A Short Torah on Eating, 5769 / 2009
Sarah Yehudit Schneider
Rafael Moshe Luria (shlita) in Bet Ganzi brings an amazing teaching from the Ari. R. Luria (shlita) is exploring the question of brochot (blessings), and in particular the only two that are of Torah origin: The blessing after completing a meal with bread, Birchat HaMazon (ואכלת ושבעת וברכת) and the blessing before studying Torah, Birchat HaTorah (כי שם ה’ אקרא הבו גודל לאלוקינו). All the other blessings that we say—those before performing a mitzvah, or partaking of food, or those said in prayer—only carry rabbinic status.
Birchat HaMazon is after the fact, and Birchat HaTorah is before the fact. The explanation is that since food is a physical pleasure, one can only sincerely express appreciation after partaking of it. In contrast, the pleasures of Torah study are primarily spiritual, and the soul knows them and lives in them and can sincerely speak its appreciation before the fact.
The rabbis explore the question of whether to generalize from one to other. Perhaps we should learn from Birchat HaMazon that Torah study should also carry a blessing after it. And similarly, from Birchat HaTorah, that food should have a blessing before it. If this could be proved from the Thirteen Principles of Interpreting the Torah, then these added blessings would also have a Torah-level status.
The rabbis conclude that the Torah itself does not require these additional blessings, and yet, they decided to institute a blessing before eating, anyway, for technical reasons. This before blessing, however, only has a rabbinic level status. The rabbis had their reasons for instituting this blessing, but the Ari says and amazing thing:
He says that the deeper reason for the brochot that we say before eating is that there is an aspect of Torah revelation (מתן תורה) that happens through every act of eating. He says that every bit of food has a spark of consciousness that we absorb from eating it. And since consciousness is truth and truth is Torah (אין אמת אלא תורה), we are receiving Torah when we eat. And therefore, we say a blessing also before eating, for there is a kind of involvement in Torah (osek b’Torah) that happens when we eat. And so, the blessing that we say before eating is actually a blessing for the Torah we are going to absorb from this act of eating.
Bless us that as individuals, as groups and as members of the community of Israel and the larger world community that we should draw the influence of the month of Shevat into the deepest depth of our souls, bringing light and trust and healing there, and in so doing contribute, in our small way, to the six millennial process of tikun olam. May all that we do be pleasing in HaShem’s eyes.
