8 Reasons Why I Stopped Worrying About Carbs And Started Eating Bread Again | June Silny | Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel

                                     THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BLESSING OF BREAD

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8 Reasons Why I Stopped Worrying About Carbs And Started Eating Bread Again | June Silny | Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel

The great Rabbi Meir Shapiro, who instituted Daf Yomi, taught his students that anyone who recites Birkas HaMazon with all of their heart; with sincerity, intention and concentration is guaranteed protection and parnassa (livelihood). One of his students took the teaching seriously. When saying the blessing, he carefully concentrated on every word. The other boys went out to play at recess, but he remained seated. For half an hour, he pronounced each word. For several years, he maintained his devotion to the blessing after bread.

When the Holocaust broke out, the boy was sent to the camps. When the time came for selection to either work detail or the gas chamber, he was asked what type of work he does. Somebody behind him whispered, "Tell him you work in the kitchen." The boy answered, "I've worked in the kitchen." The soldier believed him and sent him to the kitchen.

Surrounded by food, as others were starving and sent to their death, the boy could eat anything he wanted. With every bite, he remembered the words of Rabbi Shapiro, " If you make Birkas HaMazon with intention, you will be protected from danger. The boy knew that although others were starving, Hashem provided him with all the food he desired.

One day the Nazi in charge of the kitchen became angry at the boy. "What right does this Jew have to be in the kitchen? Come with me," he commands the boy. He took the boy outside and handed him a shovel. "I want you to dig a well here, a meter by a meter, in one hour. If you cannot dig this well, I am going to send you out of the kitchen, back to the barracks on work detail. That's the end of your kitchen duty."

The boy stared at the rocky ground knowing there was no way he could complete this impossible task. Standing there frozen with fear, a truck full of Nazis delivering vegetables pulled in front of him. "What are you doing, you foolish boy?" Laughing and making fun of him, they started throwing potatoes, carrots, and onions at the boy.

A few minutes later, another truck pulled up to see the boy standing in a pile of vegetables. Knowing that he worked in the kitchen, the soldiers called out to the boy, "We are starving, how about giving us some of those vegetables?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to, but first, can you help me dig this hole over here." The hungry soldiers jumped out of the truck and started digging into the rocky ground. After fifteen minutes, he returned to the kitchen and said to the Nazi in charge, " I dug the hole."

"That's impossible," the Nazi answered as he barged through the door to see if it was true. Staring at the hole, he shook his head, "What can I say, this kid is blessed." The boy spent the rest of the war in the kitchen, and survived without ever feeling a pang of hunger.

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8 Reasons Why I Stopped Worrying About Carbs And Started Eating Bread Again | June Silny | Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel