Sefat ha-shulḥan (Rim of the Table)

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The prior washing of the hands [before a meal containing bread] is an indispensable [halakhic] prerequisite of the meal, whenever one is going to consume in excess of the volume of an olive [of bread], or even precisely that volume; but where the amount of bread consumed is less, it suffices to recite the blessing on the bread [ha-motzi]. And the grace after a meal is required.

The ha-motzi blessing is recited only over bread, and the she-ha-kol blessing may be recited over all items except for wine, for which a special blessing was fixed; yet these latter two, notwithstanding that each of them requires a concluding blessing, do not share the same concluding blessing.

Hearken unto my words as I have presented them, and you will then be successful and your path will remain secure, and you will have the merit of ascending to the faithful city [Jerusalem] three times a year to appear before the One dwelling upon High.

Indeed it is thus: there is no one in Israel, either man or woman, who can rely exclusively upon human understanding, in the sense indicated by the verse: And the Lord has not given you a heart to know, etc. The Gemara in b. Avodah Zarah [5b] expounds: “We see from here that an individual cannot gain a full insight into the thought of his teacher until he attains forty years of age.” And when he contemplates what is the correct path for a man, he ought to think of good deeds, whether these be of an internal kind, in relation to his own person—involving performance of the commandments in the most honorable fashion, utilizing all of his two hundred and forty-eight limbs, endeavoring to employ each of the members of his body in the action(s) specifically pertaining to it—or whether they be good deeds consisting of the education of his sons and daughters. And in particular, he should see to it that they are trained in a spirit of joy in performing the commandments—to speak to them of the need for reverence for the Almighty at their table, and besides this, concerning acts of charity and deeds of lovingkindness, performed both with one’s own person and with one’s financial resources. Now this requires divine mercy, as our sages of blessed memory have stated in b. Niddah [70b]: “What should one do to become wealthy?” etc. One should seek divine mercy! On this account, I have composed this alphabetical acrostic—these stanzas—to be recited with full focus and intent; for then I am certain that one’s request will be fulfilled, for “When a person comes with intent to be purified, he receives heavenly assistance!” [b. Shabbat 104b] [ . . . ]

As I considered, from examination of the numerous works of instruction upon ethical conduct, that the essence of reverence for the Almighty stems from love, happy is the person who is capable of attaining this service of the divine through the medium of love; and the essence of this trait is found within an individual who rises early in the morning, and then receives his soul back by way of a deposit from the Master of souls with enthusiasm and alertness, as a result of which he prepares himself and his two hundred and forty-eight bodily members for the service of his Creator and involves himself wholeheartedly in song and adoration in a spirit of joy in the performance of the commandments, having no worries whatsoever concerning the affairs of this world; for at that time he is thinking: “Why should a living man complain?” etc. And he needs then to reflect: “Behold, I have the intent of serving the great Lord, blessed be He and blessed be His name,” and to contemplate the nine worlds, as King David, peace be upon him, declared; and it was on this account that my father, may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing, composed these five poems commencing with the words “bless the Lord, O my soul! [Barekhi nafshi],” the mnemonic for these being Yeḥiel ha-Levi. And it is a good thing to accustom all the young members of one’s household to recite them, for they will not turn aside from them right up to old age. It is beneficial to recite Psalms 103 and 104 with heartfelt devotion. [ . . . ]

Since King David, peace be upon him, declared: “Shall I not recall Jerusalem over and above my greatest joy?”—and everyone needs to make mention of it and recite prayers over the place of our holy and glorious Temple from time to time in a spirit of joy, most assuredly our foremost joy in this bitter exile is felt only on the festivals, for all the prayers we recite in the synagogue on the festivals are based upon the themes of the protracted length of the exile and the rebuilding of our sanctuary; but in any event, the majority of the masses of our nation, by reason of our many sins, merely possess the regularity of custom, and such regularity becomes second nature; for it is when they come home and are seated, reclining at their tables, that such individuals’ joy becomes desirable to them, in accordance with [the rabbinic adage]: “There is no joy other than with the consumption of meat.” And it is then that a person busies himself, from time to time, in matters of no real significance, and, because of the genial atmosphere generated at his table, he then needs also to make mention of the protracted extension of our exile, and of our holy Temple. And it was for this reason that my father of blessed memory composed this song to be chanted joyfully on all three pilgrimage festivals, and he “signed” his name, Yeḥiel ha-Levi, at the commencement of each stanza, in acrostic form.