There is no commandment in the Torah to thank God for food before we eat.

Which is a little strange, because there are lots of commandments about things which seem obvious. But the simplest and most obvious of things, to give thanks before eating, is not mentioned.

This week’s Torah portion does however remind us to give thanks after a meal; “When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 8:10

The sages of the Talmud decided that if we should give thanks after eating, then certainly we should do so before eating. They created an array of prayers to recite before eating various foods. But that wasn’t enough. They believed we should give thanks all day long.

In Deuteronomy 10:12, Moses told the Jewish people: “What (mah) does God ask of you?” Rabbi Meir explained in the Talmud that the word mah can be read as me’ah, meaning 100. In other words, God obligates us to recite 100 blessings a day (Menachot 43b).

(I’ve written elsewhere about how easy this seemingly difficult task is, and told the story of the JCC campers who went on blessing hunts.)

Rabbi Meir’s deliberate mistranslation is meant as a reminder that without acknowledging God’s blessings, we are incomplete. Being in a near constant state of gratitude changes our outlook, uplifts us, and brings us closer to the Divine.

The sages of the Talmud felt so strongly about this that elsewhere they wrote, “Anyone who derives benefit from this world without a blessing, it is as if he stole from God.” (Berakhot 35b)

It has been an especially hard week for me in my little corner of the world. Usually, counting my blessings is easy. But not these past couple of days. So much so that I barely wanted to write today. What could I say without complaining?

But Tuesday was Election Day. As I was leaving my polling place, I ran into a woman who I haven’t seen for years. We were never close, but we always liked each other and greeted each other happily.

She told me that she regularly reads my blog. I was blown away. It made me incredibly happy to know that over these years, I have been able to touch her life in a positive way.

As we prepare to enter into Shabbat, that is what I am grateful for. You. All of the people who read these missives, whether we are close or don’t know each other at all.

Thank you.