Rabbi's Message

Judaism celebrates infusing behavior with meaning. The performance of daily mitzvot imbues routine behavior with the sacred. By transforming a deed into a mitzvah, we deepen its history and enrich its meaning. This kind of transformation is beautifully exemplified in this week’s Torah portion, Ekev. This week, we read in the Torah that after a meal, “when you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the Lord your God for the good land which he has given you,” (Deuteronomy 8:10).

Why is it necessary to thank God after a meal? It makes sense to pray before a meal when we have a need to be met. However, after a meal, we are satisfied and full, so why say a prayer then? Perhaps because there is more to prayer than simply focusing on our needs. Prayer has an even greater purpose of sensitizing us to the greatest gift of all: our lives. Prayer helps to shock us into awareness that life itself is a gift and worthy of the deepest sense of gratitude.

To go through the motions of eating without blessing cheats us of an opportunity for wonder and an occasion for celebrating the magnificence of life. As the Talmud states: “One who benefits from this world without saying a blessing, it is as if he has stolen from God” (Berakhot 35a).

Every meal that we eat provides us with an important opportunity to give thanks for our lives and for the bounty of our world. It offers us an opportunity to turn towards God. By summoning us to show gratitude for our food, Judaism reinvigorates our sense of wonder and restores our ability to experience life more deeply.

It also teaches us to recognize food as a gift, not a guarantee.  And if our food is a gift, not a given, then so is our responsibility: to make sure others have enough as well.  This is what I taught at the beginning of our Jewish Relief Agency (JRA) food packing event at TBS this past Tuesday night.  Thanks to the coordination of our Social Action Committee, under the leadership of Naomi Mirowitz, many of us came together this past Tuesday night to pack boxes of food to be delivered to those in need in our South Jersey community.  It was a powerful evening of infusing behavior with meaning and putting this teaching from Ekev into action.

And finally, I hope you will join us at TBS tomorrow at 5:30PM for our August Wine and Cheese Shabbat; an opportunity to, yes, satiate our stomachs, but even more, to feed our souls through song, community, and the beauty of Shabbat.  RSVP here.  Whether it's helping others, celebrating Shabbat, or enjoying food together, may we always remember to give thanks for the daily blessings in our lives.