However, Rav Yaakov Galinsky finds this scenario rather lamentable. Why? Consider the following story. After the Chasam Sofer gave his daily shiur, he would go to his study to look into the halachic questions sent to him from all over the world. His gabbai would place a plate with a piece of cake on the table next to the Chasam Sofer. Once, the yetzer hara got the best of the gabbai and he decided to eat the cake. He was hoping that the Chasam Sofer, who was so immersed in his learning, would not notice.
After the Chasam Sofer had finished his deliberations, he looked at the plate and noticed that the cake was gone. He asked the gabbai what happened to the cake. The gabbai, who was caught off guard, suggested that the Chasam Sofer had eaten it. The Chasam Sofer was adamant. “Impossible! It is true that I really cannot remember if I ate the cake, but I definitely would have remembered if I had recited a berachah.”
How regrettable it is that we cannot remember if we said a berachah, but we certainly remember what we ate. What is the reason for the difference between the Chasam Sofer and us? Rav Galinsky explains that the Chasam Sofer was cognizant of the fact that we were put in this world for one purpose: to serve Hashem. The food we eat and the other activities we engage in are only to enable us to fulfill our true mission in life. We, however, are focused on the physical world and perform the mitzvos merely to fulfill our obligations to Hashem. In the end, it boils down to our true priorities.
However, for us – even with our world view – there is still another factor to consider. We all know that the world belongs to Hashem – “Lashem Haaretz umelo’ah – To Hashem belongs the earth and all that it is filled with” (Tehillim 24:1). If we want to partake of its bounty, we must at the very least acknowledge Him as the Provider of all the food that we ingest and demonstrate our gratitude. We do this by reciting the berachos over the food with concentration and sincerity. If we do, we probably will not forget if we made a berachah. (Rabbi Shlomo Caplan, Mishulchan Shlomo)
