The Blessings before the Blessings

Continued from One Bite of Heaven and Earth 

Walking Backward Through Creation 

Have you ever noticed that a blessing never begins with the food? 

It begins with Hashem.  

That is not an accident. It is an invitation. An invitation to slow down before we enjoy the gift. An invitation to see the Giver before we see what He has given. 

Perhaps every blessing is quietly asking us the same question: “How did this get here?” 

Not, “Who bought it?” 

Not, “Who cooked it?” 

But how did it become possible at all? 

The answer is always much bigger than the food itself. 

Walking Back to Bereishit 

The next time you recite the Shehakol blessing, try something different. 

Pause for just one heartbeat after saying: “…Hashem Elokeinu…” (…Hashem Our G-d…)

Then let your mind begin walking backward. 

Before there was coffee, there was a coffee bean. Before there was a coffee bean, there was a tree. Before there was a tree, there was fertile soil. Before there was fertile soil, there was rain. Before there was rain, there were oceans. Before there were oceans, there was gravity holding them in place. 

Before gravity. there were the laws of creation. And before every law, there was only Hashem. 

Suddenly, your cup of coffee is no longer just a drink. 

It has become a journey back to the opening words of the Torah. 

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Bereishit 1:1) 

 

The World Is Calling Out 

King David looked at creation and saw something many of us overlook. 

He wrote, 

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork.” (Tehillim 19:2) 

Creation is never silent. The problem is not that Hashem has stopped speaking. The problem is that we have become accustomed to hearing His voice. 

The sunrise has become “normal.” 

Rain has become “the forecast.” 

Our heartbeat has become “biology.” 

 

Photosynthesis has become “science.” 

Gravity has become “physics.” 

Yet Torah teaches us to see something deeper. Science describes the masterpiece. It does not replace the Artist. Every law of nature is another sentence in the story Hashem is continuously writing. 

Every sunrise is another page. Every heartbeat is another paragraph. 

Every blessing invites us to stop reading quickly… and begin reading carefully. 

Learning to See Again 

Children are often better at wonder than adults. A child can spend ten minutes watching an ant carry a crumb. He stares at a rainbow as though he has discovered a new world. He asks questions that adults stopped asking years ago. 

Somewhere along the way, we became experts. 

We learned the names of things. We learned the formulas. We learned the scientific explanations. And without realizing it, we sometimes stopped being amazed. 

Judaism never asks us to choose between knowledge and wonder. It asks us to let knowledge deepen our wonder. 

The more we learn about electricity, the more astonishing it becomes that electrons obey Hashem’s command every moment. 

The more we understand gravity, the more remarkable it is that the earth remains perfectly suited for life. 

The more we study the human body, the more incredible it becomes that trillions of cells quietly fulfill their purpose every second of every day. In our body, Hashem gives us 37 trillion cells to make it work. Each cell contains 100 trillion atoms – all working together in astonishing order – to make us whole. God gives us 3.7 million billion trillion atoms to live.¹  

Knowledge doesn’t shrink our appreciation of Hashem. It expands it. 

One Bite at a Time 

Perhaps that is why Hashem did not simply tell us He created heaven and earth and leave us there. 

He knew our minds. He knew our limitations. He knew that infinity is difficult for finite people to absorb. 

So, like a loving father cutting a steak into bite-sized pieces for his child, Hashem patiently teaches us through the ordinary moments of life. 

A cup of coffee. A loaf of bread. A rainfall. The laughter of a child. The warmth of the morning sun. A heartbeat we never had to remember to start.  

Each one is another small bite of heaven and earth. Each one helps us internalize what once seemed far too large to comprehend. Little by little, the infinite becomes personal. 

The Gift Before Every Gift 

Tomorrow morning, you will say another hundred blessings. Your lips will form words you have spoken thousands of times before: 

“Baruch Atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech Ha’olam…” (Blessed are You, Hashem our G-d, King of the world…)

Don’t rush. Pause for just a moment when you reach Elokeinu. 

Think about the gravity holding your feet to the ground. Think about the rain that watered the fields. Think about the sunlight that crossed ninety-three million miles of space. 

Think about the miracle of photosynthesis. Think about the electrical impulses racing through your own body even as you stand there holding your cup of coffee. 

Think about the countless acts of kindness Hashem has been performing since the beginning of creation so that this one simple moment could exist. 

Think about the 37 million billion trillion atoms God gives us to form our body.  

Then continue your blessing. 

You may discover that you are no longer thanking Hashem only for the steak. You are thanking Him for heaven and earth. 

One bite at a time. 

Editor’s Notes 

¹ Quora, How many atoms or cells are in a human? 

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David Ben Horin lives in Afula with his family, 60,000 passionate Israelis, and Matilda, our local camel.