Parshas Vayechi (5779)
Antonio Brown, the six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, has a synagogue inside his Miami-area home. A fully-formed, Magen David-adorned and Hebrew-etched glass-decorated synagogue. Now, it’s true that Brown bought the home in 2016 – for a cool $6.6 million – with the synagogue already installed. But in an interview published this week with Complex magazine, the NFL player said he's kept the room intact. “I got a lot of Jewish friends, and a synagogue is where you bless up,†he told the interviewer when asked about the room. Brown was appearing on Complex’s online video series Complex Closets, which explores the fashion – particularly the sneakers – of famous individuals. The video, which was released on Monday, features extensive interior shots of the 18,000-square-foot, 12-bedroom, 14-bathroom mansion, including the synagogue. [May 9, 2018 on www.jpost.com]
I am not sure if the good wide receiver is aware of this, but if he speaks to some of his Jewish friends, they might just tell him that there’s a whole lotta “blessing up†going down in this week’s Torah portion, Parshas Vayechi.
First we got our forefather Jacob “blessing up†his Egyptian grandchildren, Ephraim and Menashe (see Genesis 48:8-21), and then we got Jacob again “blessing up†his twelve sons from his deathbed (ibid 49:1-33) – although I am pretty sure that none of that “blessing up†took place in a synagogue.
In fact, “blessing up†is a part of our religion and culture and has been for well over 3500 years. We Jews “bless up†all the time. We “bless up†before doing mitzvos like hearing the Shofar and shaking the Lulav. We “bless up†after eating a bread meal. We “bless up†after using (and being able to use) the restroom. We “bless up†upon observing natural phenomenon like lightning, earthquakes and the ocean. We “bless up†when we purchase something that brings us joy. And the list goes on and on …
Here I would like to focus on the blessings that we make before and after eating and drinking, and specifically on the “She’hakol†and “Borei Nefashos†blessings …but first a quick introduction:
The Talmud states that the entire world belongs to G-d, Who created everything, and partaking in His creation without consent would be tantamount to stealing. When we acknowledge that our food comes from G-d, He grants us permission to partake in the world's pleasures. This is the concept behind the mitzvah to make a blessing before enjoying food or drink.
Thus before eating most foods, including Meat, Poultry, Eggs, Fish, Dairy Products, Candy and Drinks – but not including Bread, Wine and Grape Juice, Grains, Fruits and Nuts, and Vegetables (which have their own blessings) – we recite the following blessing, known as “She’hakolâ€:
Baruch Ata Ado-noy, Elo-heinu Melech ha’olam, she’hakol nee’yeh bidvaro.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, through Whose word everything came to be.
Once we have enjoyed our food and drink, we express our appreciation to G-d for what He has given us by reciting an “after-blessingâ€. The following after-blessing, known as “Borei Nefashosâ€, is recited after eating most foods, except for Bread, Wine and Grape Juice, some Grains, and some Fruits (which have their own after-blessings):
Baruch Ata Ado-noy, Elo-heinu Melech ha’olam, borei nefashos rabos v’chesronan, al kol mah she’barasa l’hachayos ba’hem nefesh kol chai, baruch chei ha’olamim.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who creates numerous living things with their lacks; for all that You have created with which to maintain the life of every being. Blessed is He, the Life of the worlds.
Isn’t it strange that in the She’hakol blessing we refer to G-d as the One through Whom “everything†came to be? EVERYTHING? Isn’t that too broad a word of acknowledgement to use when we are making a blessing before eating something as simple as scrambled eggs or a yogurt or drinking a glass of water?
We can ask a similar question on the Borei Nefashos after-blessing. Note that in this blessing we acknowledge that G-d supplies His living creatures with the basic essentials which they lack (e.g. bread, water), in addition to all the beneficial non-essential things (e.g. abundant varieties of foods, fruits, and other delicacies) that maintain our lives. Why are we praising G-d now for ALL the extra varieties and delicacies that He created for us when all we might have just had is some water?
Maybe the following story will help us understand the true intent of these two blessings:
Rabbi Yisrael Salanter ZTâ€L (1809-1883), founder of the Mussar (Jewish Ethics) Movement in Lithuania, once ordered a cup of coffee in a fancy restaurant in Paris. When it came time to pay, he saw that they were charging him an exorbitant price for the cup of coffee. He approached the owner and asked why the coffee was so expensive. After all, some hot water, a few coffee beans and a spoonful of sugar could not amount to more than a few cents. The owner replied: “It is true that for a few cents you could have coffee in your own home. But here in the restaurant, we provide exquisite decor, soft background music, beautiful tapestries, and the finest china to serve your cup of coffee. Here you aren’t just paying for the coffee but for the ambience.†When Rabbi Salanter returned to Lithuania, he shared with his students a new understanding of the She’hakol blessing that he learned in the restaurant in Paris. “Until now,†said Rabbi Salanter, “when I recited this blessing, I had in mind only that I am thanking the Creator for the food or drink I am about to enjoy. Now I understand the blessing much better. When I am about to eat my chicken or drink my water I am thanking G-d for “everythingâ€, i.e. for the fresh air, the beautiful foliage, the colorful flowers, the chirping of the birds, the majestic mountains, etc. – all part of the beautiful ambience that He created and provides for meâ€
We now understand the after-blessing of Borei Nefashos as well. While we thank G-d and “bless Him up†for the basic essentials that we lack, we also acknowledge that G-d went way beyond the basics and created a whole array of non-essential delicacies just for us to enjoy – and for this we thank Him.
There is so much that we have to be thankful for in this world …so let’s not forget to “bless up†whenever we can.
[To learn more about the Blessings, click on: http://www.aish.com/jl/jewish-law/daily-living/16-Blessings.html]
http://www.torchweb.org/torah_detail.php?id=544