I am writing to you from Bangkok. One of the cities that sometimes reaches the dubious distinction of being in the top ten of the worst air polluted cities in the world.
The good news is that it is only seasonal. Therefore, Bangkok does not get the dishonorable title of being a ‘smog capital’ of the world.
It does draw our attention to the great importance of clean air.
Oxygen is the most critical ingredient of human life.
We can go for lengthy periods of time without eating, drinking or sleeping. We cannot go for more than a very short time without breathing.
How is it that we don’t make a special blessing for every breath we take?
The simplest answer is that while we must be mindful of the blessings inherent in every breath we take, since breathing is so constant, and so crucial, by thanking G-d for returning our soul in the morning we are essentially also thanking him for the gift of breathing.
The topic of blessings came up as I was giving my daily Talmud class between Mincha and Maariv at Bet Elisheva.
Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa said: Anyone who derives benefit from this world without a blessing, it is as if he stole from God and the community of Israel (Berachot 25, B)
The explanation of this is:
The Torah instructs us to thank G-d after eating. ‘You will eat, be satifisifed and bless Hashem’. This is referred to as ‘Birkat Hamazon’ the ‘Grace after Meals’.
The Rabbis in the Talmud took that one step further.
Not just must we thank G-d AFTER eating, we ought to bless and ‘ask permission’ of G-d before eating as well.
Simply put, since G-d is the owner of the world and its contents, it behooves us to acknowledge and ask permission before partaking of the bounty of the world which we imbibe or experience.
Based on this premise, the Talmud states that if one eats without paying homage to G-d by making a blessing, one is stealing the blessing that was due to G-d for benefiting from the world.
Moreover, when one does not adequately thank G-d for the gifts of His world the blessings for the future success of the harvests are not forthcoming.
If there is no blessing, the yields of the fields and orchards of the land of Israel will drop.
When the output of the agricultural industry falls, the entire community suffers from having less produce.
Hence the statement of the Talmud, if one doesn’t make a blessing to thank G-d for His beneficence not just is he withholding blessing due to G-d, he is also causing a loss and thus ‘stealing’ from the entire community.
One of the attendees at the class commented ‘this seems to be a very big exaggeration’. How could one person not making a blessing be considered injurious to the entire nation?
His comment triggered the most inspiring realization.
Indeed, while it seems radical, the Talmud is saying that every single person’s behavior impacts the entire collective of the community.
Let’s go back to smog for a minute.
What is causing the smog in Bangkok?
Open burning (burning the remains of crops to clear farmland), vehicular emission and industrial pollution from factories.
All man made.
Not just the collective ‘society’ but ultimately every individual who makes up the society.
Every single farmer who puts on a fire, every factory owner who operates a pollution producing plant and yes, every one of us who drives a car contributes to the smog.
This is a reason to jump for joy.
For whatever is true in the negative is also (and even more) true in the positive.
When we flip this conversation to the positive side what becomes joyfully evident is that each and every one of us has an impact and is RELEVANT to all of us:
YOU MATTER.
I MATTER.
What you and I do impacts not just us but everybody,
One of the leading causes of lack of motivation, apathy and even (non-clinical) depression is the feeling of IRRELEVANCE.
I have witnessed energetic people fall into inactivity and depression when they lose their role of leadership on their homes, workplace of community.
On the flip side, I have been amazed at how apathetic and seemingly lazy people beyond repair have had a rejuvenation and rebirth when they felt that they were needed for something.
Feeling and knowing that you make a difference and are relevant is the difference between living aimlessly or living purposefully.
Everyone is needed.
The Midrash says, while G-d has myriads of angels who praise Him constantly, it is specifically from his His earthly people that He desires praise.
As the prophet Yeshayahu (Isaah 43:21) says in the name of G-d:
This people I formed for Myself; they shall recite My praise.
So, every time you make a blessing and praise G-d you are exercising the purpose of your creation, and you are providing something to G-d that He desires.
To bless G-d. Every blessing makes a difference. To G-d (so to speak) and to the collective.
What could be more meaningful than that?
Not just does G-d desire and receive your praise, the entire community is blessed when you do your part in contributing to the collective goal.
(To read further and deeper on this topic click here).
Feeling down in the dumps?
Take a deep breath and remind yourself that Hashem gives you life, every breath is given by Him.
G-d keeps you alive because he chooses to need you.
In the words of Rabbi Yisrael Ba’al Shem Tov, the founder of Chasidism, “Every Jew is as precious to G-d as an only son born to his parents in their old age is to them – and, in fact, even more precious.”
Plan to do the things that you can do to fulfil your mission here on earth.
Do mitzvahs.
Make blessings.
Breathe.
May G-d bless us all with the health, wisdom and wherewithal needed to serve Him with JOY!!!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yosef Kantor