499. Rabbi Chiya opened the discussion saying, "When you have eaten and are replete, then you shall bless Hashem your Elohim... " (Devarim 8:10). HE QUESTIONS, Before a person eats to satisfaction and fills his stomach, should he not bless the Holy One, blessed be He? How are we to explain the passage, "When you have eaten and are replete" and afterwards, "then you shall bless?" HE ANSWERS, Even if a person eats as much as an olive but desires it, and he considers that eating to be his main food, then this is considered being sated, as it is written, "You open Your hand, and satisfies the desire of every living thing" (Tehilim 145:16). It is not written, 'The food of every living thing,' but rather "The desire of every living thing" TO TEACH that the desire he has for that food is called 'satisfaction.' Even if there is only a small thing in front of the person like an olive and no more, the desire for satiety has been put on it. It is therefore WRITTEN, "And satisfies the desire of every living thing." "Desire" is written and not 'food.' "Then you shall bless" certainly, for the person is obligated to bless the Holy One, blessed be He, in order to give joy above.

500. After him, Rabbi Chizkiyah opened the discussion with the passage, "When you have eaten and are replete." From here, IT IS UNDERSTOOD that one who is drunk may say the Blessing After a Meal, which is not so pertaining to prayer, for prayer is not so. AND ONE WHO IS DRUNK IS PROHIBITED TO PRAY, because prayer is good without eating. What is the reason? It is because the prayer rises higher, higher to the place where there is neither eating nor drinking, MEANING TO BINAH. Pertaining to this, we learned that there is no eating or drinking in the World to Come, but there is EATING AND DRINKING in the other levels below.

501. In the blessing after the meal, another method applies; NAMELY, the blessing is tied to satisfaction, since the blessing after food abides where there is food and drink, NAMELY MALCHUT, so it is necessary to show before Him satisfaction and joy. BUT where prayer goes, it is not so, as it ascends higher and higher TO BINAH, where there is no food or drink. So, a drunk man must not pray.

502. By the Blessing After a Meal, a drunk person may recite the Blessing After a Meal, as is understood from this passage, "When you have eaten and are replete, then you shall bless." "When you have eaten" refers to eating, "and are replete" refers to drinking, as satiety is with wine, because WITH WINE he becomes sated. In wine, there is certainly satiety and this refers to the drunk, as it is written, "Then you shall bless HASHEM YOUR ELOHIM." Et (the) is precise, FOR IT ALLUDES TO MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED 'ET (THE),' THAT CONTAINS BOTH EATING AND DRINKING. From this, we understand that the Blessing After a Meal requires joy and satisfaction, BECAUSE IT IS WRITTEN, "For the good land" (Devarim 8:10). What is the meaning of 'good?' Satisfaction, as it is written, "For then we had plenty of bread, and were well off" (Yirmeyah 44:17), so it requires joy and satisfaction.