The Complaint of the Angels
The last blessing of "Birkat Cohanim" (the priestly benediction) is a prayer that God should show us leniency when judging us: "May God lift His countenance to you". 'Lifting one's face' is a Hebrew idiom for showing special consideration, especially by a judge. Is it fair that the Jewish people should be judged leniently, more than other peoples?
In fact, the angels raised this very question.
"The ministering angles asked the Holy One: Master of the Universe, it is written in Your Torah that You "do not give special consideration or take bribes." Yet, You show Israel special consideration, as it is written, "May God lift His countenance to you"!
"God replied to them: How can I not favor Israel? For I commanded them, "You will eat and be satisfied and bless the Lord your God", and they are punctilious (to say grace) even over an olive-sized piece of bread (although they are not satiated)." [Berachot 20b]
What is the significance of this stringency that the Jewish people accepted upon themselves, to recite the grace after meals ("birkat hamazon") even for a small piece of bread? Why should this earn them special treatment?
When is Leniency Appropriate?
Leniency sounds like a good thing, but this is not necessarily the case. We are punished, not as some sort of Divine retribution or revenge, but in order to direct us to the proper path. Even if an individual is bursting with merits and good deeds, he will not gain from a reprieve, even for the slightest of errors. Without the appropriate measure of Divine justice, we do not learn to correct our ways and continue to strive towards ever-greater perfection.
There is, however, one situation when the absence of Divine justice will not have a deleterious effect. This situation involves an individual who will continue to strive towards self-improvement, even without the Divine wake-up call to introspection and moral accounting.
Such a person must have acquired the quality of sincere appreciation ("hakarat hatov"). This trait is the apex of morality when applied to God and His kindness. Its benefit to the human soul is boundless. Our sense of gratitude is intensified when we feel that we are the recipient of undeserved kindness and compassion. And the only way we can return this favor is by working to perfect ourselves and others, thus fulfilling God's will. [see Chovat HaLevavot, introduction to Sha'ar Avodat Elokim]
This person recognizes that God?s generosity is not in measure to his actions. Not only will this Divine leniency not cause him to be lax in his conduct, but it will inspire him to work even harder to improve himself, since he has an additional reason to be appreciative of God's ways.
We can now understand God's response to the angels. The explanation that the Jewish people deserve special consideration because they recite blessings even on olive-sized pieces of bread is not just some form of Divine tit-for-tat. Rather, their behavior is indicative of a refined appreciation of God's kindness for their physical sustenance - even keener than that which the Torah requires.
The Appreciation Test
There is an additional factor at play here. When one?s misdeeds go unpunished, two contradictory processes occur. On the one hand, undeserved leniency bolsters one's feelings of gratitude. On the other hand, one may be ensnared by a detrimental sense that one's actions are not accounted for - so why bother laboring over ethical improvement and spiritual growth?
Which feeling will prevail? An individual blessed with a strong positive character will say to himself: I am indebted to God's compassion, I must redouble my efforts to improve. Someone whose soul has not been refined, on the other hand, will be trapped by the destructive attitude that God does not fully monitor our actions.
How can we determine which way of thinking will triumph? Here is a simple test. One who recognizes God's kindness even when he is lacking, this is a sure sign that his trait of appreciation is robust. Such a person properly evaluates God's relationship to His creations, and recognizes that God does everything for the good. We can be assured that in the conflict between these two feelings - appreciation for God's leniency, and a deluded impression of limited Divine providence - the true feeling of appreciation will prevail.
Thus, when one is satisfied with even a small measure - an olive- sized piece of bread - and feels the need to express his gratitude to God, even though he is still hungry and his needs have not been met, it is clear that his natural sense of appreciation is strong and healthy. The Jewish people, who recite "birkat hamazon" even when they are not satiated, demonstrate their natural mind-set of "hakarat hatov". Therefore, God's leniency and special consideration will certainly have a positive affect on them.
[adapted from Ein Aya vol. I pp. 102-103]