Skip to main content

REVERSE RIPPLE

 


One of the most frequently recited brachot that, in some ways, seems to get a bad rap, is the bracha recited over many “less-specific” foods, Shehakol Nihyeh Bi’dvaro (by Whose word all comes to be). Perhaps it is seen by some as less important than others, given it’s not at the level of bread or wine; nor is it one of the seven species, or fruits or vegetables that seem to get their own brachot. It’s kind of the Kol Bo of brachot, a catch-all for everything without its own bracha, or worse yet, the bracha many make when they have no idea which bracha to recite.

 

Yet.

 

Water.

 

We can’t live without it. We can’t grow the grains we use to bake bread, the grapes for wine, or the plants and vegetables that all have their own brachot. Perhaps Shehakol Nihyeh Bi’dvaro is actually one of the most important brachot, which brings to mind a discussion with Rabbi Weinbergנ׳׳י.

 

At the beginning of our weekly chabura, we learned what I would call the “reverse ripple” of the bracha, using what may be the most popular drink in the United States as an example: coffee (which, according to some is more popular than bottled water). Rabbi Weinberg described all (well really, probably not nearly all) that goes into that Starbucks Triple Venti Cappuccino. From the growers and harvesters of the beans; to the creators of the canvas bags holding the beans; the ships conveying the beans from far-off countries; the inventors of the drum or air roasters; the creators of the vehicles with their tires, cables and mechanical parts that bring the beans to Starbucks; the designer of the logo and cups and lids and little green swords that some actually use to stir their coffee; not to mention the barista and all the thousands of people who have jobs and provide for their families along the way…

 

So in a way, it’s not that a sip of coffee has a significant effect on the drinker so much as it’s a “reverse ripple.” Numerous small and large details have already profoundly  influenced the world before the bracha is even recited! In fact, it’s pretty much infinite, which suggest that it can be a bracha of Olam HaBa dimensions (or lack thereof). And this, then, is how we might consider the all-important “shehakol”, as we recite the bracha:

 

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ‑יָ אֱ‑לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיָה בִּדְבָרוֹ

 

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, by Whose word

all things came to be.

 

May we have the awareness in all of our brachot of the many works of Hashem that enable us to express our gratitude and appreciation, with our minds and hearts and lips—from a cool sip of water to the Shabbat kiddush—and may they all connect Shamayim and Aretz, Olam Hazeh and Olam HaBa.

By: Nathan Kruman

 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TAKING IT WITH YOU-MISHPATIM-ALEINU

Our sages teach us, “On the Red Sea, God appeared to them like a young boy, while at Sinai, He appeared like an old man.” At first thought, this is extremely difficult to understand, since it is written, “You have not seen   any image (To see Deuteronomy 4:15).” We can explain this with an example. When a parent loves his child, this great love causes the child’s image to be engraved on the parent’s mind. It is therefore as if the child were actually standing in the presence of the parent. When the child is young, he exists in his parent’s mind in the image of a small child. Later, when he grows, the image in the parent’s thoughts is that of an older person.   It is known that, “Israel rose first in thought.” This means that they are constantly engraved in the Supernal Thought, just as a child is in its parent’s mind. When a child acts properly and does what its parent wishes, this is the image that is engraved in its parent’s thoughts. The same is true when the child goes aga...
Post a Comment
Read more

Goodness and Blessing

 “May it be Your Will, God, our Lord, and the Lord of our forefathers, that You inaugurate this month upon us for goodness and for blessing.” We pray for Moshe’s third trip even before we receive his report of his second. We pray assuming that we will not only be forgiven, but will be granted even more as Moshe ascends Sinai for a third time. We acknowledge God, that He is our Lord. We call on the merit of our forefathers. By: Rabbi Simcha Weinberg
Post a Comment
Read more

Consistent proportions ....

  Ketores   Ketores reminds me of stoichiometry, which is a fancy word in chemistry for proportions. Let’s take H 2 O (water)—it is a proportion of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen. No matter how much water I have, whether it’s the volume of a swimming pool, or a tiny drop, it has constant molecular proportionality; every water molecule in that pool or in that tiny drop is no more and no less than two hydrogens for every one oxygen. We have proportionality in the ketores: “1) Balsam, 2) onycha, 3) & galbanum 4) frankincense – the weight of 70 maneh each. 5) myrrh, 6) cassia & 7) spikenard & 8) saffron – [each] a weight of 16, 16 maneh. 9) costus – 12 maneh 10) aromatic bark – three [maneh] 11) cinnamon – 9 (maneh) [Added also were] Lye of Carsina – 9 Kavs (a measure), Wine of Cypres – 3 Seahs and 3 kavs- and if one did not find wine of Cypres – he brings old wine. Salt of Sodom – a quarter [of a kav.]… Rabbi Yehuda said “This is the general rule – if it is ...
Post a Comment
Read more