The Gemara in Masechet Menahot (43) cites a verse in the Book of Debarim (10:12 ) in which Moshe Rabbenu turns to Beneh Yisrael and says, "Ma Hashem Elokecha Sho'el Me'imach" – "What does Hashem your G-d ask of you?" Moshe proceeds to explain that Hashem asks that we fear Him and obey His commands. The Gemara, however, comments that the word "Ma" in this verse may be read as "Me'a" – one hundred. This means that we are required to recite 100 Berachot each day, and this is what Hashem wants from us. It seems from the Gemara that source of this obligation is the word "Ma," which is read as though it is written "Me'a." Some commentators, however, understood the Gemara's inference from this verse differently. The Shiboleh Ha'leket (Rav Sidkiya Ben Abraham Ha'rofeh, Italy, 13 th century) noted that this verse contains 100 letters, and thus the Sages found in this verse an allusion to the requirement of 100 daily blessings. In truth, this verse contains only 99 letters, but since the Gemara reads the word "Ma" as "Me'a," which contains an additional letter (an Alef), the total reaches 100. Others explain that this inference is based on the "Atbash" system, whereby a letter can be substituted with its corresponding letter at the opposite end of the alphabet (e.g. Alef is replaced by Tav; Bet is replaced by Shin, Gimmel is replaced by Resh, etc.). In the system of "Atbash," the letters that form the word "Ma" – Mem and Heh – become Yud and Sadi, which have the combined numerical value of 100, alluding to the 100 daily Berachot. Another allusion to this requirement is found in the verse in Tehillim (128:4), "Hineh Ki Chen Yeborach Gaber Yereh Hashem" ("Behold, this is how a G-d-fearing man shall be blessed"). The word "Ki" in Gematria equals 30, and the word "Chen" equals 70, for a total of 100, such that the phrase "Ki Chen Yeborach Gaber" may be read to mean that a man should recite 100 Berachot. As the Gemara inferred this requirement from a verse in the Torah, we might conclude that this constitutes a Biblical obligation, mandated by the Torah. This is, in fact, the view taken by the Ba'al Halachot Gedolot, in his listing of the 613 Misvot. Rav Shlomo Ibn Gabirol, in his "Azharot" poem which lists the 613 Biblical commands following the view of the Behag (and which we customarily chant on Shabuot), makes reference to this requirement ("U'mi'berachot Tasmid Me'at Ha'nigmarim"). By contrast, the Rambam maintained that this obligation was enacted later, by the Sages. The Sefer Ha'yere'im (Rav Eliezer of Metz, France, 1140-1237) similarly maintained that this requirement was instituted by the Ansheh Kenesset Ha'gedola ("Men of the Great Assembly") at the beginning of the Second Commonwealth. According to this view, the inference from the verse in Debarim is meant as an allusion to a law enacted by the Sages, and is not the actual source of this requirement. A third opinion is that of the Shiboleh Ha'leket and others, who maintained that this obligation was verbally transmitted as a "Halacha Le'Moshe Mi'Sinai" – a law taught to Moshe at Sinai, without having been written in the Torah. At first glance, we might question the view of the Behag and Shiboleh Ha'leket based on the Midrash's comment that it was King David who instituted the recitation of 100 Berachot each day. The Midrash relates that a devastating plague ravaged the nation during the reign of King David, killing 100 people every day. David determined that to end the plague, everyone must recite 100 daily blessings. (David later refers to himself as "Hukam Al" (Shemuel II 23:1), which could be read to mean, "the one who established 'Al,' as the word "Al" in Gematria equals 100, an allusion to the 100 Berachot which David instituted.) Seemingly, if this constitutes a Biblical obligation, or a requirement transmitted orally since the time of Moshe Rabbenu, then there would be no need for David to introduce this law. The answer, it would seem, is that the people were lax in their fulfillment of this obligation, and so David ordered the people to be more scrupulous in this regard and ensure to recite 100 blessings every day. A fascinating theory regarding the origins of this obligation was advanced by Rav Aharon Amarillo (1700-1772), in his work Peneh Aharon. He writes that Moshe Rabbenu instituted the requirement to recite 100 Berachot each day at the time of the construction of the Mishkan. The wooden planks that formed the structure of the Mishkan were inserted into "Adanim" – sockets embedded in the ground. In all, there were one hundred sockets, which together formed the base and foundation of the Mishkan. The word "Me'a," Rav Amarillo writes, is an acrostic representing the words "Me'at Adneh Ha'Mishkan" – "the one hundred sockets of the Mishkan." The 100 daily blessings were instituted to correspond to the 100 sockets of the Mishkan. The question naturally arises, what connection is there between the "Adanim" and Berachot? Why are the 100 daily blessings associated with the sockets that formed the base of the Mishkan? We can perhaps answer this question based a discussion by Rav Yosef Salant (Jerusalem, 1885-1981), in his Be'er Yosef, regarding the symbolism of the "Adanim." He writes that the Mishkan itself represents the Misvot that the Torah commands us to observe, and the sockets represent the foundation of it all, the pillar upon which the entire Torah rests. And that pillar, Rav Salant explains, is Emuna – faith in Hashem. Our faith in Hashem as the Creator who governs and controls everything is the foundation upon which all of Torah is based. If so, then we can perhaps understand the association between the "Adanim" and the Berachot that we recite. Numerous times each day, we are required to take a few moments and recite a Beracha, with Kavana (concentration), reminding ourselves of Hashem's involvement in the world and in our lives. Indeed, the word "Beracha" in Gematria equals 227 – the same Gematria as the word "Zecher" – "remembrance." The purpose of Berachot is to remind us of Hashem's existence and control over the world. And, in fact, the verse from which the Gemara derived this obligation tells us that what Hashem asks is "Le'yir'a Et Hashem Elokecha" – that we "fear" Hashem, meaning, that we live with an awareness of His unlimited power and His greatness. Accordingly, the 100 Berachot we recite each day are truly the ''foundation" of Torah life, as they serve to reinforce our Emuna. For good reason, then, the Berachot we recite are associated with the "Adanim," which comprised the foundation of the Mishkan and thus symbolize faith, the foundation of the entire Torah. A number of sources speak of the great reward which one earns through the proper fulfillment of this obligation – reciting 100 Berachot each day with concentration, and pronouncing each word correctly. (For example, one must ensure that the words "Baruch Ata" do not sound like "Baru Chata," and to recite "Melech Ha'olam," and not "Melecholam," skipping the syllable "Ha-.") The Ba'al Ha'Turim (Rabbenu Yaakob Ben Asher, 1270-1340) writes that those who fulfill this Misva are rewarded with long life. Commenting on the verse, "And you who cling to Hashem your G-d, you are all alive today" (Debarim 4:4), the Ba'al Ha'Turim observes the custom followed in some communities to add a crown in the Torah scroll above the letter Kof in the word "Ha'debekim" ("who are attached") in this verse. This crown, he explains, emphasizes that we attach ourselves to Hashem through the 100 blessings we recite each day – as the letter Kof in Gematria equals 100, and the reward for reciting these Berachot is "Haim Kulechem Hayom" – long life. The Seder Ha'yom (Rav Moshe Ben Machir, Safed, 16 th century) adds that when one recites a Beracha properly, the Beracha ascends to G-d in the heavens, and He takes the Beracha and embeds it into His "crown." Hashem's "crown," as it were, is made from the Berachot which we recite properly with Kavana. Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Jerusalem, 1910-1995) would advise people experiencing hardship to devote themselves to the meticulous observance of this Misva, and try to recite 100 Berachot each day with proper attention and concentration. The verse from which the Gemara inferred this obligation begins with the letter Vav ("Ve'ata Yisrael") and ends with the letter Chaf ("Nafeshecha"), and these letters have the combined numerical value of 26 – the Gematria of the divine Name of "Havaya." The Hida (Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1806) thus writes that the fulfillment of this Misva saves a person from the dreadful punishments described in the section of the "Kelalot" ("curses") in Parashat Ki-Tabo, a section in which the Name "Havaya" appears 26 times. Moreover, this section contains 98 curses, and also includes a warning about "every ailment and every punishment which is not mentioned in this book" (Debarim 28:61 ) – adding another two curses, for a total of 100. We protect against these 100 curses through the recitation of 100 Berachot each day. Additionally, the Zohar Hadash teaches that we remain in exile because of our failure to properly observe this requirement to recite 100 Berachot each day. It emerges, then, that our commitment to properly fulfill this obligation helps end our long, bitter exile and bring our final redemption. The Arizal taught that the 100 daily Berachot allow us to harness the power of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet – the letters that Hashem used to create the world. The 100 daily blessings are, according to Kabbalistic teaching, associated with the 22 letters, and we thus benefit from the spiritual force of these letters by properly reciting 100 Berachot every day. The Gemara in Masechet Menahot (43b) tells that Rabbi Hiyya went out of his way to purchase special foods for Shabbat and Yom Tob in order to ensure he would recite 100 Berachot. On Shabbat and Yom Tob, the Amida prayer contains far fewer blessings than the weekday Amida p