Birkat Hamazon: The Powerful Blessings of Grace After Meals

Two daily halachot from the book Halacha Lemaaseh by Rabbi Yaron Ashkenazi, based on the rulings of Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory.

Is It Permitted to Get a Haircut at Night or on Saturday Night?

There is no reason to refrain from getting a haircut at night. Certainly, it is permitted after midday, provided one has already prayed Mincha. Even according to the teachings of the Arizal, there is room to be lenient in this matter.

It is also permitted to get a haircut on Motzaei Shabbat.

If Someone Prays Maariv Early, Must He Wait Until Nightfall to Recite Shema?

A person who prays Maariv at plag hamincha and wishes to go to sleep immediately afterward must still recite the Shema again after tzeit hakochavim, nightfall.

This is because, according to the majority of halachic authorities, the proper time for the nighttime Shema begins only after nightfall.

The Daily Mitzvah: Birkat Hamazon

Birkat Hamazon, Grace After Meals, is the mitzvah of blessing and thanking Hashem after eating bread. Our Sages and the great Torah scholars throughout the generations describe both the significance of this mitzvah and the special blessings associated with reciting it with concentration and joy.

Rabbeinu Bachya, commenting on Parashat Eikev, points to the unique importance of Birkat Hamazon, noting that nowhere else in the Torah do we find a commandment to bless Hashem expressed in quite the same way as it is here.

Bringing Blessing Into a Person’s Livelihood

The Zohar teaches in the name of Rabbi Chanina that the power of Birkat Hamazon is so great that it brings additional blessing to a person’s work. The Yafeh LaLev explains that this refers particularly to reciting Birkat Hamazon with proper concentration.

The Maharsha similarly explains that through these blessings, Hashem bestows blessing upon a person so that his livelihood may come with greater ease and abundance. Although there may be spiritual forces that impede a person’s sustenance, the blessings he recites become advocates on his behalf. (Chiddushei Aggadot, Nazir 66)

The Sefer HaChinuch, in Parashat Eikev, records a tradition received from his teachers: “Whoever is careful with Birkat Hamazon will have his sustenance provided honorably throughout his life.”

The Zohar adds that the manner in which a person blesses is significant: “Just as he blesses with joy and a generous heart, so he is given with joy and a generous heart.”

Reciting Birkat Hamazon With Joy

The Chida, in Nitzotzei Orot, advises a person to approach Birkat Hamazon in a state of joy. He writes that one should eat and drink something that brings happiness so that the blessing itself can be recited joyfully. He describes reciting Birkat Hamazon with joy and aloud as a segulah for prosperity, connecting this with the verse: “The blessing of Hashem brings wealth, and He adds no sorrow with it.”

Rabbi Chaim Palagi likewise writes that one who recites Birkat Hamazon aloud merits length of days and years, an idea also brought in the Zohar.

The Spiritual Reward of Birkat Hamazon

The Zohar teaches that whoever recites Birkat Hamazon properly, with joy and heartfelt sincerity, will merit a special place among the holy spiritual realms after leaving this world.

Other early Jewish sources describe additional spiritual rewards associated with the mitzvah. The Rokeach speaks of meriting the spiritual delights surrounding the river of Eden, while Kav HaYashar teaches that in the future, when Hashem prepares a feast for the righteous, such a person will merit hearing Birkat Hamazon recited by King David.

There is also a remarkable tradition recorded in Tashbetz Katan: every letter of the Hebrew alphabet appears in Birkat Hamazon except for the letter peh. The text associates this absence with several Hebrew words beginning with that letter that signify destructive forces, teaching that these do not have dominion over a person who recites Birkat Hamazon at the proper time and with concentration.

Taken together, these teachings emphasize that Birkat Hamazon is far more than a routine blessing after a meal. It is an opportunity to pause, recognize the source of our sustenance, thank Hashem for what we have received, and bring greater intention and joy into one of the most familiar mitzvot of daily life.