Blessing Even Before We Have Everything: Eikev 5786

This piece by Rabbi Kenigsberg was first published in the Hanassi Highlights, 30 July 2026. You can also read it in Hebrew, thanks to ChatGPT, here.

One of the most familiar verses in this week's parsha is the source of the Torah obligation to recite Birkat Hamazon:

"You shall eat, be satisfied, and bless the Lord your God" (Devarim 8:10).

Yet the Gemara (Berachot 20b) records a remarkable conversation between the ministering angels and Hashem about this very mitzvah. The angels ask how God can "show favour" to Israel, as promised in Birkat Kohanim, when the Torah itself declares that He "shows no favour and takes no bribe." Hashem's response is striking: "How can I not show favour to Israel? I commanded them, 'You shall eat, be satisfied, and bless,' yet they are meticulous to bless Me even after eating only a kezayit or a kebeitzah."

At first glance, this seems puzzling. There are countless examples of the Jewish people going beyond the strict letter of the law. Why single out this particular rabbinic extension of Birkat Hamazon as the reason for God's special favour? Perhaps the Gemara is pointing to something much deeper than a technical detail of halacha. Our parsha paints a breathtaking picture of Eretz Yisrael: a land of flowing water, abundant crops, olive trees and honey; a land "where you will lack nothing." The Torah envisions a people blessed with prosperity, who naturally respond with gratitude after enjoying God's bounty.

Jewish history, however, has often looked very different. There were long centuries when those promises seemed distant, when many Jews knew poverty, hunger and exile far more intimately than abundance. And yet the Jewish people continued to bless. Even when all they possessed was a kezayit rather than a satisfying meal, they still thanked Hashem.

Seen in this light, the Gemara is not merely discussing the minimum quantity that obligates Birkat Hamazon. It is describing the remarkable spiritual character of the Jewish people. We did not wait until every promise had been fulfilled before thanking Hashem. Even when all we possessed was a kezayit rather than a satisfying meal, we still recognised His kindness and continued to bless Him. That unwavering faith, says God, is what makes this relationship so unique.

Today, Baruch Hashem, we live in an age that earlier generations could scarcely have imagined. The flourishing of Eretz Yisrael, its abundance, its prosperity and its vitality, echo the very promises of our parashah in ways that were unimaginable for centuries. If our ancestors found the strength to recite Birkat Hamazon with gratitude when all they had was a kezayit or a kebeitzah, then surely we, who have been privileged to witness so much of God's blessing, have even greater reason to recognise His kindness. The challenge of Parashat Ekev is to train ourselves to see what earlier generations longed to see, and to respond with the same enduring faith—but with hearts filled with an even deeper sense of gratitude.

Shabbat Shalom!