World of the Sages: Time and space

Is thanking the Almighty for sustenance location specific?

By LEVI COOPER
Our sages dispute the correct course of action if someone forgot to recite the Grace After Meals and only remembered the omission after leaving the place where the food was consumed (M. Berachot 8:7). In principle the School of Hillel agreed that the Grace should be recited at the place of eating. Moreover, an intentional change of location necessitates a return to the original place of food consumption. In one scenario the School of Hillel disagreed with the School of Shammai, our sages dispute the correct course of action if someone forgot to recite the Grace After Meals and only remembered the omission after leaving the place where the food was consumed (M. Berachot 8:7). According to the School of Shammai, the person must always return to the site of eating and recite the Grace benedictions on location. In principle the School of Hillel agreed that the Grace should be recited at the place of eating. Moreover, an intentional change of location necessitates a return to the original place of food consumption. In one scenario the School of Hillel disagreed with the School of Shammai, maintaining that in the case of an inadvertent change of location Grace may be recited at the new location where the forgetful diner remembered the omission. A parallel source quoted in the Talmud elaborates on the debate between the two schools (B. Berachot 53b). The School of Hillel sought to demonstrate the absurdity of the opinion of the other school: "According to your approach, O School of Shammai, someone who ate at the top of a towering mansion and descended without reciting Grace After Meals, would have to climb back to the top to recite Grace!" The School of Shammai was not dissuaded: "Indeed that is the case, for someone who forgot a wallet of money at the top of a towering mansion, would he not ascend to retrieve it! For his own benefit he is willing to ascend, how much more so for the honor of heaven he would ascend!" While there is a disagreement between the schools of Shammai and Hillel regarding an inadvertent change in location, all agree that there is a time limit on Grace After Meals: The blessings can only be said as long as the food in the stomach has not been digested. The early commentators discuss whether the requirement of reciting the Grace on location applies only to the full Grace After Meals recited after bread (Rashba, 13th century, Barcelona). Some opinions maintain that the talmudic discussion also refers to other foods made from the five grains - wheat, barley, spelt, rye and oats - even if they are not bread (Rosh, 13th-14th centuries, Germany-Spain). Other authorities hold that the talmudic discussion should not be limited to grain products, but include wine and the species of fruit with which the Land of Israel is praised (Maimonides, 12th century, Cairo). After consuming these products - just like after consuming non-bread grain products - a shortened form of Grace is recited that encapsulates the three principle blessings of the Grace After Meals into one short text. All agree that there is no location requirement after consuming other foods, such as fruit, vegetables and beverages, when the shortest form of Grace is recited. Normative Halacha appears to follow the opinion that requires an on-site Grace for any grain product, even if it is not bread (Mishna Berura 178:45). The Talmud continues with an illustrative incident: Rabba bar bar Hana was traveling in a caravan. At one stop, he ate and forgot to recite Grace After Meals. Only once the caravan had continued on its journey did Rabba bar bar Hana realize his omission. "What should I do?" he wondered. "If I say to them [his fellow travelers] that I forgot to say Grace After Meals, they will say to me - 'Recite Grace here for wherever you recite Grace you are blessing the merciful one.'" Rabba bar bar Hana hatched a cunning scheme: "I will say that I forgot a golden dove," for such a claim would convince the convoy to halt and allow Rabba bar bar Hana to return to the last rest stop to retrieve the valuable forgotten item. Thus Rabba bar bar Hana turned to his traveling companions: "Wait for me, for I forgot a golden dove." The caravan stopped and he retraced his steps with the goal of reciting Grace where he ate. When he arrived at the location he indeed found a golden dove! The claim that Rabba bar bar Hana placed in the mouths of his traveling party sounds convincing: Surely thanking the omnipresent Almighty for the sustenance is not location specific? Why then did the sages insist on reciting Grace After Meals where the food was consumed? The existence of the Jewish people can be plotted on two axes: a time axis and a space axis. In the realm of time, the Jewish calendar accompanies us through the seasons, focusing our energies toward different themes over the year. Each week we seek rest and restoration on Shabbat, regardless of where we find ourselves. On Pessah the world over we discuss the exodus and how God formed us into a nation. As the northern hemisphere winter approaches we think about the protective cocoon of the Almighty's presence as we sit in the succa. These time-associated events transcend any physical location; they are not limited in space. For so long our exilic reality has led us to overly focus on the time continuum, while the spatial focus has been but a dream and a longing for most of us. Grace After Meals affords the opportunity to relate to both axes of our existence. The blessings must be recited within a time frame - before the food is digested; and location is a feature of the blessings - the species of fruit with which the Land of Israel is blessed requires a special form of Grace. If the actual fruit eaten - not just the species - are grown in the Land of Israel, the text of the blessing is altered appropriately. Moreover, the hub of the second blessing of the full form of Grace After Meals is the Land of Israel. In this context we can understand the requirement to recite Grace After Meals on-site, not only recalling the spatial facet of our tradition, but indicating that every location has the potential for sanctification even if it is beyond the boundaries of our land. The writer is on the faculty of Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and is a rabbi in Tzur Hadassah.