<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>"And you will eat, and you will be satisfied, and you shall bless the Lord your God..."</div><div>(Devarim 8:10). </div><div> </div><div>What is interesting is that the Torah is commanding us to "eat," "be satisfied," and then "bless the Lord." Why would we have to be commanded to "eat" and "be satisfied" (unless we had anorexia); even animals do that without having to be told. In fact, we usually have to be told <strong><u>not</u></strong> to eat so much. The answer lies in "...and you shall bless the Lord your God." In other words, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">blessing</span> God is not a natural thing to do. How many people we have known who eat just like animals and then leave the table unaware of God's beneficence. The Torah is telling us that by "blessing the Lord your God," eating becomes a praiseworthy and holy act. And the Torah is telling us to "be satisfied," which doesn't mean to gorge and stuff ourselves. In satisfying our hunger, one eats to live but shouldn't live to eat, and is always mindful of one's Creator by "blessing God" after the meal.</div><div> </div><div>In his work on Torah-derived table manners, R' Bachya ben Asher writes: When one finishes eating he should remain at the table for some time, as Chazal said (Berachot 54b), "If one extends his meal, his life will be extended." Why? Because the longer a person sits at the table, the greater the likelihood that a poor person will chance by and will be fed. This is somewhat reminiscent of the Pesach Seder where we say "Let all who are hungry, come and eat..." Somewhat like feeding the poor in our country on Thanksgiving and xmas. But the Talmud is saying this should take place every day, at <strong><u>every</u></strong> meal.</div><div> </div><div>In this vein, we find a verse (Yechezkel 41:22) where the words "altar" and "table" are used interchangeably, and Chazal explain that just as one's sins are atoned for upon the altar, so they are forgiven when one feeds the poor at his table. (So great is this <em>mitzvah</em>, writes R' Bachya, that some people have their coffins built from the wood of their table so that the boards can "testify" on their behalf before the Heavenly court).</div><div><br></div><div>rw</div></body></html>