This week’s Torah portion, Eikev, (Deut. 7:12 – 11:25) contains
a verse used in the liturgy of the grace after meals. The Jewish tradition is to say a very short
grace before meals—a simple nine-word blessing over bread—and a very long one
at the conclusion of the meal. And the prooftext
– the Biblical justification for grace after meals—translates to English as “When
you have eaten your fill, give thanks to Adonai your God for the good land
given to you” (Deut. 8:10). But the
English doesn’t quite give the same sense as the Hebrew.
The Hebrew word “Sova” means “satiety”. We are not enjoined to eat every morsel we
possibly can, but until we have had enough, until we are satisfied. Today we live in a world where things to eat
are all around us, advertised on television, the internet, billboards and
magazines. It is all too easy to
overindulge, to eat far beyond the point we are satisfied.
And it’s not just about eating. Our society encourages us to want more and
more of everything. What is enough to
satisfy us? The dream house? The ideal job? The perfect lover? How do we know a better one won’t come along
tomorrow?
One of the many teachings this verse brings is to remind us to
be satisfied with “enough”, and to give thanks for its blessings.
No comments:
Post a Comment