Our Rabbis have taught: It is forbidden to a man to enjoy anything of this world without a benediction, and if anyone enjoys anything of this world without a benediction, he commits sacrilege. 27 What is his remedy? He should consult a wise man. What will the wise man do for him? He has already committed the offence! — Said Raba: What it means is that he should consult a wise man beforehand, so that he should teach him blessings and he should not commit sacrilege. Rab Judah said in the name of Samuel: To enjoy anything of this world without a benediction is like making personal use of things consecrated to heaven, since it says. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness there of.
28 R. Levi contrasted two texts. It is written, ‘The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof’, and it is also written, The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth hath He given to the children of men!29 There is no contradiction: in the one case it is before a blessing has been said in the other case after. R. Hanina b. Papa said: To enjoy this world without a benediction is like robbing the Holy One, blessed be He, and the community of Israel, as it says. Whoso robbeth his father or his mother and saith, It is no transgression, the same is the companion of a destroyer;1 and ‘father’ is none other but the Holy One, blessed be He, as it says. Is not He thy father that hath gotten thee;2 and ‘mother’ is none other than the community of Israel, as it says, Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother.
3 What is the meaning of ‘he is the companion of a destroyer’? — R. Hanina b. Papa answered: He is the companion of Jeroboam son of Nebat who destroyed Israel’s [faith in]their Father in heaven.