WHO IS BLESSING WHO?
In this week’s Parsha, after rebuking his people for the Golden Calf, Moshe tells them “Right now, all HaShem wants from you is to fear Him.” Our Sages teach us that this is an allusion to the mitzvah of reciting 100 brachos a day.
The Nefesh Hachaim explains that the function of brachos is to actually bless Ha-Shem. It is to be understood in the same way a sick person will go to a great Rav for a bracha to daven for him that HaShem return him to good health. Similarly, when we make a bracha we are blessing HaShem that He should be blessed.
To compare the bracha of a great tzadik who blesses the simple Jew to our blessing of the Master of Universe needs clarification. How do we dare compare the two? The notion that us mortal beings can even daven to HaShem is beyond comprehension. That HaShem pays attention to our needs and listens to our tefillos is even more challenging to comprehend. How then can we understand that mortal man can offer a blessing to HaShem?! What is HaShem missing for which He needs or wants our blessing? If He is missing anything how can we possibly provide it?
From this verse, our Sages learn that everything is in the Hands of HaShem with the exception of Yiras Shamayim, the fear of HaShem. As much as HaShem controls every detail of creation and every detail of history, He has no control over Man’s fearing G.D. HaShem allows Man to reject Him. Man has the ability to deny the existence of HaShem. (This might be the greatest miracle of creation. How can an intelligent thinking person who is fully aware of the genius of Nature with all her systems in all the areas of science, deny the existence of a designer? This is the gift of free will.) This is the reason why Moshe tells his people that HaShem has only one request from you, that you fear Him. Regarding all the rest, HaShem does not need our help.
Dovid Hamelech compares the relationship of his soul and his body to the relationship of HaShem and His world. You might not be able to see your soul but it fills your body. It drives your body. The soul does not eat or drink and derives no nourishment from food and drink, but without eating and drinking the soul will leave. In a similar fashion, we are not able to see HaShem but He drives this world. He derives no nourishment from the mitzvos we perform or the brachos we recite, but without those HaShem would, G.D forbid, depart from this world.
Behold! It is our mitzvos and Torah study which maintain the health of the world by keeping HaShem securely in the world. Perhaps we can appreciate what HaShem needs and why He wants us to give Him a bracha. HaShem wants nothing more than to be connected to this world and to give only goodness to it. The only way He will be able to achieve that is through our fulfillment of His Torah and mitzvos. This is out of His control.
The Nefesh Hachaim teaches us that when we make a bracha we are blessing HaShem with our recognition that He is the Creator of the fruit of the tree, or that He is the one Who sanctified us with the mitzvah of lighting the Shabbos candles. With that expression of recognition, we increase a greater awareness in the world and more of HaShem’s Presence fills the world.
The parallel to the sick man who wants a bracha from the Rav is quite accurate. HaShem wants our brachos for the welfare of His world which is in such desperate need of His connection. Without us, it will not happen.
When HaShem endowed us with the ability to utter the Name of HaShem and bring Him into our world, He endowed us with the ability to bring blessing to Him as well.
Have a very wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind