The Yanuka Rav Shlomo Yehuda-ברכת המזון： סוד הפרנסה - הגאון הינוקא בשיעור מיוחד בברית

2:42 He becomes sanctified. We find sources for this. They say that there are still many people who are not careful with the blessings, and afterwards distress and anguish come to them. And it can even be that a soul is reincarnated within that very thing the person ate without blessing, and it accuses him, saying: “How could you eat me without a blessing?” It accuses him — it turns out that it accuses him. As our teacher Rabbi Chaim Vital tells in Sha'arei Kedushah, the Arizal was careful with Birchos HaNehenin, and everything he merited — his attainments and ruach hakodesh — was only because of the blessings.

3:14 So it is written. And it is written of as well, in Bereishis. And they speak there of wondrous Tikkunim: that the blessings repair a person. And so one must be very, very, very careful with this. In Tractate Eruvin — what does the Gemara say? That King Shlomo and his beis din instituted netilas yadayim, the washing of the hands. You know that 'al netilas yadayim' — the initial letters: 'al,' 'netilas,' 'yadayim' — the initial letters spell 'ani,' a poor man.

3:39 'Al' is ayin. 'Netilas' is nun. 'Yadayim' is yud. A person who eats — a person who eats without washing — brings himself to poverty, Heaven forbid. Whoever makes light of netilas yadayim comes to poverty, Heaven forbid. And as the Sages said, he is uprooted from the world, and in the end comes to poverty — one who makes light of netilas yadayim. And about Iyov, the Ba'er Heitev writes: all the suffering that came upon him was because he was not careful with mayim acharonim, the water after the meal.

4:07 With mayim acharonim. Know how very important it is to be careful. The first water is a mitzvah, the last water is an obligation — and there is a very, very big problem. The Mishnah Berurah discusses it: one should reach as far as the joints of the fingers, or up to the second joint, the first joint, at the knuckles of the fingers, and up to there. Only, whoever wishes — all of it — the main thing is that he wash mayim acharonim. Be particular to wash mayim acharonim with kavanah, and to rouse oneself for Birkas HaMazon.

4:35 There is also the blessing of Me'ein Shalosh. A person ate the measure of a kezayis — a person who ate that measure, a person who eats a baked item or cookies — he is particular and careful to say the blessing of Me'ein Shalosh. And he says the blessing of Me'ein Shalosh, and it is very, very, very important. Regarding it, a good many of the early authorities — the view of the Ra'avyah, the Ra'avyah, the Mordechai — they rule that this blessing is Rabbinic, not from the Torah, and so it is Rabbinic. Birkas HaMazon is from the Torah.

5:24 The Sefer HaChinuch writes about this mitzvah: “So I have received from my teachers, may G-d protect them: whoever is careful with Birkas HaMazon — his sustenance is found for him with dignity all his days.” There is a very great virtue in being careful with Birkas HaMazon, and an abundance of blessing and parnassah, livelihood. You eat cookies — say Me'ein Shalosh. You ate fruit of the tree — two dates, five grapes, large grapes — you say Me'ein Shalosh: 'Al ha'etz ve'al pri ha'etz.'

5:51 You drank the measure of wine — you say 'Al hagefen ve'al pri hagefen.' It is very, very important to say the after-blessing, the berachah acharonah, and how important it is, this matter of the blessings — both the first blessing and the after-blessing. Take this carefulness upon yourselves, it is very important — and of course the blessing 'Al netilas yadayim.' Let us speak about Shacharis, the morning, as well. The Mishnah Berurah says that the blessing 'Al netilas yadayim' of the morning is once in twenty-four hours.

6:17 So, once a day — one does not do it several times a day. Just once. He also speaks about rising in the morning: one washes his hands in order to remove the ruach ra'ah, the evil spirit, from himself. Today — the ger tzedek, the righteous convert Potocki, who removed the spirit of impurity from the world, Avraham ben Avraham — the ruach ra'ah was weakened. But you must be very careful with netilas yadayim, [unclear] times, alternating hands, and be particular and careful to say the blessing, at the end as well, over what you eat and drink. Let us all strengthen ourselves in this, And know that this is a very, very, very great blessing.

6:48 I, the small one, bless you that you should succeed, with a good life. Amen. Amen. May Hashem watch over you. Be strong and take courage. Amen. May the merit of the holy Torah protect you, and may there be many blessings, and so may it be His will, and let us say Amen.