Devarim 8:10
Saying “Please” is Easier than Saying “Thank-you”
The study of Torah, deep reflection into the wisdom of Hashem, is as nourishing to the soul as food is to the body. Both sources of nourishment are called Lechem . Both entail a struggle ( Lechem is aligned with locheim – “battle”). Both require that a beracha is said, both before partaking of them, and after. But for Torah, the more important beracha is said before reading it, and for a meal the more important beracha is said after eating.
Our Birkat Hamazon (Grace after Meals) is a distinguishing factor of our religion. In most religions, “grace” refers to a prayer before eating. Seldom do other religions require a prayer after a meal. It is easier to say “please” for something you need and do not have than it is to say “thank-you” for something you have forgotten you ever needed. In Parshat E ikev we are given the law of Birkat Hamazon – Grace after meals.
The idea of a beracha before the meal is extrapolated by KalvaChomer from the law of Birkat Hamazon : If you are required to say Grace when you are satisfied, how much more so when you are hungry. [1] Similarly, the law for saying a beracha at the conclusion of the Torah reading is also learnt in the same Talmudic passage from a Kal vaChomer : If you are required to say a beracha for the nourishment of transient life, how much more so for the nourishment of eternal life. But, the beracha to be said before reading from the Torah is learnt from a verse in Devarim. [2]
Why, in the case of food, is the Torah source applied to the after-beracha and the pre- beracha is learnt from a Kal Vachomer ; whereas in the case of Torah, the torah source is applied to the pre-beracha and the after beracha is learnt from a Kal vaChomer ?
The danger of complacency
The Meshech Chochma explains the difference: In the cases of both forms of nourishment, the Torah and food, there is a danger of the nourishment turning into spiritual poison! In the case of food, when we are satisfied and full there is the danger of complacency and belief in our own powers of achievement. The moment of danger is at the end of the meal. That is why the Torah commands us to sayBirkat Hamazon after a meal and clearly attribute our satisfaction to Hashem.
In the case of Torah the danger is that we study to satisfy the ego and to derive honor. The moment of this danger is before we start to learn when our motivation is formulating. It is at that time that the Torah commands we say a beracha to clarify in our minds whose Torah we are studying and for what purpose we are doing so.
Savor precious moments that add quality to action
So often I find that I rush through these moments that are in fact the key determinants of the meaningfulness of the act. In my rush to get into the Torah I am about to learn, I often fail to pause a moment first. To reflect about the meaning and purpose of what I am about to do. I don't pay enough attention to the sanctity of the words I am about to study, their power and infinite depth. Once I have completed the study I am in wonderment of the Torah's profound brilliance, but that is the natural consequence of learning. The artful part is to feel that wonder before we start.
Similarly in the case of a meal, we too often rush the moments after the end of the meal. Even if we say Birkat Hamazon , do we really reflect over the origin of the food and its meaning to us?
Pause for a moment. Pause before the study of Torah and feel the humility of the student. Pause after a meal and feel the humility of the recipient of food. “And you will eat, and you will be satisfied, and you will bless Hashem”.
Notes:
[1] Berachot 48.
[2] Ki Sheim Hashem Ekra Havu Godel Lei'lokeinu
