DRINK The earths abundance fills us with awe: ripe grapes bursting forth from the vine, crisp apples, golden wheat, and fragrant spices. To partake of this goodness without at least a brief word of acknowledgment to the Creator of all things would be tantamount to sealing, for it is written: The Earth is the Lords and all its fullness: (Psalms 24). How do we take possession of the food we eat and other necessities? By making a berachah. A berachah is a short prayer said before and after partaking of food of all kinds. It invariably begins with the words, Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, or it can be translated more correctly as You our Lord are the source of all blessing and ends with a reference to the category of food eaten. Our ancestor, Abraham, the first Jew, was also the first to spread and encourage the practice of thanking G-d for the food we eat. For Abrahams tent in the wilderness was open to all and together with Sarah his wife, Abraham was host to innumerable desert travelers. He would serve each one personally. When the guest began to thank him for his hospitality, Abraham would tell him that gratitude was due not to him but to God the Provider of all sustenance. In reciting these blessings with the proper intention we acknowledge the purposeful and intricate pattern God has set up in the world and also help break down the tempting delusion that we live and prosper only through our own efforts. The feeling of gratitude thus nurtured is one which begins at an early age, as the Jewish child begins to say his or her first berachot, and which permeates each days activities. One aspect of the Jews mission in this world is to elevate physical matter in the service of God. This is done by using physical objects (or by refraining from using them if they are not permitted) in the performance of G-ds commandments. When we make a berachah over the food we eat, the food becomes sanctified and its function is elevated to this service of God. We further elevate and sanctify the food we eat when it becomes part of our bodies. We serve our Creator with every fiber of our bodies, the hand gives charity, the lips pray, the heart loves. In being incorporated into the substance of the body instead of returning to earth, the plant or animal eaten as food has the opportunity to rise further to Godliness. Of course only permitted, kosher food is thus elevated, and only when a berachah is recited. Eating, then, to the Jew, becomes a sacred and cherished means of serving God. By eating kosher food and saying berachot, we help carry out our aim of making this physical world a dwelling place for God, may His name be blessed
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 00:56:49 +0000
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