As Heard from Rabbi Avigdor Miller ZT”L

“And You shall bless Hashem.” (8:10)

The word U’Berachta (you shall bless) is from Barech, derived from Berech (a knee). It literally means not “bless” but “to bend the knees” in humility of deep gratitude. When one receives a gift from a Donor to Whom he is unable to repay, all that he can do is to demonstrate his humble gratitude (”bending the knee”) to his Benefactor. We cannot “bless Him,” but we can express our endless Gratitude toward Him.

This principle of expressing our gratitude to our Benefactor is a cause of the greatest excellence in ourselves. “Sing, you righteous ones, to Hashem; for the upright, praise is befitting” (Tehillim 33:1). This means: for those who desire to be upright, it is for their benefit to praise Hashem. Those persons that develop the genuine attitude of appreciating Hashem’s countless forms of kindliness will thereby gain a love of the Benefactor. And as they continue to sing to Him and to express His praise, they come closer to Him and thereby gain excellence of mind and character.

The secret is to spend time to learn how to thank Hashem. But first we must learn why you should be Grateful to Hashem. For example: you have to learn to appreciate your shoes and even shoe laces. Remember how you felt when one of your laces broke and you didn’t have a replacement? Did you appreciate the metal tips on the laces? Do you appreciate your belt? Do you have gratitude for the holes in your belt? Some of the holes are for “before breakfast” and others are for “after breakfast.” These, and thousands of similar items must be studied so that you can eventually learn to be grateful for them.

To attain the state of true Love of Hashem is the highest Perfection. “He that sings (to Hashem) in this life is rewarded that he shall sing in the World to Come.” (Sanhedrin 91B) “The righteous sit with crowns on their heads and enjoy the splendor of the Shechina” (Berachot 17A). “These crowns are the understanding of Hashem that they gained in this life.” (RMBM)

Adapted from “Fortunate Nation” by Rabbi Avigdor Miller ZT”L

Shabbat Shalom

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