(א) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל שַׁבָּת:
We praise You Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has commanded us with mitzvot to light the lights of Shabbat
הגה: יש מי שאומר שמברכים קודם ההדלקה ויש מי שאומר שמברך אחר ההדלקה וכדי שיהא עובר לעשייתו לא יהנה ממנה עד לאחר הברכה. ומשימין היד לפני הנר אחר ההדלקה ומברכין , ואחר כך מסלקין היד וזה מקרי עובר לעשיה וכן המנהג.
Rama: Some say to make the Bracha before lighting. Some say to make it after lighting, and in order to observe to not derive the benefit of the mitzvah until after the Bracha. [You can do this by] putting your hand over the candle after you light it, and then you make the Bracha, and then you take away your hand.
אמר רבא פשיטא לי נר ביתו ונר חנוכה נר ביתו עדיף משום שלום ביתו נר ביתו וקידוש היום נר ביתו עדיף משום שלום ביתו בעי רבא נר חנוכה וקידוש היום מהו קידוש היום עדיף דתדיר או דילמא נר חנוכה עדיף משום פרסומי ניסא בתר דאבעיא הדר פשטה נר חנוכה עדיף משום פרסומי ניסא:
Rava said: It is obvious to me that there is fixed list of priorities. When a person is poor and must choose between purchasing oil to light a Shabbat lamp for his home or purchasing oil to light a Hanukkah lamp, the Shabbat lamp for his home takes precedence. This is due to peace in his home [shalom bayit]; without the light of that lamp, his family would be sitting and eating their meal in the dark. Similarly, if there is a conflict between acquiring oil to light a lamp for his home and wine for the sanctification [kiddush] of Shabbat day, the lamp for his home takes precedence due to peace in his home [shalom bayit] .
Seeing the Shabbat lights as a utilitarian, the Talmud doesn't prescribe a blessing for the lighting of candles.
(א) יְהֵא זָהִיר לַעֲשׂוֹת נֵר יָפֶה, וְיֵשׁ מְכַוְּנִים לַעֲשׂוֹת ב' פְּתִילוֹת אֶחָד כְּנֶגֶד זָכוֹר וְאֶחָד כְּנֶגֶד שָׁמוֹר. הַגָּה: וִיכוֹלִין לְהוֹסִיף וּלְהַדְלִיק ג' אוֹ ד' נֵרוֹת, וְכֵן נָהֲגוּ. הָאִשָּׁה שֶׁשָּׁכְחָה פַּעַם אַחַת לְהַדְלִיק, מַדְלֶקֶת כָּל יָמֶיהָ ג' נֵרוֹת (מהרי''ל) כִּי יְכוֹלִין לְהוֹסִיף עַל דָּבָר הַמְכֻוָּן נֶגֶד דָּבָר אַחֵר, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יִפְחֹת (אֲשֵׁרִ''י וּמָרְדְּכַי מס' רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה ר''פ יוֹם טוֹב).
Be meticulous to make sure to beautify the lighting of the Shabbat light. There are those who light two candles, in relation to the two ways we are commanded to honor shabbat, remember Shabbat (Exodus 20:8), and to keep Shabbat (Deuteronomy 5:12)
Moses Isserles: There are also those who light three or even four lights, which is their custom. You can always add to the light with more lights for additional family members, or for whatever reason, but you can never subtract.
רש"י על שבת כ״ה ב: הדלקת נר בשבת - שלא היה לו ממה להדליק ובמקום שאין נר אין שלום שהולך ונכשל והולך באפילה:
Rashi on Shabbat 25b Lighting the Sabbath Candle
That he didn't have anything with which to light. And in a place where there is no candle, there is no "Shalom", that one walks and stumbles and walks in darkness.
אחד האנשים ואחד הנשים, חייבים להיות בבתיהם נר דלוק בשבת
Both men and women are obligated to have a lit candle in their house on Shabbos
Rabbi Shl'lomo Lieb of Lentchna once told his friend Rabbi Yitzhak of Vorki, that we do not say "good evening" on Shabbat, instead we say "Shabbat Shalom," because on Shabbat, there is no darkness, we only have light (Hassidic Story)
(יג) ולברך עליו. דהדלקת נר חובה משום שלום בית שלא יכשול בעץ או באבן (מרדכי)...
We say a blessing (when lighting Shabbat Candles): For lighting (Shabbat) candles is a requirement in order that one will have peace in our homes, so that one won't stubble on wood or stone...
ומפני מה ניתן לה מצות חלה? על ידי שקלקלה את אדם הראשון, שהיה גמר חלתו של עולם, לפיכך ניתן לה מצות חלה. ומפני מה ניתן לה מצות נר שבת? אמר להן: על ידי שכבתה נשמתו של אדם הראשון. לפיכך, ניתן לה מצות נר שבת.
And why was she (Chava, woman) given the commandment of challah? Because she disgraced the first man, who was the sanctification (challah) of creation, therefore she was given the commandment of challah. And why was woman given the commandment of lighting Shabbat candles? He (God) said to them: because she put out the soul of the first man, therefore she was given the commandment of Shabbat candles.
מי שהוא אצל אשתו אין צריך להדליק בחדרו ולברך עליו, לפי שאשתו מברכת בשבילו.
If someone is lighting together with his wife, then he doesn't not need to light himself in his room, rather his wife can make the Bracha for him
והנשים מוזהרות בו יותר כדאיתא במדרש מפני שכבתה נרו של עולם פירוש גרמה מיתה לאדם הראשון והרמב"ם ז"ל נתן טעם לדבר מפני שמצויות בבית ועוסקות בצרכי הבית
[Both men and women are commanded to light,] but women are more commanded than men, as it says in the Midrash: Since she extinguished the lamp of the world, meaning she caused the death of the first human. And the Rambam explains [that women are more obligated] because they are found at home and they take care of household needs
וכשהיא יולדת בשבת ראשונה מדליק הבעל ומברך
For the first Shabbos after a woman gives birth, the man should light and make the Bracha
Shalom Aleichem
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם, מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת, מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן, מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:
בּוֹאֲכֶם לְשָׁלוֹם, מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם, מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן, מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:
בָּרְכוּנִי לְשָׁלוֹם, מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם, מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן, מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:
צֵאתְכֶם לְשָׁלוֹם, מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם, מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן, מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:
[שוּבְכֶם לְשָׁלוֹם, מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם, מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן, מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:]
Peace upon you, ministering angels, messengers of the Most High,
of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
Come in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
Bless me with peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
May your departure be in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High, of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
[May you return in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High, of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.]
Is it appropriate to ask angels to leave? There was once a certain rabbi so distrubed by the idea that he refused to recite it. Instead, he said, we may only ask the eangels to leave when they choose to leave, and their departure should take place in peace.
Debbie Friedman's composition instead opts to replace the requests for angels to leave by asking them instead to "return in peace, שובכם"
תניא ר' יוסי בר יהודה אומר שני מלאכי השרת מלוין לו לאדם בע"ש מבית הכנסת לביתו אחד טוב ואחד רע וכשבא לביתו ומצא נר דלוק ושלחן ערוך ומטתו מוצעת מלאך טוב אומר יהי רצון שתהא לשבת אחרת כך ומלאך רע עונה אמן בעל כרחו ואם לאו מלאך רע אומר יהי רצון שתהא לשבת אחרת כך ומלאך טוב עונה אמן
A Beraita taught that Rabbi Yossi bar Yehudah said: two ministering angels escort a person from the synagogue to his home on erev Shabbat: one good and one bad. And when he comes to his house, if he finds that the candles are lit and the table is set and his bed is made, the good angel will say: "May it be the will of God that it should be this way next Shabbat as well." And the bad angel is forced to answer "amen" against his will. And if it isn't [like this], the bad angel will say: "May it be the will of God that it should be this way next Shabbat as well." And the good angel is forced to answer "amen" against his will.
I understand angels as personifications of life's experiences, so I do not worry about justifying their existence as real beings. At the same time, I am appreciative of the sheer poetry of angel-talk. As embodied creatures, we understand concrete things more than abstractions. Given Jewish belief in an unembodied God beyond all representation,
angel-talk provides a graphic and emotionally potent way to conceptualize God at work in the world. None of this suggests that, because healing comes from Refael, for example, we should relinquish our own responsibility to heal through research and medical care. But if we do not make the angels idols, or pray to them as it they can replace God, then talk of angels is a helpful personification of the workings of God in our lives.–– Elliot Dorff
All week long a person is conflicted: the body pulling in one direction, the soul in another. But on Shabbat, the power of holiness is so strong that body and soul at last make peace with one another and, for this reason, the angels bless us. This seems to imply that the angels represent dimensions of our own psyches, which, on Shabbat, finally attain a harmonious balance. ––Rabbi Shmuel of Sochtchov
(א) אמנם שהמלאכים נמצאים - זה ממה שאין צריך שתובא עליו ראיה תוריה כי זה כתוב ב'תורה' במקומות רבים. וכבר ידעת כי 'אלוקים' - שם השופטים "עד האלוקים יבוא דבר שניהם"; ולזה הושאל השם למלאכים ולאלוה - להיות שופט על המלאכים; ולזה אמר כי יי' אלוקיכם" - וזה סיפור למין האדם כולו - ואחר כך אמר "הוא אלוקי האלוקים" - רצונו לומר אלוה המלאכים - "ואדוני האדונים" - אדון הגלגלים והכוכבים שהם 'אדונים' לכל גוף זולתם. זהו הענין לא שיהיה 'אלוקי' ו'אדונים' ממין האדם שהם יותר פחותים מזה; וכל שכן שאמרו 'אלוקיכם' כולל כל מין האדם ראשיו ונעבדיו. ואי אפשר שיהיה הנרצה בו גם כן שהוא ית' אדון על כל מה שיחשב בו אלוהות מאבן ועץ שאין הגדלה וכבוד בהיות האלוה אדון האבן והעץ וחתיכת מתכת; ואמנם הנרצה - שהוא ית' השופט על השופטים - רצוני לומר המלאכים - ואדון הגלגלים:
(ב) וכבר קדם לנו בזה המאמר פרק בבאור המלאכים אינם גופות. וזה גם כן הוא מה שאמרו אריסטו; אלא שהנה - התחלפות שם הוא יאמר שכלים נפרדים ואנו נאמר 'מלאכים'. ואמנם אמרו הוא שאלו השכלים הנפרדים הם גם כן אמצעיים בין האלוה ית' ובין הנמצאות ושבאמצעותם יתנועעו הגלגלים אשר הוא סיבת היות ההוות - זה גם כן כתוב בכל הספרים שאתה לא תמצא כלל פועל שיעשהו האלוה אלא 'על ידי מלאך'. וכבר ידעת שענין 'מלאך' שליח וכל עושה מעשה מצוה הוא 'מלאך' עד שתנועות בעלי החיים ואפילו שאינם מדברים סיפר הכתוב עליהם שהם 'על ידי מלאך' כשתאות התנועה ההיא לכונת האלוה אשר שם בו כח יניעהו התנועה ההיא. אמר "אלוקי שלחני מלאכה וסגר פום אריותא ולא חבלוני" - ותנועות 'אתון בלעם' כולם 'על ידי מלאך'; עד שהיסודות יקראו גם כן 'מלאכים' "עושה מלאכיו רוחות משרתיו אש לוהט". והנה יתבאר לך ש'מלאך' יאמר על השליח מן האנשים "וישלח יעקב מלאכים"; ויאמר על הנביא "ויעל מלאך יי מן הגלגל אל הבוכים"; "וישלח מלאך ויוציאנו ממצרים"; ויאמר על השכלים הנפרדים שיראו לנביאים 'במראה הנבואה'; ויאמר על הכוחות החיוניות כמו שנבאר.
(ג)
Moses ben Maimon/Maimonides (Spain/Egypt 1138-1204)
(1) As for the existence of angels, there is no necessity to cite any proof from Scripture, where the fact is frequently mentioned.
(2) We have already stated above that the angels are incorporeal. This agrees with the opinion of Aristotle: there is only this difference in the names employed--he uses the term "Intelligences," and we say instead "angels." ... But "angel" means "messenger"; hence every one that is entrusted with a certain mission is an angel.
The elements are also called angels. ... It is also used of ideals, perceived by prophets in prophetic visions, and of man's animal powers, as will be explained in another place.
(3) [As for the texts that say] "God does nothing without consulting the host above..."
These passages do not convey the idea that God spoke, thought, reflected, or that God consulted and employed the opinion of other beings, as ignorant persons have believed. How could the Creator be assisted by those whom God created! They only show that all parts of the Universe, even the limbs of animals in their actual form, are produced through angels: for natural forces and angels are identical. How bad and injurious is the blindness of ignorance!
Our Sages have already stated--for those who have understanding--that all forces that reside in a body are angels, much more the forces that are active in the Universe. The theory that each force acts only in one particular way, is expressed in Beresheet Rabba (chap. 1.) as follows: "One angel does not perform two things, and two angels do not perform one thing"; this is exactly the property of all forces.
"R. Jochanan said that Judah was about to pass by [without noticing Tamar], but God caused the angel of lust, i.e., the libidinous disposition, to present himself to him." Man's disposition is here called an angel.
(4) We have already stated that the forms in which angels appear form part of the prophetic vision. Some prophets see angels in the form of man, others perceive an angel as a fearful and terrible being, others see them as fire,
Another passage in Beresheet Rabba (ibid.) runs thus: "Before the angels have accomplished their task they are called men, when they have accomplished it they are angels."
Kiddish קידוש
בלחש - וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בקֶר:
יום הַשִּׁשִּׁי. וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ וְכָל צְבָאָם:
וַיְכַל אֱלהִים בַּיּום הַשְּׁבִיעִי מְלַאכְתּו אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה. וַיִּשְׁבּת בַּיּום הַשְּׁבִיעִי מִכָּל מְלַאכְתּו אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה:
וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלהִים אֶת יום הַשְּׁבִיעִי וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אתו. כִּי בו שָׁבַת מִכָּל מְלַאכְתּו אֲשֶׁר בָּרָא אֱלהִים לַעֲשׂות:
סַבְרִי מָרָנָן וְרַבָּנָן וְרַבּותַי:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה'. אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם בּורֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם. אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְותָיו וְרָצָה בָנוּ. וְשַׁבַּת קָדְשׁו בְּאַהֲבָה וּבְרָצון הִנְחִילָנוּ. זִכָּרון לְמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית. כִּי הוּא יום תְּחִלָּה לְמִקְרָאֵי קדֶשׁ זֵכֶר לִיצִיאַת מִצְרָיִם. כִּי בָנוּ בָחַרְתָּ וְאותָנוּ קִדַּשְׁתָּ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים וְשַׁבַּת קָדְשְׁךָ בְּאַהֲבָה וּבְרָצון הִנְחַלְתָּנוּ: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה'. מְקַדֵּשׁ הַשַּׁבָּת:
[Evening became morning]: The sixth day. And the heavens and the earth and all that filled them were complete.
And on the seventh day God completed the labor He had performed, and He refrained on the seventh day from all the labor which He had performed. And God blessed the seventh day and He sanctified it, for He then refrained from all his labor - from the act of creation that God had performed.
Permit me, distinguished ones, rabbis, guests and colleagues:
Blessed are You, the Lord our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine. (Amen)
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments, and hoped for us, and with love and intent invested us with His sacred Sabbath, as a memorial to the deed of Creation. It is the first among the holy festivals, commemorating the exodus from Egypt. For You chose us, and sanctified us, out of all nations, and with love and intent You invested us with Your Holy Sabbath.
Blessed are You, Adonai, Sanctifier of the Sabbath. (Amen)
Because ritual remembrance is a category of the sacred, and because Judaism and Christianity are religions where remembering is central, we can learn a lot about even the secular act of remembrance by borrowing terms and concepts from Jewish-Christian understanding. . . .
Ever since, the primary liturgical act for Christians has been the Eucharist, a ritualized replication of that moment, described by the Greek term for remembrance, anamnesis: The New Dictionary of Sacramental Worship calls the Greek word ”practically untranslatable in English. ‘Memorial,’ ‘commemoration,’ ‘remembrance’ all suggest a recollection of the past, whereas anamnesis means making present an object or person from the past.” What matters is this sense of “making present,” as if past and present coalesce into a single intensive experience of “now.” It is as if we are able to inhabit two separate points in time simultaneously. Time stops momentarily (and momentously), as “then” and “now” become the same. . . .
In lieu of the Greek anamnesis, the specifically Jewish contribution is the parallel Hebrew word for remembrance, zekher (or zikaron, a variant that means the same thing). We hear regularly of a zekher with reference to the Temple, creation, leaving Egypt, and other events and realities of another era. But the most telling use of zekher comes from the Talmud which employs the term legally by saying, “There may be no proof for such and such a proposition, but there is a zekher for it.” Zecher Can hardly mean “remembrance” here. It is better translated as,” pointer.”
Now we understand ritual remembrance. It is a pointer that fastens our attention across time, space, and even logic. It attaches where we are to somewhere else we wish to be. It rivets our consciousness on our inherent connectivity to something that might otherwise be lost among the disparate sense perceptions that constantly assail us, as if to say that regardless of how our lives may change, this particular pathway of attentiveness must never be lost. We move on with our lives when the moment of remembrance ends, but the connecting tissue to the event being memorialized attends us wherever we go, deepening our sense of what matters and committing ourselves to the lessons that flow from it.
––Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman
דאמר רב המנונא כל המתפלל בע"ש ואומר ויכולו מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו נעשה שותף להקב"ה במעשה בראשית שנאמר ויכולו אל תקרי ויכולו אלא ויכלו
Rav Hamnuna said: Anyone who prays on Shabbat evening and recites the passage of vaykhullu, the verse ascribed him credit as if he became a partner with the Holy One, Blessed be He, in the act of Creation. As it is stated: “And the heavens and the earth were finished [vaykhullu ].” Do not read it as: Were finished [vaykhullu ]; rather, as: They finished [vaykhallu ]. It is considered
as though the Holy One, Blessed be He, and the individual who says this become partners and completed the work together.
שאני יין דגורם ברכה לעצמו
Wine is a special drink different than all other drinks, because it necessitates a benediction for itself.
Zecher L'tziyat Mitzrayim- the remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt
Zikaron Ma'aseh Bereshit- the remembrance of the works of Creation
The Rabbis thought of time the way we think of space. For them, it was possible literally to revisit the past or, better, to summon the past to reappear before us again, as if we were in it all over again. "Memory," then, in the sense of zecher or zikaron, denotes real revisiting of time. These words are like a signpost in time, pointing our way as we revisit it, the way a directional sign at a crossroads sends us to a destination in space where we have stood before. ––Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman
Rashi’s explanation is that wine is unique because one recites a blessing over it together with other blessings like kiddush and havdala. Others explained that it is more significant than other beverages as an exclusive blessing was designated for it (Rabbeinu Hananel). Yet
others explain that not only does it have an exclusive blessing, but that blessing includes mention of the vine itself, while in the blessing over other fruits, the name of the particular tree is not mentioned (Rashbam).
(טו) וְיַ֤יִן ׀ יְשַׂמַּ֬ח לְֽבַב־אֱנ֗וֹשׁ לְהַצְהִ֣יל פָּנִ֣ים מִשָּׁ֑מֶן
(15) And wine gladdens the heart of humanity, Making the face brighter than oil
You Have Chosen Us: Unlike the Kiddish for holidays, the Shabat version omits the phrase "who has chosen us" (asher bachar banu), becauze the mitzvah of Shabbat was given at Mara (San. 56b, on Exod. 16:29), and only later, at Sinai, were we chosen asGod's people (Abudarham). But on Shabbat (though not on holidays) we say b'ahavah uvratson ("lovingly and adoringly")-using the word ratson, which means not only "adoringly" but also "willingly -to imply free will, for, according to the Talmud (Shab. 88a), we accepted Torah at Sinai under compulsion: "They stood at the foot of [literally, "underneath"] the mountain" (Exod. 19:17). This teaches us that God suspended the mountain over them as a tub, saying: "If you accept my Torah, good! If not, then this shall be your burial place!" At Mara, however, we accepted Shabbat freely (Ramban L'am [ed. Mordecai Leib Sacks, mid-twentieth century, Jerusalem] to Maimonides,
"Shabbat" 29:2).
Motzi
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה , אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth
(ז) מה היה אותו האילן שאכל ממנו אדם וחוה? ר"מ אומר: חטים היו. כד לא הוה בר נש דיעה, אינון אמרין: לא אכל ההוא אינשא פיתא דחיטי מן יומוי. רבי שמואל בר ר' יצחק בעי קמי רבי זעירא אמר לו: אפשר חטים היו? אמר לו: הין. אמר לו: והכתיב עץ! אמר לו: מתמרות היו כארזי לבנון
(7) What was the tree, from which Adam and Eve ate? Rabbi Meir said, it was wheat [already baked into bread]. When a person lacks knowledge people say "That person has not eaten bread made from wheat even a day." Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzhak asked before Rabbi Zeira and said to him "Is it possible that it is wheat [that has already been processed into bread]?" He said to him, "Yes!" He said to him, "But isn't it written, 'tree'" He said to him, "It rose like the ceders of Lebanon"
מתני׳ כיצד מברכין על הפירות על פירות האילן הוא אומר בורא פרי העץ חוץ מן היין שעל היין הוא אומר בורא פרי הגפן ועל פירות הארץ הוא אומר בורא פרי האדמה חוץ מן הפת שעל הפת הוא אומר המוציא לחם מן הארץ ועל הירקות הוא אומר בורא פרי האדמה רבי יהודה אומר בורא מיני דשאים: גמ׳ מנא ה"מ דתנו רבנן (ויקרא יט, כד) קדש הלולים לה' מלמד שטעונים ברכה לפניהם ולאחריהם מכאן אמר ר"ע אסור לאדם שיטעום כלום קודם שיברך
MISHNAH What benediction do we say over fruit ? Over the fruit of trees, one says, "[Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe] Who Createst the fruit of the tree," except over wine ; for over wine ons says, "...Who createst the fruit of the vine." Over the fruits of the earth one says : "... Who createst the fruit of the ground," except over bread; for over bread one says, "...Who bringest forth bread from the earth." .... GEMARA Whence is this derived ? For our Rabbis have taught: "The fruit thereof shall be holy, for giving praise [hillulim] unto the Adonai" (Lev. 19:24) — this teaches that they require a benediction before and after partaking of them. A person is forbidden to taste anything before he recites a blessing, as without reciting praise over food, it belongs to God. Only after one blesses food does one transform the food into a gift from God.
״וַיְדַבֵּר אֵלַי זֶה הַשֻּׁלְחָן אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵי ה׳״, פָּתַח בְּמִזְבֵּחַ וְסִיֵּים בְּשֻׁלְחָן! רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן וְרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר דְּאָמְרִי תַּרְוַיְיהוּ: כׇּל זְמַן שֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּים — מִזְבֵּחַ מְכַפֵּר עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְעַכְשָׁיו, שֻׁלְחָנוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם מְכַפֵּר עָלָיו.
(Ezekiel 41:22), and it is written in the continuation of that verse: “And he said unto me: This is the table that is before the Lord.” The language of this verse is difficult, as it begins with the altar and concludes with the table. Rather, Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Elazar both say: As long as the Temple stood, the altar atoned for Israel’s transgressions. Now that it is destroyed, a person’s table atones for his transgressions.