Birkat Hamazon: Blueprint of Jewish Destiny (Part 7)
“Anyone who recites Birkat HaMazon is blessed through it.”
(Zohar HaKadosh to ParshatTerumah)
Birkat HaMazon continues: “For all, Hashem, our
Our blessing is teaching us the obligation to give thanks. Not just to thank Hashem for what we have eaten, but to thank him “for all,” for everything. Without Hashem’s blessings we cannot exist. The first person in the Torah to put into words this sense of immeasurable gratitude was Yaakov’s wife, Leah. The Torah states (Bereshit 29:35), “[Leah] conceived again, and bore a son and declared, ‘This time let me gratefully praise Hashem.’ Therefore, she called his name Yehuda.” The etymology of the word “Jew” meanders through Old French and Latin and Greek, until it finally reaches its original Hebrew “Yehudi,” which comes from the name given to Yaakov’s fourth son, Yehuda, which means to give thanks.
The Chidushei HaRim writes that the Jewish nation is named after Yehuda because it is a fundamental Jewish characteristic to always be thankful to Hashem for having given us so much more than we deserve.
The legendary Mashgiach of the Mir Yeshiva in Belarus, Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz (1873-1936), explains the significance of Leah naming her son Yehuda. He says that under normal circumstances, when we thank someone for what they have done for us, we do so to remove the debt of gratitude we have towards them. Our giving thanks is actually self-serving, as it takes away our obligation to be beholden to the person. Leah’s motivation, however, was the exact opposite. She wanted to make a lasting impression, one that would remind her of her obligation to always need to feel thankful to Hashem. Therefore, she chose to name her son “Yehuda” as a constant reminder of her immeasurable sense of gratitude to Hashem.
And, not only to Hashem, but we must likewise show our thanks to all who assist us in any way. When the city of Kovna, Lithuania, was under Russian rule, conscription into the Russian army was a nightmare scenario for every Jewish family. Being drafted into the army meant being in constant fear for one’s physical life. Even worse, it meant almost certain death to one’s soul. A young man drafted into the army was not able to keep Shabbat, eat kosher, or really do anything else that would keep him spiritually alive. By the time he would be released from the army, his Jewish identity would be a dim memory at best.
Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor (1817-1896), the veneratedRabbi of Kovno and one of the most authoritative experts in Jewish Law in Eastern Europe, had a beloved student named Yaakov who was at great risk of being drafted. His name had come before the army’s draft board and it was only a matter of time before his fate would be decided. Of course, Yaakov and his family and friends poured out their hearts to Hashem, with prayer that he would be rejected for any reason by the army.
One day, Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan sat together with two other Rabbis to preside over a complicated court case. Suddenly, they heard a knock and the door opened. “Rebbe, Rebbe!” cried one of the students. “Did Rebbe hear the good news? Yaakov was exempted from the draft!”
“Mazal tov!” everyone shouted in unison. Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan was overcome with emotion. He thanked the student for the good news, and showered him with blessings. The student left, and they resumed the court case. A few moments later, there was another knock on the door. Another student entered. Not realizing that Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan had already heard the news, he excitedly told him that Yaakov had been exempted. Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan, not showing any indication that he already knew, cried out “Mazal tov!” again. He then showered that student with blessings, just like the first one, and then returned to the case he was adjudicating. This scene repeated itself over and over again six times! And each time, Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan showed the same enthusiastic appreciation and the same heartfelt joy. Because he did not want to deprive even one student of the good feeling that it he was the one who brought the good news to his Rebbe.
To be continued…
