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The teacher asked the pupil what prayer do they say before the meal? Little Moshe answered that he doesn’t say any prayer, there is no need, because his mother is a good cook!
Seriously now, why do we need to bless G-d when we eat? G-d is so High, why does He need our blessings?
The truth is that we need the blessings more than G-d needs them. We need to notice the blessings that we receive. We need to remember Who gives them to us and thank Him. And why does He send all of that to us? For us to utilize them to make the world a better place.
Today is a good opportunity to discuss the blessings over the food, since in this week’s Parasha Ekev, we read G-d’s commandment: “And you will eat and be sated, and you shall bless the Lord, your G-d” (Deuteronomy 8:10).
How do we do it?
First, before eating, we say a blessing, where we remind ourselves that the world belongs to G-d and we ask Him for permission to use it. We have six groups of food with different blessings: a) bread b) everything that is made of flour except bread c) wine d) fruits e) vegetables and f) the rest of the food.
Then, after we are sated, we say the respective blessing and thank G-d.
Let us try this week to say the blessing before the vegetables that we will eat:
“Baruch Ata Ado-nai Elo-enou melech aolam, bore peri haadama.”
Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the earth.
Copy it on a small note of paper and hang it on the fridge. It does not take a long time, but it makes such a difference!
Shabbat Shalom,
Hanna
