Date: Wed, 31 Jul 1996 18:48:45 +0400 (IDT) Reply-To: shabbat-zomet@jer1.co.il Sender: owner-shabbat-zomet@jer1.co.il Precedence: bulk From: Zomet To: "Shabbat Newsletter from Machon Zomet" Subject: Shabbat-B'Shabbato: Eikev 5756 Shabbat-B'Shabbato -- Parshat Eikev No 607: 18 Av 5756 (3 August 1996) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * SHABBAT-ZOMET is an extract from SHABBAT-B'SHABBATO, a weekly bulletin distributed free of charge in hundreds of synagogues in Israel. It is published by the Zomet Institute of Alon Shevut, Israel, under the auspices of the National Religious Party. Translated by: Moshe Goldberg To subscribe, send a message to: listproc@jer1.co.il, with a blank subject line and the message: sub shabbat-zomet Contact Zomet with comments about this bulletin or questions on the relationship between modern technology and halacha at: zomet@jer1.co.il Or: Phone: +972-2-9931442; FAX: +972-2-9931889 (Attention: Ezra Rosenfeld) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * [....] TORAH, SOCIETY, AND STATE: The Fourth Blessing by Rabbi Uri Dasberg "And you will eat, and you will be satisfied, and you will pronounce a blessing" [Devarim 8:10]. This passage is the source for one of the few Torah commandments to recite a blessing, that of Grace after meals. The first three blessings of the Grace are part of the Torah commandment, but the fourth (known as "hatov v'hameitiv") was instituted at Yavne when the dead of Beitar were buried. "Hatov -- that the bodies did not smell; hameitiv -- that they were allowed to be buried" [Berachot 48b]. According to the Talmud, this occurred on Tu B'Av, which we celebrated on Wednesday of this week. How are the dead of Beitar related to a blessing in the Grace after meals? Before the soldiers of Bar-Kochba were defeated in Beitar, hundreds and thousands of Bnei Yisrael had been killed in other battles before, during, and after the destruction of the Temple. Why were the dead of Beitar singled out for a special blessing? In addition, the words "hatov v'hameitiv" are not part of the blessing; the actual text is: "hu heitiv, hu meitiv, hu yeitiv" [He did good, He does good, He will do good]. The blessing "hatov v'hameitiv" is used on other occasions, such as when one receives new and better wine in the middle of a meal. According to the letter of the law, wine is included in the recitation of Grace after meals. At first glance, one might perceive the people of Israel as exaggerating in the drinking of wine. A festive meal starts with the wine of kiddush, one or more cups may be consumed during a meal, and as if this is not enough, the Grace also includes a cup of wine. Evidently, the sages wanted to remind us that wine should be drunk in moderation, by giving us an example of what it can lead to. According to the Talmud, the Romans put dead bodies on the boundaries of vineyards, so that the vines were fertilized by their blood [Gittin 57a]. This vile epitome of addiction to alcohol, that the quality of the wine takes priority over respect for human life, should be on our minds when we hold a cup of wine. For this reason, the blessing is given the name of one related to wine, even though the text itself is not really used. It may be because of such reminders that Jews tend to have low consumption of alcoholic beverages, in spite of the regular mitzvot which include wine, such as kiddush and havdalah. Reference: "Binyamin Zev" Responsa, chapter 351.