FOR EIKEV
BEING MINDFUL OF HOW TO EAT
A few weeks ago, a very dear friend of mine was called about an exceedingly difficult situation. A two-year-old child from Israel had been diagnosed with a rare form of a disease. Only one medical institution in the world has had a sliver of success with this medical issue. As deeply devoted parents, they immediately brought their youngest child to this country to try their luck.
Hearing of this heartbreaking situation, my friend decided to travel and offer his assistance to them. In the meantime, I contacted the local Chabad emissaries in two different cities, to mobilize them as well. My friend shared that, according to his estimation, the family seemed to be holding strong. They were focused on doing their share to secure a medical miracle. They were also doing their best to settle in, and they were hopeful to bring their older children to be with them during their summer vacation.
Despite a higher than usual load of work for the Chabad Rabbi, he and his wife visited the family in the hospital on their first Friday, a day after their arrival to town. We were told that this family hails from a decidedly non-religious Kibbutz, and their Jewish observance was totally non-existent.
The Rabbi and his wife handed over a bottle of grape juice, some tea-light candles, and a freshly-baked Challah.
And both the husband and wife proceeded to break down and weep.
They explained to the Rabbi how removed they were from Jewish observance, but they would usher in the Shabbos properly for this weekend. They were deeply moved, they said, that strangers whom they had never met and might never meet again, visited them to show empathy, camaraderie, and love. They were, they said, overwhelmed and overcome by this gesture.
Sadly, the miracle did not come. The child succumbed to his illness earlier this week. He will be buried in Israel. May these words be in his memory and merit.
Every single individual is granted a piece of Heaven. It is generally called soul; some call it life, while others call it spirit. By some, it is obvious; by others, it is hidden; and by a few, it can be buried to the extent that the human who owns this piece of Heaven neither acknowledges nor shows its existence.
That is, until a far-reaching moment, a “soul” moment, comes along. And then the piece of Heaven opens up, on earth. It becomes close, apparent, and obvious.
The potential for an inherently veiled substance – such as the soul – to be revealed, is a subject of great interest in the esoteric section of the Torah, called “Kabbalah.” One of its great teachings regarding the soul is rooted in this week’s Torah portion, “Eikev.” The portion records Moses’ narrative, reminding the Jewish people of their time in the desert. In this week’s portion, Moses reminds the people to pay attention to the marvel of the food they were eating, the heavenly bread called “Manna.”
A key component of the Manna, says Moses, is “To make you realize that mankind does not live by bread alone, but rather, that mankind lives from all the utterances of G-d’s mouth.” (D’varim (Deuteronomy) 8:3.) Bread from Heaven expresses that G-dliness comes in all forms.
Rabbi Isaac Luria, a leading Kabbalist in the sixteenth century known as “The Arizal,” explains the inner meaning of this verse. He teaches that food contains great potential and sanctity. He explains that the “the utterances of G-d’s mouth” refers to the soul, intrinsic to every component of this earth. Every single detail, even the inanimate, or the lifeless, contains a Divine force, a soul, which keeps its existence in this world going.
When a living being ingests food, it is not merely the material substance of the food which provides sustenance. The food also contains a spiritual component, its “soul.” The already-present spiritual life-force is amplified and enhanced by its combination with the “soul” element of food.
It is for this reason that all living beings in this world are designed by the Almighty to need sustenance from outside sources. Those outside sources provide infinitely more than physical nourishment. They also supply spiritual nutrition, as it were.
In accordance with the above, an interesting twist surfaces: The nourishment, of humans and all creatures comes from a seemingly lower-quality source. A bird will consume a worm, an insect, or some grain. These are innately lower life-forms than the bird. A human, the supposed highest form of life, will eat from the animal, plant, and mineral kingdom. Why would mankind require the spiritual nourishment of a lowly piece of bread?
The Chassidic masters explain that bread is, indeed, not so lowly. In its spiritual source, the “soul” of the bread extends from a higher realm even more advanced than the human soul! As evident in this world: A falling object will go further when originating from a higher perch. Similarly, the lower the physical form, the higher is its Divine source. The human, on top of the food chain, is therefore greatly enhanced by ingesting provisions comprised of low physical matter, but lofty in spiritual makeup.
Rabbi Sholom Ber, the fifth Rebbe of Chabad, once had a piece of food slip off his fork. The Rebbe reacted by saying: It seems as though the food is not “ready” yet [for its opportunity to be elevated]. The Rebbe left that food for later… Every time a person eats, it would help to focus not just on the taste of the food, but also on the makeup of it. For a Jewish person, this would mean that kosher food is the component with which one can be spiritually enhanced, together with the specific blessing assigned to each item of food or drink.
No living being can escape the necessity of eating and drinking. It is one of the most natural and worldly acts possible. Yet at the precise time of this most seemingly ordinary activity, a person has an opportunity to turn the experience into a most extraordinary act, by focusing on the G-dly element, the soul element.
And then, even one whose life does not necessarily include spirituality or observance, has the ability to tap into the higher and more lofty spirituality that every single person innately possesses.
SUMMARY: Always be mindful of the food you eat. In addition to its nutrition, it can bring a person to lofty spiritual heights.