RAV KOOK ON Eikev Part 2: Four Blessings After Eating
“When you eat and are sated, you must bless the Lord your God for the good land that He has given you.” (Deut. 8:10)
The Torah does not specify the exact text of Birkat Hamazon, the blessing recited after eating a meal. The Talmud, however, informs us that it comprises four blessings, authored over a period of a thousand years:
• Moses composed the first blessing, Ha-Zahn ("the One Who provides sustenance for the entire world"), when the manna fell in the desert.
• Joshua composed the second blessing, Al Ha'Aretz ("For the Land"), when the Jewish people entered the Land of Israel.
• David and Solomon composed the third blessing, Boneih Yerushalayim ("the One Who rebuilds Jerusalem"). David, who established Jerusalem as his capital, wrote, “Your people Israel and Your city Jerusalem.” And Solomon, who built the Temple, added, “The great and holy Temple.”
• The Sages of Yavneh[1] composed the final blessing, HaTov ve-haMeitiv ("The good King and Benefactor"), to commemorate the miracle that occurred with the dead of the city of Beitar. These Jews were killed by the Romans during the failed Bar Kochba revolt of 135 C.E. For months, the Roman authorities refused to let them be buried, but miraculously, their bodies did not rot.
“When you eat and are sated, you must bless the Lord your God for the good land that He has given you.” (Deut. 8:10)
The Torah does not specify the exact text of Birkat Hamazon, the blessing recited after eating a meal. The Talmud, however, informs us that it comprises four blessings, authored over a period of a thousand years:
• Moses composed the first blessing, Ha-Zahn ("the One Who provides sustenance for the entire world"), when the manna fell in the desert.
• Joshua composed the second blessing, Al Ha'Aretz ("For the Land"), when the Jewish people entered the Land of Israel.
• David and Solomon composed the third blessing, Boneih Yerushalayim ("the One Who rebuilds Jerusalem"). David, who established Jerusalem as his capital, wrote, “Your people Israel and Your city Jerusalem.” And Solomon, who built the Temple, added, “The great and holy Temple.”
• The Sages of Yavneh[1] composed the final blessing, HaTov ve-haMeitiv ("The good King and Benefactor"), to commemorate the miracle that occurred with the dead of the city of Beitar. These Jews were killed by the Romans during the failed Bar Kochba revolt of 135 C.E. For months, the Roman authorities refused to let them be buried, but miraculously, their bodies did not rot.
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