25. The Summoning for the Blessing on the Food
When we summon for the blessing on the food, when we say, “Rabotai [great ones], let us bless,” it is as though we are preparing and summoning to bless over the food.
Baal HaSulam said that we see that sometimes someone does something good to another, although he does not hear that the beneficiary blesses him, he is certain that he blesses him in his heart even if he does not hear. Likewise to the contrary: If a person does something bad to another, even if he does not hear him curse him, he is certain that he is cursing him because such is nature.
It follows that when do we need to see and hear that he blesses or curses another? When the bad or good are not evident, he must show his intention, how he feels about his friend’s act, whether it is bad or good.
The Torah said, “And you shall eat, and be satiated, and bless.” Our sages said that the Torah states that we must bless only for eating that is satiating, but our sages were stricter saying that even when a meal is not satisfying, we should still bless.
This is as they explained about the verse, “The Lord will lift up His face to you.” They asked, “It is written, ‘who will not lift up the face or take a bribe.’” They replied that the Creator—“And you shall eat, and be satiated, and bless,” and made it stricter on themselves, “even as much as an olive and as much as an egg.”
Baal HaSulam explained that the meaning of “as an olive” is as that the dove said, “I would prefer my nourishments to be as bitter as an olive from the hand of the Creator than as sweet as honey from the hands of flesh and blood.”
The explanation of the “egg” is that when we look at an egg, we say that an animal might emerge from it, meaning a chick. But before the chick has hatched, there is still no life in the egg.
This is why our sages made it stricter on themselves to bless the Creator even when they do not taste the flavor of Torah and work, and still do not feel any vitality in it. Nevertheless, they make it even stricter on themselves. For this reason, He will lift up His face for them, meaning that the work they are doing with the austerity is just as though they did a good deed.
We should understand the answer, “How will I not lift up My face, since they are so strict on themselves?” It sounds as though the austerity that they took upon themselves is like a bribe, and by receiving the bribe He does something called “lifting up the face,” which brings back the question, “The God… who will not lift up the face or take a bribe.”
However, we must say that it is an eye for an eye: “As they say about everything I give them that it is a good, I will lift up My face, too, and I, too, will say about the work they do that it is good, that they deserve reward as though they did good deeds.”
Therefore, we need preparation so we can bless even though we still feel that we are lacking good bestowals.