English translation — עקב א

A.

At the beginning of the order of Birkat

HaNehenin

the Alter Rebbe writes: "It is a positive commandment from the Torah to bless after eating food, as it is said

And you shall eat and be satisfied and bless the Lord."

This very wording,

which the Alter Rebbe also quotes in his Shulchan Aruch,

is taken from the Rambam

(beginning of Hilchot Berachot)

; however, there are changes in the wording of the Alter Rebbe

(in his aforementioned books)

relative to the wording of the Rambam,

and also changes between the wordings in his Shulchan Aruch and Seder Birkat HaNehenin:

a)

In Rambam⁶

And the order of blessings of benefit is the wording "positive commandment ..

to bless after eating of food etc."; in Shulchan Aruch is the

The Alter Rebbe adds "

(positive commandment ..

to bless)

<b>Hashem </b>etc.".

b)

The Rambam quotes from the verse also the word “

(and you shall bless the L‑rd)

<b>your G‑d</b>"⁷

: the Alter Rebbe in Shulchan Aruch alludes to the continuation of the verse with the word “etc.”: and in Seder Birkas HaNehenin it only says “and you shall bless the L‑rd”

(without “etc.”).

The precision in this

(change regarding the “etc.”)

is even more prominent: in the continuation of the section — both in Shulchan Aruch and in Seder Birkas HaNehenin — the Alter Rebbe says⁸

“Whoever benefits from this world

(from this world)

without a blessing is as if he benefited from the sacred things of heaven, as it is said⁹

‘To the L‑rd is the earth and its fullness’ — and regarding <b>this </b>law there is a change in an opposite manner: in Shulchan Aruch he does not add “etc.”¹⁰ after the words of the verse,

and specifically in Seder Birkas HaNehenin he <b>does </b>add “etc.”!

And although superficially it seems that these are minor changes,

knowing however how precise is the language of the Rambam and of the Alter Rebbe,

and especially in our case where the Alter Rebbe changes the language that he copies from the Rambam,

and likewise the Alter Rebbe changes from his own language in his Shulchan Aruch — it is certain that the changes are with intention.

B.

The first change between the language of the Rambam and the Alter Rebbe's language in the Shulchan Aruch can be explained:

The Rambam says "to bless"

(plainly)

— not adding "the L-rd" — because in the "heading"¹¹

of the Laws of Blessings the Rambam says "one positive commandment,

and it is to bless <b>the great and holy Name</b> after eating",

therefore the Rambam does not need to repeat and say "to bless <b>the L-rd</b>" in the body of the law¹²

(and especially since this is the first law of the Laws of Blessings,

it comes immediately after the aforementioned "heading").

However, in the old Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch,

where there is no such introduction,

he says in the law that the positive commandment is "to bless <b>the L-rd</b>".

One must, however, understand: why does the

(Rambam

(in the heading)

and the)

Alter Rebbe in general establish "a positive commandment ..

to bless &lt;b&gt;Hashem&lt;/b&gt;" — this is stated &lt;b&gt;explicitly&lt;/b&gt; in the verse

(which they bring here)

"And you shall bless &lt;b&gt;Hashem&lt;/b&gt;"?

On the other hand,

if one needs to establish this,

it is difficult

(as above, section 1)

— why does the Alter Rebbe &lt;b&gt;omit&lt;/b&gt; this in the order of blessings over enjoyments?

3.

One will understand this based on the explanation of the difference between the purpose of the composition of

(the Rambam and)

Shulchan Aruch — and the order of the blessings of enjoyment:

The Rambam and the Shulchan Aruch were composed as a collection and "gathering" of halachic rulings; the difference is only,

that the Rambam is "one who gathers the entire Oral Torah"¹³

—also the laws which are not applicable in the present time,

and the Shulchan Aruch contains only the laws which are relevant in the present time.

The common denominator in them is,

that these are collected laws.

The order of the blessings over enjoyment the Alter Rebbe inserted into the siddur¹⁴,

which siddur,

includes also the laws in the siddur,

are connected with practical conduct in daily life¹⁵

(as we see it in the "Laws of Morning Hand-Washing",

"Laws of Tzitzis", etc.,

which from them the Alter Rebbe <b>selected</b> to insert into the siddur)¹⁶.

H.

That the laws of the order of the blessings over enjoyment are written

(not in a style of study for the sake of <b>knowledge</b> of laws,

but)

in a style of — <b>practical instructions for action</b>¹⁷.

D.

4.

One of the differences that branch out from this between the language of — the Alter Rebbe in the Shulchan Aruch and the language of Seder Birkas HaNehenin

(and the halachos in the Siddur in general)

In Seder Birkas HaNehenin,

instructions for conduct immediately in practice¹⁸,

is the precision of the language mainly to ensure that <b>the </b>halacha should clearly bring out how the <b>conduct immediately on the spot </b>must be; but it is not so concerned with the precision of the language to ensure what one will derive from this <b>to another </b>conduct,

regarding a <b>different </b>halacha.

But not so in the Shulchan Aruch,

which is a collection of all the rulings of halachos,

is the precision

the language in a manner that ensures that one should not derive from it any matter that is not upheld in the Shulchan Aruch

(where it should not be).

Based on this, one will understand why in the Shulchan Aruch the Alter Rebbe is precise and adds "

(to bless)

Hashem" and in Seder Birkas HaNehenin he leaves this out:

There is a principle¹⁹,

that the word "es" <b>in the Written Torah</b>

(but generally not in the Oral Torah²⁰

) is an amplification.

In the manner that we learn²¹

from "Hashem your G-d you shall fear"²²

— "to include Torah scholars".

And likewise in our verse "And you shall eat etc. and bless <b>es</b> Hashem your G-d" — the word "es" is an amplification,

as it stands in the early authorities²³

: "And you shall bless es — to include the householder",

and therefore the halacha is "the guest²⁴

blesses

(the Grace after Meals)

so that he should bless for the householder".

Therefore the Alter Rebbe must be precise in his Shulchan Aruch "a positive commandment from the Torah to bless &lt;b&gt;Hashem&lt;/b&gt;" — to negate an error,

that one should not think that the "positive commandment &lt;b&gt;from the Torah&lt;/b&gt;" includes also the blessing to the homeowner&lt;sup&gt;25&lt;/sup&gt;

(which is derived from the word "et",

as above).

However, in the order of blessings over enjoyment,

where it is important

(only)

to bring out clearly the practice on the spot,

the addition "to bless Hashem" is not necessary,

because it says &lt;b&gt;in the Siddur&lt;/b&gt; "and you shall bless Hashem your God",

also,

it is understood by itself that the blessing after the meal is to the Most High

(and in addition he brings immediately afterwards in the order of blessings over enjoyment the verse "and you shall bless &lt;b&gt;Hashem&lt;/b&gt;").

And further to add: In Seder Birkas HaNehenin the law is not brought²⁶

"The guest blesses in order that he should bless the householder,"

and consequently one need not guard in Seder Birkas HaNehenin the aforementioned error

(that the positive commandment from the Torah does not include blessing for the householder)

: in contrast, in

(Rambam 6)

Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe where the law is indeed brought.

5.

Another difference between the old Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch and Seder Birkas HaNehenin that emerges from the aforementioned difference

(3)

— is in the matter of <b>reasons for </b>the laws:

The novelty of the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch

(regarding the Shulchan Aruch of the Beis Yosef)

is that he says "milsa betaama",

"halachos

betaameihen²⁷

; but not so the halachos in the Siddur are merely piskei hanhagos regarding <b>l'maaseh b'foal</b>.

And even though that also in the Siddur are brought in various places²⁸

taamei hahalacha

(in brief)

— is the difference between the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe and his Siddur:

The Alter Rebbe inserted the reasons of the laws into the Shulchan Aruch so that it should not be on the order of "without a world"&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;,

for the sake of &lt;b&gt;knowledge of the Torah&lt;/b&gt;&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;,

which is to know "laws with their reasons

(in a brief way)

But not so in the Siddur

(and likewise the order of the blessing of enjoyment)

whose subject is rulings of conduct &lt;b&gt;for practical law&lt;/b&gt;,

also the reasons that are brought there

(not for the sake of &lt;b&gt;knowledge of the reasons&lt;/b&gt;,

but)

for the sake of knowing more clearly the conduct for practical law in actuality,

make it "tastier" with more intention,

vitality etc.&lt;sup&gt;32&lt;/sup&gt;.

As one sees it in many places,

where one brings the reason of the law

(in brief).

6.

Based on this one will also understand the second change

(above section 1)

between the language of the Shulchan Aruch and the language of Seder Birkat HaNehenin:

In the Shulchan Aruch,

where the Alter Rebbe brings the reasons of the laws for the sake of knowledge

(as above),

he also brings

(in several places)

the verses from which one learns the laws: And so in our case the Alter Rebbe brings the verse for the positive commandment from the Torah to bless after eating a meal³³

— "And you shall eat and be satisfied and bless the Lord your God."

And therefore the Alter Rebbe afterwards also adds "veGomer" — because in the knowledge of the study of Grace after Meals "from the Torah" is relevant

(Not only the words "and you shall bless the L-rd",

but)

also the <b>continuation </b>of the verse,

as the Alter Rebbe brings down in his Shulchan Aruch³⁴,

that from the words "on the good land" that are in the verse one learns,

that <b>from the Torah </b>the Grace after Meals must include a blessing "on the land and on the Temple

(Jerusalem)

where the <b>derivation </b>

(for halacha)

the aforementioned is <b>not </b>brought³⁶,

it only says "and you shall bless the L-rd your G-d" — without the addition of "veGo" — because in <b>the </b>halacha

(the "positive commandment ..

to bless after eating food")

is relevant only "and you shall bless the L-rd your G-d"³⁷].

But in

(Siddur³⁸,

including)

order of the blessings of enjoyment,

where the reasons only come to clarify the

(halachah)

conduct,

it is not relevant to bring the verses.

Nevertheless, the Alter Rebbe brings the verse in our matter,

because the verse expresses the <b>definition</b>

(which emerges from the reason)

of the halachah,

the additional understanding,

intent and taste in the conduct

The definition

(and the reason)

of Grace After Meals is — "And you shall eat and be satisfied and bless the Lord": since he has become full,

one must for that bless

(thank)

the Most High.

(regarding all blessings over enjoyments)

— "And whoever enjoys from this world etc. is as if he enjoys from holy things" — since one derives enjoyment from a thing that belongs "to the Lord" one must bless Him for it

(in the manner of Grace After Meals,

where satiety obligates a blessing)].

And therefore he omits the "v'gomer" — because in this category of Birkas HaMazon, the continuation of the verse is not relevant,

even not the word "Elokecha,"

<b>And on the contrary</b>: not only is "Elokecha" not necessary for knowing the category of the blessing,

but it comes to teach about a type of blessing that is a matter <b>opposite</b> of the blessing of <b>HaMazon</b>

(and the blessing of <b>Hana'ah</b>³⁹

It stands in the Tosefta⁴⁰

that from "Elo-kecha" — from the language "your G-d" — one learns "just as you bless over the good etc. you bless over the bad",

"in every judgment that judges you, whether in the attribute of good or in the attribute of retribution" — which is the <b>opposite</b>⁴¹

of Birkat HaMazon and the blessings of benefit which are upon <b>satiety</b>

(<b>and benefit</b>)

of the body

(and the comparison to "blesses over the good" is only in this "to receive them with joy"⁴²).

7.

According to the above general distinction between the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch and the order of blessings of benefit, one can also explain the distinction between them in the continuation of the section,

when bringing the verse "To Hashem is the earth and its fullness"

(as above section 1)

Although the guarding a mistake that can come out <b>elsewhere</b> is relevant in Shulchan Aruch and not

(so)

in the order of Blessings of Enjoyment

(as above sec. 4)

— is however regarding the guarding in the Halacha and Conduct <b>on the spot</b>,

the matter is the opposite:

In the order of Blessings of Enjoyment which is instructions <b>for practice</b>,

comes also an addition in language that guards even a thing

The word "your God" in his Shulchan Aruch

(For ostensibly he should have copied "your God"

(As in the Rambam)

And afterwards add "etc.")

— For this that the verse brought in the Shulchan Aruch is

(Primarily)

Because it is the reason of the law

(As above),

And in the reason of this blessing the word "your God" is superfluous and

(Also)

Contrary,

As inside

(Unlike the Rambam who did not write

(And particularly here)

The reason of the law

(As above note 8

(He also copied this word).

40)

Berachot chapter 6,

3.

Berachot 48,

2.

41 )

In addition to this that it is of a different kind of blessings that were counted — see Rambam, Laws of Blessings, ch.1, hal.4.

42 )

Berachot 60,

b.

Rambam there ch.10 hal.3.

Tur/Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 222:3.

Order of Blessing of Benefit ch.12 hal.10.

the understanding,

so that the conduct in practice should certainly come out properly

(but not so in Shulchan Aruch the language is brief,

and it does not state a thing that is understood by itself).

And therefore he in the order of Blessings on Enjoyment adds

(after "to God the earth and its fullness")

"etc.": this adds explanation in the halacha that "&lt;b&gt;Every &lt;/b&gt;one who benefits from this world etc. is as if he benefited from holy things of heaven"

(because &lt;b&gt;everything &lt;/b&gt;belongs to the Most High),

which means —

(benefit from)

&lt;b&gt;every &lt;/b&gt;thing in this world; that this

(that &lt;b&gt;the whole &lt;/b&gt;this world belongs to the Most High)

is &lt;b&gt;detailed&lt;/b&gt;,

or said in the continuation of the verse "the world and its inhabitants"&lt;sup&gt;43&lt;/sup&gt;

"To G-d is the land and its fullness" refers to Eretz Yisrael,

and in the continuation of the verse it comes,

that also "tevel" — the entire world — is "to G-d",

and moreover — also "and its inhabitants" are to G-d;

and consequently "all who benefit from this world",

and even when the food belongs to another person

and even to a non-Jew,

it is "as if he benefited from the holy things of Heaven",

and therefore every benefit must have a blessing before it.

(From the talks of 24 Teves and Motzaei Shabbos Kodesh Va'eira 5739)