From Rabbi Dahlia Bernstein Friday, August 7, 2020
Dear CBO Family,
There is a line in this week’s Torah portion that reminds me of that feeling you get when you have eaten exactly what you wanted and it hits that right spot. וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ וְשָׂבָ֑עְתָּ וּבֵֽרַכְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְיְ אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ עַל־הָאָ֥רֶץ הַטֹּבָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָֽתַן־לָֽךְ׃ When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. (Deut. 8:11)
This is the foundation for a Jewish gratitude practice called Birkat Hamazon, where you eat and express gratitude for your meal. The practice calls you to say a series of blessings within one hour of eating. We receive practices like these to help us work through the impulsive aspects of our personalities and raise the quality of our lives. If only we could be completely satiated with every meal we ate?!?! Human beings are always looking for what is next. When lunch is over, I often will think, “what am I having for dinner?” Birkat has us sit with the delicious gratitude of having full bellies.
The point is to not only be grateful and satiated when we have a four-course meal. We can be satiated when we eat cereal for dinner in pajamas in front of the tv or eating while gazing at the sunset on the Mediterranean.
If there was a way that each of us could be happy after each meal, wouldn’t we take it? The Torah tells us that being satiated is a choice that we need to make, it’s not some magical meal that comes once in a lifetime. The first step is marvelling in the nature of wheat going through the hands of people and becoming bread and making its way to our stomachs. The second is to choose to be grateful for the food and fuel that we have while others are hungry.
No matter what the situation, we can choose to be satisfied. As we learn from Pirkei Avot, “Who is rich? Someone who is satisfied with his portion in life.”
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Bernstein
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