“Torah and Food”
One of the mitzvot, commandments, in this parsha is the mitzvah of Birkat Hamazon, blessing G-d at the end of a meal where we eat bread and are satisfied. This mitzvah is written as: “You will eat and you will be satisfied, and bless G-d for the good Land that He gave you (Devarim 8:10).”
So we know that this mitzvah is one from the Torah and not one from our Rabbis. This mitzvah is to bless G-d after a meal when we are satisfied and satiated. We also learn from our Rabbis that Torah is a kind of food for the soul. So why is it that when one learns Torah, he makes a bracha, a blessing, before he begins to learn but not afterwards?
The Meshech Chochma explains that human nature is that when we are satisfied, we tend to forget about G-d. This isn’t such a problem before we eat, because when we’re lacking in food and are in need, we automatically look for G-d. So therefore we make a blessing after we eat so we remember that this wonderful food came from G-d. But, with learning Torah, it is the complete opposite.
When you sit down in school to take a class, it’s “forced” learning. You’re required to take classes; in each class, you sit there and listen to the teacher and try to pay attention. So, too, with Torah. It’s not forced, you know that you want to learn it, but sometimes you feel that you need that extra push. So by saying a bracha before one learns Torah, we ask G-d to help us focus our study on learning for the sake of getting a mitzvah, not because we have to do it, but because we want to do it.
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The Gemara in Brachos explains from Parshat Eikev that animals must be taken care of before us. Why?
The Gemara explains that a person is obligated to feed his animals before himself. This teaches us compassion for all living creatures. Even when we’re hungry, even if that means that you’re traipsing through a desert and you finally reach an oasis, your immediate thought should be about your animal. We can take from this lesson that we should be helping others who can’t help themselves and that others come before us.