Why Make Blessings?

~~~~

Mishnah – the early Rabbinic work upon which the Gemara comments.

~~~~

Mishnah: What blessings are said over fruit? Over fruit of the tree, one says: “Who creates the fruit of the tree,” except for wine, over which one says, “Who creates the fruit of the vine. Over that which grows from the ground, one says: “Who creates the fruit of the ground,” except over bread, for which one says, “Who brings forth bread from the earth.” Over vegetables, one says: “Who creates the fruit of the ground.” Rabbi Judah says: Who creates diverse kinds of herbs.

Gemara: What’s the source for this?

~ This is the question we will be trying to answer ~

As our Rabbis have taught: “The fruit thereof shall be holy, for giving praise to the Lord.”(Leviticus 19:24) This teaches that they require a blessing both before and after partaking of them. Based on this, R. Akiva said: A man is forbidden to taste anything before saying a blessing over it.

~Answer #1: Verse that may be used to prove we bless before and after eating.~

But is this the lesson to be learnt from these words ‘Holy for giving praise’? Surely they are required for these two lessons: first, to teach that the All-Merciful has declared: Redeem it and then eat it, and secondly, that a thing which requires a song of praise requires redemption as has been taught by R. Samuel bar Nahmani in the name of R. Yonatan.

~ Challenge: Maybe that’s not what this verse really means? Maybe it’s really about monetary redemption of food and about the special status of wine. ~

For R. Samuel b. Nahmani said in the name of R. Yonatan: How do we know that a song of praise is sung only over wine? Because it says, “And the vine said unto them: Should I leave my wine which cheers God and man?” If it cheers man, how does it cheer God? From this we learn that a song of praise is sung only over wine.

~The aforementioned statement about the special status of wine~

Now this reasoning is valid for the one who teaches ‘The planting of the fourth year’. But for the one who teaches ‘The vineyard of the fourth year’, what can be said?

~ Suggestion: There may be a way to at least partially salvage the verse as a source for at least one blessing occasion ~

For it has been stated: R. Hiyya and R. Shimon the son of Rabbi - One taught, ‘Vineyard of the fourth year’, the other taught, ‘Planting of the fourth year’

~ Background information to the last assertion – there are two ways to interpret this verse: a) it’s either just about grapes, or b) it’s about all crops. ~

For the one who teaches ‘Vineyard of the fourth year’ there’s also no difficulty as long as one uses the g’zeirah shavah.

~ Suggestion: Attempt to further bolster answer #1 (it could work even for those who hold position a, listed above) ~

For it has been taught: Rabbi says: It says there, “that it may yield unto you more richly the increase thereof,” and it says in another place, “the increase of the vineyard.” Just as in the latter passage ‘increase’ refers to the vineyard, so here it refers to the vineyard. Thus one “hillul” is left over to indicate that a blessing is required.

~ Tannaitic source that presents a way of reading the Torah (Leviticus 19:24) and Deuteronomy 22:9) that allows position a from above to be viable, and therefore would allow the verse above (Leviticus 19:24) to be a good source for making blessings. ~

But if he does not use the g’zerah shavah, how can he derive this lesson? And even if he does use the g’zerah shavah, while we are satisfied that a blessing is required after it, how do we know that it is required before eating?

~ (Double) Challenge: Not everyone accepts this reading, and even you do, it may only be a source for making a blessing after eating! ~

This is no difficulty. We derive it by argument a fortiori: If he says a blessing when he is full, how much more so ought he to do so when he is hungry?

~ Solution: it makes sense to say that if you need a blessing after, you must need one before. ~

We have found a proof for the case of [the produce of the vineyard]: how do we know [that a benediction is required] for other species?

~ Challenge: Okay, fine, that might all work for grapes, but what about other food? ~

It can be learned from the vineyard. Just as the vineyard is something that is enjoyed and requires a blessing, so too everything that is enjoyed requires a blessing.

~ Suggestion: Just logical – anything that grows and you benefit from. ~

But this may be refuted: How can we learn from a vineyard, seeing that it is subject to the obligation of the gleanings?

~ Rejection: Vineyards are special – might not be able to infer anything about other foods from grapes.~

We may cite the instance of grain.

~ Suggestion: Maybe since we know grain requires a blessing, so too all other foods.~

How can you cite the instance of grain,

seeing that it is subject to the obligation of hallah?

~ Rejection: Nope, grain is also special – can’t necessarily infer anything about other foods. ~

We may then cite the instance of the

vineyard, and the argument goes round in a circle: The distinguishing feature of the first instance is not like that of the second, and vice versa. The feature common to both is that being things which are enjoyed they require a blessing; similarly everything which is enjoyed requires a blessing.

~ Frustration!

Suggestion: We know that grapes and corn both require a blessing, and since what they have in common is that they can be enjoyed – must apply to all things that share that characteristic! ~

But this [argument from a] common feature [is not conclusive], because there is with them the common feature that they are offered on the altar!

~ Rejection: Can’t do that, because these two things also have other commonalities! ~

We may then adduce also the olive from the fact that it is offered on the altar.

~ Suggestion: Based on this other common feature, at least we could include olives in the list of things that need blessings. ~

But is [the blessing over] the olive derived from the fact that it is offered on the altar? It is explicitly designated kerem, as it is written, And he burnt up the shocks and the standing corn and also the olive yards [kerem]?

~ Problem: We have another way of learning that olives are the same as grapes! ~

R. Papa replied: It is called an olive kerem but not kerem simply.

~ Solution: No, that other way would not have worked, so we do need the suggestion above. ~

Still the difficulty remains: How can you learn [other products] from the argument of a common factor, seeing that [wine and corn] have the common feature of being offered on the altar?

~ Question (again): Back to the problem at hand – how do we know that ALL produce requires a blessing? ~

Rather it is learnt from the seven species. Just as the seven species are something which being enjoyed requires a blessing, so everything which is enjoyed requires a blessing.

~ Suggestion: You can deduce it logically from the fact that the seven species require a blessing! ~

How can you argue from the seven species, since they are subject to the obligation of first-fruits (bikkurim)? And besides, granted that we learn from them that a blessing is to be said after eating, how do we know that a blessing is to be said before??

~ Problem: Can’t do that, because the seven species are special in other ways- can’t necessarily extrapolate to other things! Also, we still don’t know anything about blessing before! ~

This is no difficulty, being learnt a fortiori: If he says a blessing when he is full, how much more should he do so when he is hungry?

~ Solution: it’s logical to say that if you need a blessing after, you must need one before. ~

Now as for the one who interprets the verse as ‘planting of the fourth year’, he has proved his point with regard to anything planted. But from where does he learn that you have to make blessings for things that did not grow, such as meat, eggs and fish?

~ Problem: If you hold position a, we still only know about making blessings on crops. What about other foods? ~

Rather, it is logic: It is forbidden to a person to enjoy anything of this world without saying a blessing.

~ Answer: It’s just logical to say that you can’t eat without making a blessing first. ~

Our Rabbis have taught: It is forbidden to a person to enjoy anything of this world without a blessing, and if anyone enjoys anything of this world without a blessing, he commits me’ilah (improper use of a sanctified item).

~ Final answer: We have a baraita (early rabbinic teaching) that clearly states that one may not get benefit from the world without a blessing. ~