כי תאגר ולא תשתה לא ויין ועבדת תטע כרמים” (לט כח) “התלעת תאכלנו
The mekubal Rav Mordechai Hakohein of Tzefas, author of Sifsei Kohein on Torah, wrote: “I heard that anyone who makes a brachah on everything he eats, and does not allow into his body anything without a brachah rishonah and acharonah, when he passes away, the worms to not take hold in his body.”
The reason for this is explained by Rav Cohen as follows: The worms in the world come from the curses that the Torah detailed would come upon those that abandon it, as it says in this passuk “ki sochlenu hatola’as.” But someone whose flesh is nourished only from food that a brachah l’halachah was recited upon, then “the curse does not reign in the place of brachah.”
Rav Avraham Halimi, one of the sages of Algiers, adds an explanation about this concept based on the words of Chazal (Bereishis Rabbah 20:26) that the reason that one is decreed to die is so that he return to the earth what was stolen from it when he was created from the dust of the earth. However, all this applies to someone who does not make a brachah on his food, as the earth from which he was created is stolen and he has to return it. But when one is strict to recite brachos, Chazal say (Brachos 35a) that the passuk (Tehillim 116:16) “veha’aretz nasan livnei adam” applies to him. This is because the ground was given to him as a gift, and he does not need to return it, and the worms do not control him and his body remains whole.
This is what Dovid Hamelech intends with the words (Tehillim 149:5): “Ya’alzu chassidim bechavod yeranenu al mishkevosam.” The righteous ones who are careful about brachos (see Bava Kama 30a) “yeranenu al mishkevosam,” they will rejoice at their resting place, because the worms will not reign over them.
Sifsei Kohein, Eikev; Vehuchach Avraham, Shemini
