Chazal gave us the merit and surrounded us with brachos that accompany us every step of the way, from morning to night. Beginning with the brachah of Al Netilas Yadayim in the morning and concluding with Hamapil as we get into bed, we merit to recite many brachos both in our tefillos and throughout the day. Each and every brachah is a mitzvah in its own right, but there is another mitzvah regarding brachos, which includes them all, and that is the recital of 100 brachos a day. When we make the hundredth brachah of the day, in addition to fulfilling the individual mitzvah of reciting that brachah, we also merit to fulfill the mitzvah of reciting 100 brachos.
The Midrash (Tanchuma Korach 12) teaches us that this mitzvah was instituted by Dovid Hamelech as the result of a harsh decree that was imposed in his days, when 100 people died each day. This takanah of 100 brachos nullified the decree in the days of Dovid, and it advocates for us and protects us from this decree to this very day.
But in this parashah we learn that in addition to the protection from the decree, the mtizvah of 100 brachos also opens the gates of blessing: The passuk says (Bereishis 26:12): “And Yitzchak planted in that land and he found that year meah shearim and Hashem blessed him.” Rav Menachem Rekanati writes that there are 100 gates On High from which “the brachah and shefa emerge for all the creations,” and each and every brachah that we recite every day corresponds to one gate. One who is strict to recite 100 brachos a day merits to have 100 gates of blessing opened for him!
The obligation to recite 100 brachos a day is cited by Chazal (Menachos 43b; Tanchuma Korach 12) with the passuk (Devarim 10:12): “V’atah Yisrael mah Hashem Elokecha sho’el m’imach,” and they explain: “Don’t read it מה but rather מאה. In this way, one can additionally explain the passuk (Tehillim31:20): – do ”מה רב טובך אשר צפנת ליראיך“ not read it מה– rather מאה- meah shearim of much goodness that are kept for the yirei Hashem who are strict to recite meah brachos each day!
Moreover, we have to remember that reciting meah brachos corresponds to the abundance of goodness from the 100 gates of brachah, and we still need the key to open the gates, which is answering amen. In fact, amen is part of the brachah, and a complete brachah is one that is answered by amen, and if we want the gates of brachah to be opened for us in full and that the abundance of shefa and goodness be bestowed up on us – we must honor Hashem with complete brachos. We find an allusion to this in the passuk as well: “א[ה רב טובך]מ” - when it is אשר צפנת– which is an acronym of א“צ or 91 – equivalent to amen.
Let us be strict to recite 100 brachos each day and make sure to complete them with answering amen and we will merit to have the 100 gates of brachah opened for us so that we are showered with an abundance of goodness and blessing.
Good Shabbos
Yaakov Dov Marmurstein
ת.ד 102 בני ברק | פקס : 03-5055919
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