2001
Birkat Hamazon: The Attitude of Gratitude
One theme that Moshe repeats throughout this parsha is gratitude to God. He worries and warns the people that they will enjoy the luxuries of the land but forget where they came from; that they will give themselves credit when credit to God is due. One of the most oft-quoted verses in the whole Torah reinforces this idea:
"V'achalta v'savata oovayrachta et Ad-nai El-hecha al ha'aretz hatovah asher natan lach."
"And you shall eat and be satisfied and you shall bless Ad-nai your God for the good land which He has given you."
Questions to Consider:
1. How much do you have to eat to be satisfied?
2. Once you are satisfied, how should you bless?
3. Why do you thank God for the land and not for the food?
Rabbi Yishma'el: Why Birkat Hamzon is as long as it is:
When we recite the full Birkat Hamazon after a meal, it has four distinct, paragraph-long blessings: for food, for the land, for Jerusalem, and for God's goodness. (We add extra paragraphs to the section for Jerusalem if it is Shabbat or a holiday.) In the Jerusalem Talmud, Rabbi Ishmael explains that each paragraph of our Birkat Hamazon is derived from one word or phrase of this verse:
[Jerusalem Talmud, 'Blessings', Chapter 7, 5:1]
Rabbi Yishmael says: "And you shall bless" -- Birkat Hamazon (the whole idea); "Ad-nai your God" -- for food; "for the land" -- for the land, "good" -- for Jerusalem; and "which He has given you" -- for God's goodness.
The question of the moment: How do we thank God for the land?
At Shabbat dinners and lunches across the country, in our homes, dining halls and kosher kitchens, we will sing this verse over and over again in the coming weeks and months. One question which probably did not occur to Rabbi Yishmael is: exactly how much land did God give us? Or, to put it in terms of the verse, how do we make sure that the land which God gave us remains good? We in the Hillels of North America can enjoy singing Birkat Hamazon in relative peace and security. The verse expresses gratitude for land, not food. When we recite this verse, we should direct our attention to the state of the State of Israel, and redouble our efforts and prayers on her behalf.
Prepared by Rabbi Ben Lanckton, Boston University Hillel.