[Avodah] Hilchos Birkat Hamazon

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 06:37:16AM -0400, Cantor Wolberg wrote:
: The following is documented:
: My questions are:  Is it credible that stepping on bread crumbs can  
: lead to poverty...

For a mystic, there is no question -- You can't understand metaphysical
causality. (Though Chazal knew far more than we can.) 

For a rationalist -- one has to seek symbolic / pyshological import.

Someone who takes the gift of hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz for granted
will be pushed into a situation where he can more easily feel the full
amount of G-d's gift to us.

: Second halacha above:  I always liked the idea of removing or covering  
: knives before Birchas since it is compared to weapons. However, to give,
: as an example, a mentally disturbed...

It's about shulchan domeh lemizbeiach and "ki charbekha heinafta aleha
vatechaleleha" (Semos 20:22). IOW, it's not just the notion of weapons,
it's trying to recreate the feel of being at the mizbeiach. At least
long enough to bentch.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where
micha at aishdas.org        you are,  or what you are doing,  that makes you
http://www.aishdas.org   happy or unhappy. It's what you think about.
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