Early last summer, my son and I were sitting at the dining room table, where I couldn’t help but notice he was eating Italian ices. A surge of childhood memories went through my mind, as I remembered sitting on my porch on a hot summer night, hearing Bob Murphy calling the Mets game on my transistor radio and eating my favorite flavor cherry Marino’s ices, similar to what my son was having. As he was half way done chipping away at the ices, I was anticipating him turning over the ices to get to the bottom, which is best the part. My friend Boaz calls it tadeegee (the burned rice or potato bottom part of the cooking pot that is left overnight and is the hot Shabbat meal, which is an anticipated delicacy.) So I said, ‘Hey boy, are you going to turn over the ices or what?’ I then went on about the different flavors that Marino’s carries. Although cherry was my favorite, I mentioned to him other flavors, such as watermelon, as well as others. He was shocked that they had Marino’s when I was growing up. ‘I didn’t know Marino’s is that old’, he said. A few days later my temptations took the better of me and I had one of my son’s cherry flavored Marino’s ices. I closed my eyes and relived my childhood as I took in a scrape of the ices with the wooden spoon. It’s delicious and thetadeegee hasn’t missed a beat!
Thank G-d we have the ability to enjoy food. It’s a gift to have the pleasure of taste; whether it’s a juicy steak, osh palov, or just a Marino’s ices. As appreciation of this wonderful gift that He gave us, we recite blessings. But one has to wonder, are we blessing for the delicious taste or are we blessing for sustenance? What’s the essence of a bracha – taste or sustenance? One may ask ‘who cares?’ What’s the difference if it’s for pleasure or sustenance? As long as the intention is there, just make the bracha.’ But one has to never forget lessons from history and learn from their triumphs as well as the mistakes.
During King David’s time, there was a plague and many died. David, along with his advisers, figured out the source of this devastation. The Jews were not making enough brachot, so he instituted ‘the 100 brachot a day concept’ which the Rabbis incorporated in our tefilah (prayers). Once the Israelites recited 100 blessings, the plague stopped. So brachot, besides being a thank you gesture, is sort of a protection. However, one may not abuse a bracha when it’s not necessary. Apparently, if one says G-d’s name in vain (and G-d’s name is in a bracha), he’s doing an averah (sin); one has to be careful. Presumably, if a bracha was meant for just pleasure, then a food intended for nutrition without an ounce of flavor, is not required. However, if a bracha is intended to incorporate both, then one would not be violating ‘excess bracha.’
An example of sustenance in which one does not recite a blessing is water; only when one is thirsty does he make a bracha; otherwise he does not. Perhaps it’s because water has no taste. There is no recitation for vitamins either. If someone has an IV hooked up, he does not recite a bracha. So we see that sustenance is not enough for a bracha. However, apparently, if one is ill and cannot taste anything, he is required to recite if he eats. So too, if one is disgusted with a certain food, he’s obligated.
It seems like there are a few important concepts that we have to be aware of. First, ‘the normal way people eat.’ Here in the case where one eats without taste buds, he’s still required, as well as ‘foods people normally eat.’ If this is what society normally consumes, even though you don’t like it, one has to recite the bracha.
In conclusion, presumably one is required to recite a bracha for both, with the unique exception of water – unless he’s thirsty. May we all make 100 brachot a day properly and with tremendous pleasure, leading us to the highest level of appreciation for G-d who sustains us.
Furthermore, I recently discovered Marino’s mango flavored ices; not bad!!! |
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