When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless HaShem your G-d, for the good land which he hath given thee. Deut.8:10
It is interesting that the tradition of blessing God before our
meal is almost never neglected, and in most instances is put above, or
is thought to annul the need to bless the L-rd afterwards. Don't get me
wrong blessing G-d before our meal is a wonderful tradition! One that
even the Master himself kept, but like any "good" tradition it should
not take away from our observance of Torah, only enhance it. That said,
what is the significance of blessing HaShem after the meal and not
before? hmmm...
In the past I believe many of us have probably blown this command off as unimportant or trivial. But the more I meditate on it and try more to put it into practice I am realizing how intrinsically important it is to keep a G-d centred lifestyle. I still struggle to remember to do it though! For whatever reason by the time I have finished eating I have already forgotten, then that's it, the meal is over and I have missed out on blessing the one who fed me! Even common courtesy demands you thank your host/hostess for your meal after you've eaten, so how much more so should we acknowledge the One who ultimately provides the food to begin with?
Just this week during one of my mental laments over the issue it hit me that it is easy to remember to bless and thank G-d for the good things He gives us when they are before our eyes (or in this case: on the table!), we see them, we smell them, and our bodies are craving them, we have a need that this food will fill (no pun intended). So it is much easier for us to stop at that moment and bless G-d for his provision because we have experienced a need and have been provided the remedy. However once we are satisfied a few different things can occur.
1. We don't see a reason to bless G-d [it's gone!] - meaning we don't recognize the continual blessings He provides that are not visible. (e.g. the nourishing qualities that are bodies are now deriving from the food)
and/or...
2. Once the belly is full we begin to forget G-d, as soon as the pressure is off we believe that we are again self sufficient and don't need Him anymore.
or...
3. We bless Him for the good land and for the food
Deteronomy 9:10-14 says:
Beware that thou forget not HaShem
your G-d, in keeping His commandments, and his judgments, and his
statutes, which I command thee this day:
Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses and dwelt therein'
and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied and all that thou hast is multiplied. Then
thine heart be lifted up and thou forget HaShem your G-d. Which
brought you up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.... Deuteronomy 8:10-14
We see that taking the time to stop when our bellies are full is a safeguard from our yezter hara(evil inclination) the prideful attitude that would like to believe that "I have provided this satisfaction, I build, I buy, I live by the work of my own hands!" Which is not true! Instead we remind ourselves that it is HaShem that gives us air to breath, strength to work, and food to eat.
Beginning with a blessing and finishing with a blessing is also a great reminder that both in the times when the blessings in life are self evident (e.g on the table), and when they are not necessarily visible to us(or have become the "norm") we are still receiving the benefit. We make the "invisible" visible once again by bringing it before our eyes in the way of thanking G-d and giving glory to His blessing the Name.
Blessed are you HaShem our G-d for the land and for the food
