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Parashat Ki-Tavo 5755(b)

THE AL-HAMICHYAH BLESSING

Differences between the blessings of Al-Hamichyah & Birkat Hamazon

You shall take the first of all fruit that is produced by your land... put it in a basket ("Teneh"), and go to the place where Hashem will choose to have His Name dwell [=the Beit Hamikdash]. You shall come to the Kohen who is serving there at the time and say to him, "I declare thanks on this day before Hashem, your God, for bringing me to the land that Hashem swore to... give us." Then the Kohen shall take the basket from your hand and put it down before the altar of Hashem, your God.
(Devarim 26:2-4)
How does one designate his Bikkurim (first fruits)? He goes into his field, and when he sees a cluster of grapes or a pomegranate that is beginning to grow, he ties a string around it, and declares, "These are hereby Bikkurim!"
(Bikkurim 3:1)
The Mitzvah of Bikkurim consists of bringing the first fruits to emerge from one's field every year, to the Kohen in the Holy Temple. The Kohen places them at the southeastern corner of the altar's base (Mishna Bikkurim 2:3). The owner recites a specified declaration (verses 26:3,5-10), and the fruits are then given to the Kohen (Bikkurim 3:8; 2:11). The Mitzvah of Bikkurim applies only to the seven species for which the land of Eretz Yisrael was praised (in Devarim 8:8) -- wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates (Bikkurim 3:6). (Although many other types of produce now grow in Eretz Yisrael, these are the *only* species of produce truly indigenous to Israel. Other, "immigrant," species can be destroyed by drought or harsh weather, but these 7 species will always be part of the land -- heard once from a leading botanist -MK.)

A look into the Mitzvah of Bikkurim may shed some light on a puzzling choice of words in the blessings we recite after eating. After eating bread, the "Birkat Hamazon" grace, which consists of four blessings, is recited. After eating any food prepared from the Seven Species for which Israel was praised (enumerated above), we recite an abridged version of this grace consisting of one blessing, commonly known as "Al Hamichyah."

We would expect that, being an abbreviated version of Birkat Hamazon, Al Hamichyah would contain only ideas that are contained in Birkat Hamazon itself without any new additions. However, upon examination we see that there are indeed some added phrases found in the Al Hamichyah blessing that are not found in the "parent" blessings of Birkat Hamazon. First, in Birkat Hamazon we pray for the restoration of "Jerusalem and Zion." In Al Hamichyah we pray for the restoration of these and *also* for the restoration of "Your altar and Your Temple ('Mizb'checha')." Another addition in Al Hamichyah that is not found in Birkat Hamazon is the prayer that He may once again "bring us to [Jerusalem] and cause us to rejoice in its rebuilding... that we may praise You for [Eretz Yisrael] in holiness and purity." What is the nature of these two additions, and why were they included in the shorter Al Hamichyah, yet omitted from the longer, more inclusive, Birkat Hamazon?

I heard an answer to this question, given by the Brisker Rav (Harav Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik, d. 1962), which I would like to present here (with a few embellishments of my own).

II

Al Hamichyah: Thanks for the 7 Species.

First of all, it should be noted that there actually is one other addition in the Al Hamichyah blessing which is not found in Birkat Hamazon. In Al Hamichyah we specify that Hashem gave us Eretz Yisrael "that we may eat of its fruits, and be satiated by its bounty" -- and we ask Him to return Eretz Yisrael to our hands for the same purpose. Why do we stress our appreciation for Israel's fruits in this particular blessing?

The answer to this is obvious. Birkat Hamazon is recited after a meal consisting of *any* kind of food (provided it was eaten with bread). Al Hamichyah, on the other hand, was instituted to be recited only after partaking of one of the Seven Species of Israel. It is appropriate that we offer praise to Hashem that relates specifically to what we have just enjoyed (Berachot 40a). Therefore, after eating the fruits of Israel, we thank Hashem for giving us Israel with *its unique fruits and satiating bounty*.

III

Al Hamichyah: A prayer for the restoration of the Mitzvah of Bikkurim.

With this in mind, we can answer our questions regarding the additions in the Al Hamichyah blessing. Why do we add a special prayer for the restoration of the *altar*? Perhaps it is because, aside from the enjoyment we derive from the seven fruits of the land, we also use these fruits to perform the Mitzvah of bringing Bikkurim, which must be chosen from the Seven Species (Bikkurim 3:6). As mentioned above, the Mitzvah of Bikkurim entails placing the fruit-basket at the corner of the *altar*. Therefore, after partaking of these species we ask Hashem to (1) return us to His land so that we may *eat again* of its special fruits, and (2) rebuild *His altar*, so that we may again bring those fruits as Bikkurim!

A similar approach can explain the other addition found in Al Hamichyah. After eating any of the Seven Species, we ask Hashem to "bring us to Jerusalem," i.e. in order to fulfill the Mitzvah of Bikkurim. Bikkurim must be brought to Jerusalem and eaten there, as we mentioned above (section I).

We also ask Hashem to "cause us to rejoice in its [= Jerusalem's] rebuilding." What do we mean by that? Bikkurim may only be eaten in Jerusalem when the city is rebuilt and its walls are restored (Bava Metzia 53b). When that condition is fulfilled, all the Halachot of Bikkurim apply. These Halachot include bringing our Bikkurim to Jerusalem, and "*rejoicing* in all the good that Hashem has given you" (Devarim 26:11). Therefore, in the Al Hamichyah blessing we pray that Hashem may cause us to *rejoice* (i.e. in the bringing of Bikkurim) through the *rebuilding* of Jerusalem.

Next, we promise Hashem that upon the rebuilding of Jerusalem we will "praise You for [Eretz Yisrael] in holiness and purity." What is the meaning of this statement, and what makes it appropriate specifically to the Al Hamichyah blessing? Perhaps here, too, we are imploring Hashem to allow us to bring Him Bikkurim from the Seven Species of fruit whose after-blessing is Al Hamichyah. How is that?

When Bikkurim were brought to the Kohen, their owner would say, "I declare thanks this day before Hashem, your God, for bringing me to the land that Hashem swore to... give us" (Devarim 26:3). We use the Bikkurim as a vehicle to thank Hashem for having given us Eretz Yisrael. This thanks is recited in the courtyard of the Beit Hamikdash -- i.e. in an atmosphere of "holiness." "Purity" is also an appropriate adjective for the bringing of Bikkurim, as entrance to the Temple grounds was permitted only to those who were ritually pure. Also, the Bikkurim themselves (like Terumah) must be kept in a state of ritual purity.

If so, explains the Brisker Rav, the terminology of the Al Hamichyah blessing is especially apt. After partaking of the Seven Species, we implore Hashem to once again allow us to use these species for Bikkurim, that we may praise Him for giving us the land that produces these fruits while in a state of holiness and purity!

(This approach was heard from Harav Natan Lesinger, of Jerusalem, who repeated it in the name of the Brisker Rav. A somewhat similar thought can be found in the Brisker Hagadah, p. 272.)


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