The גמרא in מסכת ברכות on דף כ עמוד ב relates what seems to be an odd dialogue between G-d and the  מלאכי השרת. The גמרא  tells us in the name of  רב עוירא , that the angels raised  the following apparent contradiction. On one hand we are told in פרשת עקב (דברים י,יז) that G-d doesn’t “play favorites”, “"הא-ל הגדול הגבור והנורא אשר לא ישא פנים ולא יקח שוחד On the other hand, in  פרשת נשא in ברכת כהנים we are told "ישא ד' פניו אליך", indicating that G-d will deal with us favorably. הקב"ה responds and tells the מלאכים , “Shall I not show favor to the Jewish People?! After all, the פסוק  says  "ואכלת ושבעת וברכת את ד' אלוקיך"indicating that the obligation to recite ברכת המזון  is limited to when one is satiated, and the Jewish People are meticulous to say ברכת המזון  even when they consume a small amount – a כזית  or a כביצה. “

Seemingly theגמרא  is telling us that the reason that we are entitled to have G-d deal with us in a special fashion, is the fact that we accepted upon ourselves a stringency not required by Torah Law. However that approach would be difficult. After all, there are numerous חומרות  imposed by חז"ל , many of them more difficult to adhere to than the need to bench on a small quantity. It thus would seem that there is some different, perhaps, deeper message here.

A beautiful, inspiring approach to understanding the answer of the גמרא is given by Rav Eliyahu Guttmacher (Rabbi Guttmacher (1796-1874)  was a student of Rabbi Akiva Eiger and a supporter of the חיבת ציון  movement.) He explains somewhat along the following lines. From the פסוקים  in פרשת עקב   where the פסוק "ואכלת ושבעת וברכת..."  appears, one gets the impression that תורה  is indicating that when we enter ארץ ישראל  the situation will generally one in which we will be granted the great gifts which our cherished land has to offer, including having as much to eat as we need. In other words it would seem that  "ואכלת ושבעת", is not only stating that in the event that we eat and are satiated , that we’re obligated to bench, but also are indicating that that’s the norm- that we will have enough to eat and will be satiated. If this is the case, then when a G-d fearing Jew has a tough time making a living and cannot afford a satiating meal, there would be room to think that such an individual would complain and to tell G-d that “it’s not fair”. After all, that often is the approach taken by the wicked, as the פסוק  in(ח,כא)  ישעיה says "והיה כי ירעב והתקצף וקלל במלכו ובאלוהיו"  (“When he shall become hungry he will get angry and curse his king and his God”.) The Jew who knows that G-d is our Father and who constantly is meant to remind himself that "כל מאי דעביד רחמנא לטב עביד" (“Whatever G-d does is for the best”), has the strength and faith to handle those difficult times, and appreciates whatever little bit he has, gives thanks for that small amount that he does have, and he says ברכת המזון even on a כזית  or a כביצה.

(The idea of accentuating the positive aspects that exist even when there is a time of  הסתר פנים, is of course very much related to our ברכת המזון. After all, theברכה fourth ברכה  of ברכת המזון , the ברכה of הטוב והמטיב  , was instituted when finally there was an opportunity to bury those that were killed when the city of ביתר fell.  חז"לtaught us to be thankful that the bodies did not decay and that we were finally able to bury them.)

Thus we could understand that what the גמרא in ברכות  is telling us is the following.  When G-d sees that we don’t complain to Him even in those situations in which we might feel that we should be entitled to more, and we thank Him for that which we do have, G-d “reciprocates” by being favorable to us and gives us special treatment.

The Jewish People are going through challenging times. One important part of our עבודה  at this time is to try to see those rays of light that shine through the darkness-  whether, it’s the מסירות נפש  of our soldiers, the סייעתא דשמיא  that is evident on  the military front, or the spiritual reawakening of parts of our people (to mention some examples).  If we learn to accept the will of G-d, with the understanding that whatever is happening is part of a process which is meant to bring us to a better place, and with an appreciation of the good that is evident even now, we can be sure that G-d will in fact show special favor to the Jewish People. Hopefully, in the near future, we will see the complete fulfillment of the verse, "ישא ד' פניו אליך וישם לך שלום". 

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