There is a Possuk in this week’s Parsha that reads: וְאָכַלְתָ וְשָבָעְתָ וּבֵרַכְתָ אֶת־ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ עַל־הָאָרֶץ הַטֹּבָה אֲשֶר נָתַן־לָךְ “And you will eat and be satisfied, and you shall bless Hashem, your G-d, for the good land He has given you”.
Our Sages of blessed memory have asked; “From where in the Torah do we derive the obligation to recite ‘Birkas Hamozon’?” From the words of our Possuk; וְאָכַלְתָ וְשָבָעְתָ וּבֵרַכְתָ we derive the blessing of הַזָן - ‘Who feeds all’. From the words “עַל־הָאָרֶץ” we derive the blessing of the land. From the word “הַטֹּבָה” in the Possuk we derive the blessing of ‘Boneh Yerusholayim’.
The recitation of these above three blessings is a Biblical obligation whereas the blessing of “הַטוֹב וְהַמֵטִיב” was ordained in Yavneh on the day on which the remains of those who were massacred in Beitar were finally allowed to be interred.
{This is also the connection to the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of ‘Ov’. For there are several reasons for celebration on the fifteenth day of ‘Ov’. [The Talmud enumerates six reasons (or five, depending whether the consent for the different tribes to intermarry and the consent to marry into the tribe of Binyomin is considered as two separate reasons or one and the same reason). In the Kabbala there are seven reasons brought which correspond to the Seven Middos] One of the reasons is because on this day consent was given for the remains of those who were executed in Beitar to be interred}.
We need to understand the following question; What is it that makes the first three blessings (עַל־הָאָרֶץ, הַזָן and יְרוּשָלָיִם בונֵה) Biblical whilst “וְהַמֵטִיב בוֹהַט” the fourth blessing remains Rabbinic?
Our Sages of blessed memory also said (This is brought elsewhere in Chassidus) that the administering angels said to Hakodosh Boruch Hu: “Master of the universe You have written in Your Torah that You will not show favouritism yet You favour the B’nei Yisroel”. As the Possuk states: יִשָא ה׳ פָנָיו אֵלֶיךָ “May Hashem raise His countenance toward you”, to which Hashem responds; “Can I not show them favour? When after all I have written in the Torah; וְאָכַלְתָ וְשָבָעְתָ וּבֵרַכְתָ אֶת־ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ” That they shall recite ‘Birkas Hamozon’ only once they are satiated yet they are even more stringent on themselves and recite ‘Birkas Hamozon’ even if they only eat as little as the volume of an olive.”
In other Chassidic discourses the question is asked; in which way does the Jew’s meticulousness to recite Birkas Hamozon after the mere consumption of the volume of an olive warrant favouritism from heaven?
Furthermore, we also need to understand, since they are already scrutinising the volume of their consumption, why limit it to the size of an olive? Why not obligate themselves to Bentch even when they consume less than the volume of an olive?
The answer can be understood by exploring the truth of the matter. Regarding the first three blessings (עַל־הָאָרֶץ, הַזָן and יְרוּשָלָיִם בונֵה) the Tzemach Tzedek explains that they correspond to the three states of ‘Chessed’ (Kindness) ‘Gevurah’ (Severity) and ‘Tiferes’ (Beauty). In other words, additional blessings shall be extended from each of the three separate and divided strands of ‘Chessed’, ‘Gevurah’ and ‘Tiferes’. Even from the strand of ‘Gevurah’. This is so because in reality, the reason that even from there additional blessings are drawn down to us, is because in holiness, even from the left side abundance is extended. This is particularly so, according to that which is explained in the ‘Rosh Hashono Maamorim’ and elsewhere in ‘Chassidus’ that the concept of ‘Gevurah’ is a reinforcement of vitality. Most certainly that even from the strand of ‘Gevurah’ additional blessing will also be an extended.
So, the objective of the first three blessings of ‘Birkas Hamozon’ is in order to draw down additional blessings from the three supernal strands of ‘Chessed’, ‘Gevurah’ and ‘Tiferes’. The fourth blessing it can be said corresponds to the supernal Sefirah of ‘Malchus’ (Kingship). In other words, the objective of the fourth Brocho is in order to draw down additional blessings even from the Sefirah of ‘Malchus’.
With this we can understand what is the significance of why we are only Biblically obligated to make the first three blessings and why the fourth blessing was only added by the Sages. This is because the three strands of ‘Chessed’, ‘Gevurah’ and ‘Tiferes’ already include the state of ‘Malchus’ and only thereafter is ‘Malchus’ listed again individually.
