For the week ending 15 November 2025 / 24 Cheshvan 5786
Taamei Hamitzvos - Birkas Hamazon
The phrase “You shall eat and be satisfied” appears three times in Sefer Devarim (6:11, 8:10-12, and 11:15) and each time the Torah immediately warns against forgetting Hashem and straying from Him.
The message is clear: A person who is satisfied is in danger of becoming arrogant and throwing off the yoke of Heaven. He will attribute his success to his hard work and cunning plans, deny ever being dependent upon Hashem, and conclude that he can manage on his own. If he is a farmer, as were many of our ancestors, he will note that the bread grew from his land and as a result of his diligent farming all year long.
Since this is a common error, the Torah had to warn about it three times.
In one of those three times (8:10), the Torah advises us how to avoid this error: “…And you shall bless Hashem, your God, for the good land that He gave you.” The gift of Eretz Yisrael is something that even the most shallow-minded farmer cannot deny. We began as penniless slaves in Egypt, at a time when Eretz Yisrael was controlled by not one but thirty-one powerful kingdoms. The fact that growing produce involves work does not make it our own achievement. By blessing Hashem for the land every time we eat, we bring to heart that we are dependent upon Him, and this prevents us from making the dangerous error of thinking otherwise.
Additionally, the great pleasure a person experiences when he goes from being weak and hungry to being happy and satisfied makes him palpably aware of Hashem’s kindness. Eating is a most physical and sensual activity, and channeling this into a connection with Hashem penetrates to our core. This makes Birkas Hamazon, the blessing recited after eating bread, one of the most powerful means available to connect with Hashem.
The first Torah outreach activist, our patriarch Avraham, used this Mitzvah to bring people under Hashem’s wings. As is well-known, he would invite weary wayfarers and feed them royally. Even poor guests used to simple foods, who wouldn’t have been offended in the slightest had they been offered the same, were allowed to experience the finest delicacies that only a fabulously wealthy man like Avraham could provide (see Avos D’Rabbi Nassan II,ch. 14). After eating their fill, they naturally felt obliged to express their appreciation by paying their gracious host. But Avraham would say: “Did you eat from my food? You ate from the bounty of the God of the world! Thank, laud, and bless the one Who spoke and created the world!” (Sotah 10b).
The guests made the common error of thinking that they owed thanks solely to Avraham; Avraham helped them understand that everything ultimately comes from Hashem. He also made them keenly aware of the fact that Hashem created the world in order to bestow kindness. While many idolaters of Avraham’s time attributed good to a good deity and bad to a bad deity, Avraham made it clear that everything is ultimately for the good, and there is only one God. He accomplished all this through Birkas Hamazon; and we have a similar opportunity to take a step closer to Hashem every time we eat.
The Zohar (Vayakhel 218a) emphasizes the importance of reciting Birkas Hamazon with joy, adding that one who does so merits that Hashem will bless him with a generous livelihood. In light of this, Pele Yoetz (Simchah) advises a person to eat tasty foods that make him happy so that he will recite Birkas Hamazon joyously. Sefer Hachinuch cites a similar tradition that whoever is careful regarding Birkas Hamazon merits that he will always have a sufficient and dignified means of livelihood. This is because Hashem wants us not only to enjoy His blessings, but also to perceive His kindness through them, so that we will merit further and greater blessings.
The message is clear: A person who is satisfied is in danger of becoming arrogant and throwing off the yoke of Heaven. He will attribute his success to his hard work and cunning plans, deny ever being dependent upon Hashem, and conclude that he can manage on his own. If he is a farmer, as were many of our ancestors, he will note that the bread grew from his land and as a result of his diligent farming all year long.
Since this is a common error, the Torah had to warn about it three times.
In one of those three times (8:10), the Torah advises us how to avoid this error: “…And you shall bless Hashem, your God, for the good land that He gave you.” The gift of Eretz Yisrael is something that even the most shallow-minded farmer cannot deny. We began as penniless slaves in Egypt, at a time when Eretz Yisrael was controlled by not one but thirty-one powerful kingdoms. The fact that growing produce involves work does not make it our own achievement. By blessing Hashem for the land every time we eat, we bring to heart that we are dependent upon Him, and this prevents us from making the dangerous error of thinking otherwise.
Additionally, the great pleasure a person experiences when he goes from being weak and hungry to being happy and satisfied makes him palpably aware of Hashem’s kindness. Eating is a most physical and sensual activity, and channeling this into a connection with Hashem penetrates to our core. This makes Birkas Hamazon, the blessing recited after eating bread, one of the most powerful means available to connect with Hashem.
The first Torah outreach activist, our patriarch Avraham, used this Mitzvah to bring people under Hashem’s wings. As is well-known, he would invite weary wayfarers and feed them royally. Even poor guests used to simple foods, who wouldn’t have been offended in the slightest had they been offered the same, were allowed to experience the finest delicacies that only a fabulously wealthy man like Avraham could provide (see Avos D’Rabbi Nassan II,ch. 14). After eating their fill, they naturally felt obliged to express their appreciation by paying their gracious host. But Avraham would say: “Did you eat from my food? You ate from the bounty of the God of the world! Thank, laud, and bless the one Who spoke and created the world!” (Sotah 10b).
The guests made the common error of thinking that they owed thanks solely to Avraham; Avraham helped them understand that everything ultimately comes from Hashem. He also made them keenly aware of the fact that Hashem created the world in order to bestow kindness. While many idolaters of Avraham’s time attributed good to a good deity and bad to a bad deity, Avraham made it clear that everything is ultimately for the good, and there is only one God. He accomplished all this through Birkas Hamazon; and we have a similar opportunity to take a step closer to Hashem every time we eat.
The Zohar (Vayakhel 218a) emphasizes the importance of reciting Birkas Hamazon with joy, adding that one who does so merits that Hashem will bless him with a generous livelihood. In light of this, Pele Yoetz (Simchah) advises a person to eat tasty foods that make him happy so that he will recite Birkas Hamazon joyously. Sefer Hachinuch cites a similar tradition that whoever is careful regarding Birkas Hamazon merits that he will always have a sufficient and dignified means of livelihood. This is because Hashem wants us not only to enjoy His blessings, but also to perceive His kindness through them, so that we will merit further and greater blessings.
