10 Aug EKEV: THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE IS NEVER FLAT

The Torah in
Parashat Ekeb (8:10)
introduces the Misva
of Birkat Ha’mazon
– the obligation to
recite a series of special
Berachot after eating a certain quantity of
bread.
The Gemara in Masechet Berachot (48b)
teaches us the origin of the four blessings that
comprise the text of Birkat Ha’mazon. The
first Beracha, the Gemara states, was instituted
by Moshe Rabbenu, after the manna began
falling in the desert. The second Beracha,
which focuses on the gift of Eretz Yisrael, was
composed by Yehoshua after he led Beneh
Yisrael into the land. The third Beracha, which
prays for the building of Jerusalem and the Bet
Ha’mikdash, was written by Dovid HaMelech
and his son, Shlomo HaMelech.
The recitation of these three Berachot, the
Gemara establishes, is required on the level of
Torah obligation (“Mi’de’Orayta”). There is,
however, a fourth Beracha – called “Ha’tob
Ve’ha’metib”) – which was introduced later
by the Rabbis. The Gemara explains that this
Beracha was composed following the Roman
government’s decision to allow the Jews to bury
the remains of the inhabitants of Betar. The
city of Betar had been a large, bustling
metropolis, home to tens of thousands – and
perhaps even hundreds of thousands – of Jews,
who enjoyed wealth and prosperity. When

the Romans quashed the Jews’ revolt led by
Shimon Bar-Kochba, the city of Betar was
the rebels’ final stronghold. The Romans
finally captured the city, and massacred all its
inhabitants. For a number of years thereafter,
the Roman authorities refused to allow the
bodies to be buried. When they ultimately
granted the surviving Jews permission to
bury the people of Betar, those who came to
perform the burials were astonished to see that
the bodies had not decomposed, and were still
intact. To commemorate both the opportunity
that had been given to bury these remains, and
the miracle of their having been preserved, the
Rabbis instituted the recitation of the Beracha
of “Ha’tob Ve’ha’metib” in Birkat Ha’mazon.
The question that needs to be asked is why
the Rabbis chose to commemorate the burial
of the people of Betar specifically in Birkat
Ha’mazon. Why did they not institute the
recitation of this Beracha in some other
context? What connection is there between
the story of Betar and the recitation of Birkat
Ha’mazon?
The Meshech Hochma (Rav Meir Simcha of
Dvinsk, 1843-1926) offers an explanation
based on an analysis of the fundamental
concept underlying the Misva of Birkat
Ha’mazon.
Moshe mentions this Misva in Parashat Ekeb
amidst his warning to Beneh Yisrael against
feelings of arrogance of self-sufficiency. He
says that once the people leave their miraculous

existence in the wilderness, and enter the
Land of Israel, where they will produce their
own food and accumulate wealth, they might
begin thinking to themselves, “Kohi Ve’osem
Yadi Asa Li Et Ha’hayil Ha’zeh” – “My
strength and the power of my hand made for
me all this wealth” (8:17). In this context,
Moshe relays the Misva of Birkat Ha’mazon,
instructing, “You will eat and be satiated, and
you will bless Hashem your G-d.” The natural
tendency after eating and feeling satiated is to
pride oneself, to feel confident and secure in
one’s abilities. We are therefore commanded
after eating and experiencing satiation to turn
to Hashem, to attribute all our success and
all our blessings to Him, recognizing that
everything we have, and everything we are
able to accomplish, is because of His grace
and kindness.
With this in mind, the Meshech Hochma
writes, we can understand the connection
between Birkat Ha’mazon and the story
of Betar. The residents of this city, as
mentioned, were affluent. They felt secure
and confident. Tragically, however, their sense
of security proved to be delusional, and they
suffered a bitter, devastating fate. We bring
to mind this calamity as we recite Birkat
Ha’mazon as part of the effort to offset the
natural effects of satiation, to protect ourselves
from overconfidence in our abilities and our
efforts, so that we always remember our
absolute dependence on Hashem for all our
needs.
The story is told of a Rabbi who was at the
Kotel and heard someone praying to Hashem
that he should have a flat tire. The Rabbi
turned to the fellow and asked why he wanted
a flat tire.
“We are all familiar with the ‘wheel of
fortune’ that is always turning,” the man
explained. “People who are on the bottom
eventually rise to the top, and the people
on top eventually fall to the bottom. I am
enjoying great success right now – so I’m
asking Hashem for a ‘flat tire,’ that the ‘wheel’
should stop turning…”
Of course, this man is incorrect. The “wheel
of fortune” never gets “flat,” it never stops
turning. We must always remain keenly aware
of our vulnerability even in times of great
prosperity and security. Many stories are told
of people who went to bed wealthy and woke
up poor. When we are blessed with success,
we must never lose sight of our dependence
on Hashem, and continually pray to Him for
ongoing blessing.