Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Daily Advice. I am Zaytun Yeh, and thank you for joining us. Today, Mr. Eses chose the following topic: general principles, including what the Pele Yoetz writes.
He says, “One who derives benefit without making a blessing is as though he has stolen from the exalted King.” A person who enjoys life without making a blessing is stealing from the Creator. Why? We know that “the heavens belong to God, but the earth He has given to mankind.” At the same time, we also know that the Creator owns everything: “The earth and all that fills it belong to God.” Therefore, the Sages say, “Before the blessing, it belongs to God; after the blessing, it becomes available to you.”
This means that a person can go to the market, take the food, and eat it, because the Creator wants us to eat. Everything we eat was intended for us. According to the Kabbalists, the foods that a person craves—the foods he desires—contain the sparks that his soul needs. If a person likes meat, for example, it is because whatever is embedded in that meat is something his soul needs.
Of course, a person should not eat excessively. One should not become a glutton. But imagine that someone takes the food, pays for it with a credit card, and eats it without making a blessing. The money is called “key money”; it gives you access. But when does the food become yours? It becomes yours when you make a blessing. That is the point. Therefore, when a person does not make a blessing, it is as though he is stealing from HaKadosh Baruch Hu, because the Creator owns everything.
The rabbi also writes something beautiful. A person has to understand that just as food is nourishment for the body, a blessing is nourishment for the soul. Sometimes a person eats and eats, consumes entire meals, and still does not feel full or satisfied. Why? Because the soul did not eat. The body ate, but the soul did not. How does the soul eat? Through a blessing.
Making a blessing satisfies the soul. I said this before: If a person wants to feel full, as a good dietary practice, he should make a blessing immediately—a concluding blessing. When a person makes a concluding blessing, suddenly his desire for food disappears. What changed? Nothing changed. One day, a person may eat and eat and eat. The next day, he eats an olive-sized portion, immediately makes the concluding blessing, and he is finished; he feels satisfied. Why? Because he fed his soul. He fed the soul.
We also know that food contains sparks, and therefore, when a person makes a blessing, he elevates his commandment. A person must be very careful to understand that just as his children depend on him, there are also sparks that depend on him. They desperately want to return to their proper place.
Can you imagine the kindness a person performs when he eats food and, while eating, performs this kindness? Why is it an act of kindness? Because he are allowing these commandments to return. It is unbelievable. The Creator comes with the merit of doing wonderful things: helping people, helping souls, and helping the commandments at every moment and with every step. Therefore, a person should make an effort to do this.
There is another reason that making a blessing saves and helps the soul. What is the reason? When a person concentrates on the blessing, he says, in effect, “Look at what God did for me by providing this fruit. Look at how much the Creator invested because He loves me and wants me to enjoy it.”
God could have created only one kind of fruit, and that would have been enough. It would not have had to taste good. If you want to survive, take it and eat it. Just as some people have to take medicine every day simply in order to survive, God could have said, “You need to live. How will you live? Through food. Here is your food; eat it, and that is all.”
Why did the Creator have to make food so appetizing? We see that flavoring is added to children’s medicine so that they will enjoy taking it; otherwise, they do not want to take it. God wants us to live, and food is necessary for life. Why make food enjoyable? Because food is part of a rectification. The Creator made food in this way, and therefore a person has to make a blessing.
That is why the soul can become satisfied. When you recognize how much God has done for you, it satisfies the soul. Therefore, make those blessings, and Hashem will give you more. Have a wonderful day.