Birkhas HaPeyros: Blessing Before Eating Fruit – Elevating the Souls in Food – The Seven Species of Eretz Yisrael – Speaker: Rabbi Nasan Maimon.
00:36 – HALAKHA 1b. Elevating the souls in food by making the blessings before eating. The Seven Species of Eretz Yisrael. Spiritual reason why people are drawn to certain fruits.
02:04 – There is a special blessing on foods that grow from trees (Borey Pri HaEtz) because there are “sparks of souls” within them. The blessing on fruits precedes the blessing on vegetables, which grow directly from the earth (Borey Pri HaAdamah).
07:00 – Daas (Torah wisdom) bears fruit.
08:31 – “For man is a tree of the field.”
11:01 – The brakha HaAdamah before eating a vegetable.
16:05 – The intentions when eating food.
17:25 – NOTE: Sefardim make the blessing Mezonos on matzah during the year.
*21:59 – Because of the spiritual processes being accomplished, it’s important to respect food and to eat with honor and dignity.
23:47 – QUESTION about the animal desires of the body.
25:35 – Biographical note about Reb Yechiel Michal Dorfman zal.
29:46 – QUESTIONS about the blessing of Shehakol and blessings said after eating bread.
31:32 – QUESTION about vinegar and olive oil.
35:10 – Rebbe Nachman stressed the importance of studying halakha every day.
32:32 – NOTE from student: Wasting food brings dinim (harsh judgements) because each piece of food discarded has a spark of holiness.
*34:27 – HALAKHA 2. Giving priority of blessing to the Seven Species for which Eretz Yisrael is praised. When we make a blessing on one of the Seven Species, we generate the kedusha (holiness) of Eretz Yisrael wherever we are. This principle applies also to clapping hands during tefilah (prayer).
41:44 – The word כח – koach (strength) is b’gematria 28, corresponding to the 28 sections of the fingers.
44:15 – Gemara in Berakhos 35.
47:40 – QUESTION about being in Eretz Yisrael.
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