In this parashah, which is usually read around the Yom Tov of Shavuos, the day that Dovid Hamelech was born and passed away, there is a beautiful source for his famous takanah to recite one hundred brachos each day, and to the great reward for one who is strict to uphold this takanah.
The passuk (Bamidbar 7:14): “Kaf achas asarah zahav,” is explained by the Baalei Hatosafos as follows: Each “achas” from ף“כ [numerically equivalent to 100] brachos that we are obligated to make each day is worth “asarah [dinrei] zahav.”
This is not the only source, because the Rishonim bring a number of sources from the kesuvim for the takanah of one hundred brachos, but this source is especially powerful because this passuk is repeated in this parashah no less than twelve times!
As is known, the korbanos of the twelve Nesi’im mentioned in this parashah were identical. Each one of the Nesi’im brought the same korbanos and the same vessels for the Chanukas Hamizbe’ach. Nevertheless, the Torah detailed the order of the korbanos of the Nesi’im twelve times, in pesukim with exactly the same language. So the passuk “Kaf achas asarah zahav” appears twelve times in this parashah.
I think this can teach us the importance of the mitzvah of meah brachos. We can see that the holy Torah, in which every single letter is calculated and has a meaning, found it fitting to repeat the messages that every single one of the twelve Nesi’im wanted to imbue in the members of his shevet. By writing “kaf achas asarah zahav” over and over, the Torah is emphasizing that all the Nesi’im of the shevatim declared, each one at his turn: Remember to be strict about 100] ף“כ] brachos, as each one of them is worth “asarah zahav.”
In this context, we must also mention the words of the Yalkut Me’am Loez (Mishpatim p. 731) that conditions the value of the brachah on there being someone to complete it with answering amen. He writes: “What Chazal say (Chulin 87a) that the reward of a brachah is ten gold coins, is specifically when he says it aloud, when he is mezakeh the others who are able to answer amen, and this is the Kavod of Hashem, to make the brachah in front of other people, as it says (Mishlei 14:28): ‘Berov am hadras Melech.’”
It is interesting to note that the condition of the reward of ten gold coins on the brachah is that it is completed with amen is also alluded to in this passuk! כף אחת עשרה is the acronym of numerically equivalent to amen, to tell us: the reward of “asarah zahav” for each one of the one hundred brachos is conditional on the brachah being said aloud and answered with amen.
A golden dinar is a coin with a tremendous value. Right at the start of the day, we can ‘earn’ a huge sum of one hundred and fifty golden dinars, or more, if we will just take care to recite Birchos Hashachar in front of someone who can answer amen. Would we conceive of losing so many golden dinars each day?!
Good Shabbos
Yaakov Dov Marmurstein
