“and you shall eat, and you shall be satisfied, and you shall bless G-d…” Deuteronomy 8:10

This week’s parsha contains the mitzvah of Birchas HaMazon (grace after meals). Birchas HaMazon contains four paragraphs: the first was written by Moshe, the second by Yehoshua, the third by Dovid HaMelech, and the fourth by the Sages. The fourth paragraph was written because of a miracle that happened on Tu B’Av (the 15th day in the month of Av, which always falls around the time Parshas Eikev is read – this year, it was on August 5th.) Numerous great events happened on this day in history and our Sages established it to be a minor holiday. One of the events happened about a half century after the Temple was destroyed in Jerusalem when the Jews under Bar Kochba tried to rebel the Roman rulers in Israel at that time. Unfortunately, on Tisha B’Av of that year, the Jews lost badly during the final battle of the rebellion at the city of Beitar. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were murdered in Beitar and the bodies were left unburied on a field. It was a terrible tragedy and all hope was lost. Years later, a new Roman ruler gave permission to the Jews to bury the bodies that were lying in Beitar and the Jews found not a single person had decayed. The date this happened on was Tu B’Av and at that point, the Sages wrote the fourth paragraph in honor of finding the bodies not decayed.

One might wonder: why did our Sages decide to commemorate this event by writing a fourth paragraph to Birchas HaMazon? It was clearly a miracle, but it happened because of one of the worst atrocities in our history. Why should we add a blessing to G-d? The reason is because this time in Jewish history was an all time low. Our Temple was destroyed. Our greatest cities were destroyed. We were forced out of our Homeland and sent into Exile. It looked like G-d had given up on us and we were now lost. But when the Sages returned to Beitar and saw the clear miracle of the bodies without decay, they realized G-d was still on our side. G-d did not leave us because He is still performing miracles for us. Hope returned to the Jewish nation and this is the reason why the Sages saw it fit to add a fourth blessing to Birchas HaMazon.

In our times, many terrible events have happened to the Jews, but even today, G-d has not given up on the Jews. Although there are many examples that prove this, I will only share one of my favorites. It used to be that every weekday morning in an upper floor of the World Trade Center, there was a minyan for Shacharis. 9/11/01 was on the 23rd day of Elul, so after davening the Shofar was to be blown (as is the custom during the entire month of Elul). The minyan ended and the members realized the shofar was not where it usually was. They searched for a few moments but came up empty. Finally, one of the congregants said he had a Shofar in his office (on a floor much lower) and that they should all come to his office to hear the blowing of the Shofar. They all went into the elevator and right after they arrived on the lower floor, the first airplane slammed into the building. If they were still in the room where the minyan was, all of them would have been above where the crash happened and probably be dead. They all survived!

How many miracles have happened recently that were clear and open signs that G-d has not given up on us! How many lives should have been lost during the previous years through wars, terrorism, and natural disasters. Yet, so many Jewish people “miraculously” survive! G-d has not forgotten about us and we should not forget about Him! Times might seem bad, but we must still have hope!

By Rabbi Yaacov Seltzer
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Good Shabbos!
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