“And now, Israel, what does your God demand of you? Only this: to revere your God, to walk only in divine paths, and to love and to serve your God with all your heart and soul.” (Devarim 10:12)
How do we serve God? ONLY by walking in the divine path and serving God with all we have. No big deal.
Like any Jewish parent, God doesn’t ask for much…
The Talmud (Menachot 43b) notes the open-ended nature of this request. How can it be that “all” God demands is “merely” to be spiritually perfect? Rabbi Meir understands the verse as referring to a specific religious goal.
“A person is obligated to recite one
hundred blessings every day, as it is stated in the verse: ‘And now, Israel, what
[ma] does the Lord your God require of you.’ The verse requires mah
which is to be understood as though it said me’ah – one hundred.
God is demanding a specific number of blessings each day (me’ah) rather
than the open-ended quest for religiosity - mah (what).
How can 100 blessings a day take the place of revering God, walking in divine paths, and loving and serving God with all our heart and soul?
Rabbi Shmuel Eidels (16th century) and Rabbi Yosef Chaim (19th century) explain that reciting numerous blessings daily cannot replace other aspects of Judaism. Reciting 100 blessings a day, however, creates a religious mindset and worldview which does nudge us to be more aware of God and God’s blessings.
This can be compared to the Talmudic teaching (Berachot 4b) that one who says the Ashrei prayer three times a day is guaranteed a place in the World to Come. Is that all it takes? Eat, drink, and be merry – just remember to say Ashrei three times a day?!? The true meaning of the teaching is that someone who takes the time and makes the effort to pray properly each day – including all three times Ashrei is recited in the morning and afternoon- is likely the type of religious personality living the kind of life worthy of a place in the World to Come.
When I study with people who are converting to Judaism, there are many important ideas and practices. I always stress that prayer and blessings are ways to regularly connect with our faith in God. Other mitzvot can become habits or practices – kosher, Shabbat, holidays. We develop a rhythm of observance without always thinking more deeply about these rituals as being spiritual or connecting us to God. Prayer and blessings are different. They are exclusively about acknowledging we have a connection with God. Reciting 100 blessings a day pushes us to bring God into our lives throughout each day.
Should you think saying 100 blessings daily is a lot, I have two pieces of advice:
1) Reciting 100 blessings a day is easier than you think. The regular order of prayers and blessings contains 90 berachot. Reciting the Shemone Esrei three times a day is already 57 blessings. Throw in the Morning Blessings and Shema, and you’re at 90 before eating anything. A couple of meals and snacks, and you’re already there. (Shabbat, with shorter prayers, means you just must eat more.)
2) The number of blessings recited is less important than our need to count our blessings. What does the word “baruch” mean? It is often translated as “blessed.” When you plug this into the opening of any beracha, you get the expressions “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe…” What exactly does “Blessed are You” mean? Who speaks that way?
I prefer translating the word “baruch” as “the source of all blessing.” Translated this way, the opening of a beracha reads: “You, Lord our God, King of the universe are the source of all blessing…” This makes much more sense. A beracha is not describing God. A beracha is acknowledging the presence of God.
A new Gallup poll found that Americans’ belief in God has fallen to a new low. Seventy-four percent of Americans said they believe in God, down 16% over the last 20 years. The numbers aren’t any better within the Jewish community. I believe belief is personal and fluid. Not everyone believes the same way all the time. There are ebbs and flows. (That’s why Judaism focuses more on practice.) The Torah, as interpreted by Rabbi Meir, however, provides us with a mechanism for developing and exploring our faith: Count our blessings. Each time we stop to acknowledge what we have is what God gives us, we strengthen our connection with Judaism and with God.
100 blessings a day has got to keep something away – even as it can also bring us closer to God.
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