Rebbetzin Leah Gans
Love for the Almighty
Making a habit of reflecting on the praises with which we glorify the Almighty and striving to understand each word elevates a person to the highest level—love for the Almighty.
Rav Yaakov Horowitz, the brother of the author of "Shelah HaKadosh," writes in his book "Yesh Nochalin": "Anyone who pays attention to the explanations and meaning of the wondrous praises and honorific epithets will surely awaken to this on his own, and this (understanding) will gradually enter his heart, day after day… and then Awe of Heaven and the majesty of the King of kings will enter (his heart)… and he will rise from level to level until he reaches the highest level—Love for the Almighty."
Thus, we see that this level is attainable. It takes some effort, but that effort will be rewarded.
When I began preparing this lesson, I was surprised. You might think I was talking about familiar things—what is there to say about blessings? But since then my own blessings have changed completely. I am going to tell you about the frame of mind to have before a blessing—but what am I thinking myself? After all, it takes just a moment to focus on the thought of the Master of the Universe! A moment!
I have a neighbor whose daughter died of the well-known illness at the age of 12. Just as they were getting ready to celebrate the girl's bat mitzvah. We did not know she was so ill—they said it was the mononucleosis virus. I was at my neighbor's house when she recited the blessing "Asher Yatzar" (the bracha after using the bathroom). She recited it aloud, word by word—I still cannot forget what a heartfelt bracha it was! I think she undertook to recite the blessing so slowly and thoughtfully when her daughter was ill, or perhaps after her daughter had already died, for the elevation of her soul. When you hear a blessing recited like that, you do not need the words explained. An understanding of holiness comes naturally.
I know a woman who teaches at a special institution for the blind. She says that those who have been successfully treated (for example, by having surgery) can no longer recite the blessing "Who gives sight to the blind" without inner focus!
Thank G-d, we were born healthy and free. That is why we do not understand how one can suddenly find oneself blind, bent over, or imprisoned. We can afford to buy clothing—and do not feel what it means to be naked. That is why it is hard for us to understand that, were it not for the Almighty, if He did not grant us sight at every moment, we would be blind. It is not only those who were blind and gained their sight: each of us receives sight through the Almighty's will.
All the brachot we recite concern things we actually lack! And the L-rd creates them for us. It is worth closing your eyes and thinking about this.
Teaching Children
With children, your own example makes all the difference. If a child sees from earliest childhood that their parents recite blessings aloud, they too will learn to recite blessings. We should begin teaching children to recite blessings at about the age of 6-7 (gil chinuch—the age of education). But with little children, we should not insist. We teach them gently and gradually. Sometimes it is hard for little ones to recite the entire "Birkat Hamazon"; for such cases, there is a short nusach [for children only]. The child should not feel that it is an overwhelming burden.
to be continuedPrepared by — Mrs. Zissi Skarzhinskaya