Sponsored by
Sharona, Josh, Dov, Moshe and Yehuda Halickman
in memory of
Deborah bat Mordechai v’Esther z”l on her first yahrzeit 22Av,
wife of Michael
Jankelowitz, mother of Roy and Danit
In the Talmud, Brachot 21a Rav Yehuda states: From where in
the Torah do we derive the obligation to recite Birkat HaMazon (Grace after
meals)? From the verse (Parshat Ekev, Dvarim 8:10): “Veachalta vesavata uveirachta et Hashem Elokecha al haaretz
hatova asher natan lach”, “You shall eat and be satisfied and bless
your God for the good land that He gave you.”
We are Biblically commanded to recite three brachot after
eating bread:
A bracha for provision of nourishment (Birkat
HaZan)
A bracha for the inheritance of the
A bracha for the building of
In Brachot 48b, the Rabbis teach in a Braita that from that
one verse in Devarim 8:10 we derive the different brachot within Birkat
HaMazon:
From
the words: “Veachalta vesavata
uveirachta” (You shall eat and be satisfied and bless) we derive Birkat
HaZan, from “et Hashem elokecha” (your God) we
derive the mitzva to make a Zimmun, from “al haaretz” (for the
Land) we derive Birkat HaAretz, from the word “hatova”
(the good) we
derive Birkat Boneh Yerushalayim as it says in Devarim 3:25: “the good
mountain” (which is Har HaBayit, the Temple Mount), from “asher natan lach” (that He gave you) we
derive Birkat HaTov V’HaMeitiv.
The Talmud discusses the origins of these brachot:
Rav Nachman said:
Moshe composed Birkat HaZan at the time that the
manna fell from heaven.
Yehoshua composed Birkat HaAretz when they entered
the
King David and King Shlomo composed Birkat Boneh
Yerushalayim.
Birkat HaTov V’HaMetiv (Who is good and confers good)
is looked at by Rebbi as a Rabbinic bracha which is a continuation of Birkat
Boneh Yerushalayim while the Tanna Kamma includes it as a fourth Biblical
bracha. Those who consider the bracha to be Rabbinic say that it was
formally added by the Sages of Yavneh on account of God’s goodness towards the
bodies of the slain Jews of Betar.
In the Tur, Orach Chayim, the question is asked why we don’t
start Birkat HaMazon in a more spiritual way with a prayer for
afterwards thank God for the physical food? The answer that is given is that we
follow the order of history so Moshe’s bracha is first, Yehoshua’s is
second etc.
Rav Yissachar Yaakovson explains that there are also
psychological reasons for why Birkat HaMazon is set up in this order. First,
the person who ate is thankful for the food that they enjoyed. They then remember
that food grows everywhere including in our homeland, the
Finally, they show appreciation for religious, spiritual and national values
such a
Birkat Boneh Yerushalayim was originally a prayer
that God continue to preserve tranquility in the Land. Following the
destruction of the Beit HaMikdash and the exile, the bracha focused on
the return to the Land, the Beit HaMikdash and the Davidic dynasty.
Every time that we thank God for our food, we must also
praise God for the
Hamazon?
1. Just like God doesn’t want us to take the food for
granted, He also doesn’t want us to take the
2.
3.
and the land of the seven species wheat,
barley, grapes, fig, pomegranate, olive-oil and date-honey.
4. Through the blessing of
blessed.
We see from here the importance of taking our time to recite
Birkat HaMazon with kavana (intent) focusing on our appreciation for the
food that we eat, the
May the words that we recite at the end of Birkat
HaMazon from Tehilim 29:11 be fulfilled: “Hashem
Oz LeAmo Yiten, Hashem Yivarech et Amo Bashalom”, “God will give strength to His people, God
will bless His people with peace.”
