DEUT371 The mitzvah of saying Birkas HaMazon--a blessing of thanks to Hashem--after eating bread. Key concepts: By way of introduction, Hashem is the Master of all honor, glory and good, as well as all the wisdom, power and blessing. Accordingly, whatever a person says or does--good or bad--it is of no benefit or harm to Him. Similarly, when we say, ברוך אתה ה׳״—Blessed Are You, Hashem,” we are not adding or bestowing blessing upon Him, God forbid, for He has no need for additional blessing. He is Master of all and already has all. Blessing and good are His creations. He brings them into existence out of nothing, and out of His infinite goodness He bestows of them wherever and on whomever He pleases. The concept of saying a “blessing” to Hashem is beyond human understanding. The matter involves profound secrets of creation, but my great desire to reach but a fraction of understanding has stirred me to speak about this subject and offer a partial explanation. Hashem, Creator of the Universe, is abundantly kind and desires to bestow good on others. At the same time, He wants mankind to be deserving of His good. In view of these principles, the matter of “blessing” is simultaneously a reminder and a good deed that makes us worthy of His blessing. While reciting a blessing our souls are aroused, as we recall that He is the Source of all blessing. When we express this idea verbally and with feeling, and we also express our gratitude to Him, declaring that He is King and can send blessing to whomever He pleases, it is a good deed that draws Divine blessing upon us. In different blessings, after making this declaration and expressing our gratitude, we ask for our needs--for knowledge, for forgiveness of our sins, for cure for our ills, for financial success and so on. After our request we again acknowledge that only from Him can we obtain what we need. This, in short, is the essence of each blessing’s introduction and “signature” (conclusion)--to declare that only He provides our needs. As to why, regarding food, we bless after we eat, while regarding Torah learning, we bless beforehand, the explanation lies in the fact that man has a material, animalistic side. This lowly aspect of his being does not recognize good until after it physically senses it. Therefore, Hashem does not ask this part of us to serve Him by thanking Him and acknowledging Him until after it receives its portion. By contrast, learning or reading the Torah benefits the spiritual part of our being--our soul and intellect--and this part of us already knows Hashem. This part of us understands and recognizes ahead of time, before the benefit from Him arrives and his felt. For this reason, Hashem requires us to say the blessing of thanks and acknowledgment before learning or reading the Torah.