Wednesday, 10 February 2016

shehakol beracha - Why does the sheakol blessing focus on bidvaro (his word)? Why not bore et hakol?


Every day when eating/drinking we say many times the blessing "sheakol niye bidvaro" (who created everything through his word). This blessing is not composed like the other food blessings, e.g., we say bore pri haeitz, bore pri haadama, bore mine mezonot, bore pri hagafen.


So why is sheakol focusing on bidvaro, creating all through his word?


Why not she bore et hakol or something similar.


The source of the blessing (Brakhot 40b) is not of much help.



Answer



Rav Eliyahu Lifshitz of Maaleh Adumim explains that this is based on a fundamental conceptual difference between "shehakol" and the other birchoth hanehenin. He suggests that really only plant life (tzome'ach) was originally created for consumption. Thus the brachot - "borei minei mezonoth"/"borei pri..." suggest thanking for the creation of foodstuff. "Shehakol" is more an acknowledgement that even these things that were not primarily created as our food, also are created with His word and deserving of this recognition.



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