100 is Perfection
Now, Yisrael, what does Hashem your G-d ask of you? (Devarim 10:12)
“Now, Yisrael, what... (מה)” – Read it as ‘100’ (מאה). This refers to 100 blessings. From here R. Meir derived: A person must recite 100 blessings every day. (Yalkut Shimoni 855)
Altogether there are 620 mitzvos, corresponding to the gematriya of כתר, “crown.” This includes the 613 Biblical mitzvos and seven Rabbinical mitzvos (Chanukah lights, the reading of Megilas Esther on Purim, washing hands before bread, etc). One of the Rabbinical mitzvos is to recite 100 blessings a day.
This mitzvah was enacted by David Hamelech.
Every day, 100 Jews would die [from the plague]. David came and enacted for them to recite 100 blessings. After he enacted it, the plague stopped.
This mitzvah was not just for the time of David Hamelech, to stop the plague. It is for all generations.
On an ordinary day we do not have trouble reaching the sum of 100 berachos if we pray the Shemoneh Esrei three times and recite the normal blessings over food. But on Shabbos, the regular prayers contain less berachos, so we need to make up for it by eating various treats and snacks, and reciting berachos over them, in order to reach the required 100 blessings.
The number 100 symbolizes the peak of shleimus, of completion and perfection. Ten is a number of shleimus: the world was created through ten Divine utterances, and the Torah is contained within the Ten Commandments. The number one hundred comprises ten times ten. It signifies the shleimus of ten also in depth, as is explained in early Torah sources. This is why 100 is shleimus.
When David HaMelech saw a terrible plague that caused such mortality he understood that the Jewish people lacked connection to the Source of vitality. The mitzvah of 100 berachos rectified the situation.
The Danger of Distance
To understand the answer, we must know that the more people love one another, the more fire there is when an angry rift develops between them. This is true between father and son, and between two brothers. The following incident illustrates this:
People traveled great distances to participate in a very prominent wedding that took place in the time of R. Akiva Eiger. A few minutes before the chuppah, two witnesses appeared and came up to the rabbi who was to officiate at the wedding. They testified before him that the bridegroom was Halachically unfit for marriage. The chuppah was cancelled, and the question was sent to the leading rabbis of the generation, including the Chasam Sofer. The Chasam Sofer tried to clarify whether the witnesses were perhaps relatives of the bridegroom in some way. This would disqualify their testimony. Indeed, it turned out that they were related.
R. Akiva Eiger was very moved by this and wrote, “My son-in-law [the Chasam Sofer] was inspired by ruach hakodesh!” Afterwards they asked the Chasam Sofer what made him suspect that the witnesses were relatives. He answered: “This was a wedding that was publicized many months beforehand. Why couldn’t these witnesses have come to the rabbi earlier and quietly tell him what they had to say? Why did they wait until the chuppah was about to begin, when all the invited people had already arrived, and only then come and say what they said? Only relatives are capable of such wickedness!” concluded the Chasam Sofer.
When people who are close become alienated from one another, the fire is fierce.
The greatest closeness is between husband and wife. For this reason, an unbelievable amount of anger and cruelty can break out when a husband and wife who were once close become separated. In such situations, the greatest tzaddik is liable to turn into a wild animal.
And the husband-wife relationship is a common metaphor for the relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people. All of Shir Hashirim describes in these terms the closeness between Hashem and the Jewish people.
So when anger and alienation develop between them, the result is terrible troubles. The Chmielnicki massacres, the Holocaust, the Inquisition, and on and on. The fire is awesome.
In such situations, the first step is to come to a hasty ceasefire. The hostilities must be brought to a halt. And the outstanding symptom of hostility between two people is the fact that they do not talk to one another. They are not on speaking terms. In order for the fire to die down a little, the first step is for them to start talking.
What is shalom bayis? It is good communication between the couple in all areas of life. Let’s imagine a couple that loves each other very much but cannot say a good word to one another. He cannot manage to say “thank you” nicely, and she is incapable of saying “good morning” to him. Is this called shalom bayis?
When there was a terrible anger in the world and 100 Jews were dying of the plague daily, something had to be done fast in order to quiet down the anger a little bit. Thus David HaMelech instituted that every person should recite 100 berachos a day, for this promotes the relationship between the Jewish people and Hashem. They started talking to Him again, so to speak.
And these 100 berachos are scattered throughout all areas of life, promoting a positive relationship in all areas. Hashem gives you an apple? Say “thank you,” and recite Baruch Atah Hashem... borei pri ha’eitz. Hashem gives you eyes? Say “thank you,” and recite Baruch Atah Hashem... poke’ach ivrim. Did you ever receive an expensive camera as a gift? Each one of us has an incredibly expensive and sophisticated camera. It is called our eyes. If you want to appreciate your eyes, next time you are walking down the sidewalk, stop and close your eyes for ten seconds. When you open your eyes again and look around you will realize how wonderful your eyes are.
Did you ever think about how marvelous it is to have air to breathe? Try putting your head under water and counting to fifteen. When you take your first breath afterwards you will realize what a sweet feeling it is to have air to breathe. There are people in hospitals who are attached to artificial respirators, fighting for each breath. But we breathe in fresh air without any problem. This is a wonderful gift from Hashem. And what does Hashem ask from us in return? Just recite Elokai, neshamah shenasata bi... v’Atah m’shamrah b’kirbi...
We have all kinds of good foods. What does Hashem ask of us? Just to say “thank you” to Him. Can’t we speak nicely to Hashem?
Relate to Hashem
You might object: there is no reason to make a big deal out of 100 berachos a day, as it is the least of our problems. All Torah-observant Jews pray three times a day anyway and recite berachos when they eat. Isn’t this mitzvah automatically taken care of?
Not really. Many of us have not recited a true berachah since we graduated kindergarten. We are programmed like robots to automatically “make a berachah” when it is called for, but we have stopped talking to Hashem. This is because Hashem is not so real for us.
We are polite people. If something is served to us we will not forget to say “thank you.” This is because a real, live person served it to us, and we naturally feel an inclination to thank them. But Hashem is not real and live enough for us.
Once a person sitting next to the Chafetz Chaim recited birkas hamazon, rattling off the passage of Hu heitiv, Hu meitiv... le’olam al yichasreinu. The Chafetz Chaim said to him, “Do you know that you just asked for fifteen things?” The person was surprised, and the Chafetz Chaim counted the things for him.
We ask Hashem for (1) chein, “grace,” that we should find favor in people’s eyes and not seem ridiculous to them. Then we ask for (2) chesed and (3) rachamim. Then for (4) revach, “space;” we ask to have enough space and not to be cramped. Then we ask for (5) hatzalah, “to be saved.” How many times a day do our children cross the street? Then we ask for (6) hatzlachah, “success.” When we go to learn today, please give us success in our learning. Then we ask for (7) berachah, (8) yeshuah, (9) nechamah, (10) parnasah, (11) chalkalah, (12) rachamim, (13) chaim, (14) shalom, (15) kol tov.
Imagine your children would come to you and say at breakneck speed: “Daddy Tateh I need this and that and the other thing and...” Is that a way to ask for things?
We need to get in the habit of speaking to Hashem in a way that is communication. This does not require greatness on our part. It is a simple habit that anyone who wants can acquire. And we are promised success.
He who seeks to purify himself is assisted by Heaven.
