The Secret of Eating in Holiness

Lesson #2 | Thursday, Parshas Kedoshim, 27th of Nissan 5755 - Morning Class at the Yeshiva

Why does Torah study without fear [of Heaven] cause pain and anger, and how can judgments be sweetened through eating with intent? A profound lesson on the connection between arrogance, Korach's jealousy, and the immense power of joy in mitzvos to bring the Geulah (Redemption) closer.

Why does a person go through pain every day? The root of the pain lies in the fact that he studies Torah without fear. King Solomon says: > "He who increases knowledge increases pain" (Ecclesiastes 1:18). Seemingly, knowledge should bring joy, but when a person studies Torah with arrogance, without fear, the knowledge becomes a source of pain. The more of a 'scholar' he becomes, the angrier he might become, because he believes he deserves honor.

Anger and arrogance bring judgments and suffering upon a person. He feels he deserves more, and when he doesn't receive it—he becomes filled with anger. Rebbe Nachman teaches us how to sweeten this situation. The advice is eating in holiness. Even when a person eats, he must do so slowly, with moderation, and lift his eyes to Heaven with every single bite. The moment a person yearns for Hashem within the act of eating, he merits drawing fear [of Heaven] upon himself, and thereby nullifies the anger and arrogance.

All Pain is Merely Illusions

Rebbe Nachman reveals in Torah 250, that all the pain a person has is actually just illusions. It is not true pain. Even if, Heaven forbid, a person suffers physically, the main suffering stems from the fact that his Da'at (knowledge/awareness) has been taken from him. Suffering is like the separation of the soul from the body—they take away a person's intellect, and then he begins to look at the world through murky glasses: he sees the wicked succeeding, he sees the wealthy, and he fills with jealousy.

This jealousy is the root of suffering. As it is stated: > "Sweet is the sleep of the laborer... but the satiety of the rich man does not let him sleep" (Ecclesiastes 5:11). The rich man cannot sleep not because he is hungry, but due to overwhelming jealousy—the moment he sees someone more honored than himself, his sleep wanders.

This is exactly what happened to Korach. The Midrash relates that Korach saw that Elitzafan ben Uziel was being honored more than him, and immediately decided that Moshe Rabbeinu was fabricating things from his own heart. He claimed: "Everything here is favoritism." Jealousy drove him out of his mind until he incited the entire congregation to rebel. Moshe Rabbeinu tried to explain to him: With us, there is no multiplicity of authorities. We do not have ten Mount Sinais and ten Temples like the nations of the world, where every priest establishes a separate church for himself. With us, there is one Torah and one Temple. Moshe wanted everyone to be on the level of a "kingdom of priests," but Korach could not bear that someone else stood above him.

Fear [of Heaven] Arrives During Eating

As mentioned, the tikkun (rectification) for all this is acquiring fear [of Heaven] through eating. Fear is the remedy for learning without "covering" [humility], for "he who increases knowledge increases pain." When does a person receive this fear? Specifically at the time of eating.

We see this with Boaz and Ruth. Boaz told Ruth that he wanted to see how she eats, and through this, he would know if she was worthy of the Kingdom of the House of David. The Sefas Emes says that if Boaz had given her "fattened calves" and fed her with even greater generosity, Mashiach ben David would have been born immediately. Boaz tested her: > "At mealtime, come here" (Ruth 2:14)—he checked if she possessed the aspect of Malchut (Kingship), which is the aspect of fear.

The Power of Joy in a Mitzvah

The Midrash states something astounding: "Had Aaron the High Priest known that it would be written in the Torah, 'He will see you and rejoice in his heart,' he would have gone out to meet him with drums and dances." Similarly regarding Reuven—had he known the Torah would write about him, "And he saved him from their hand," he would have carried Joseph on his shoulder and returned him to his father. And similarly regarding Boaz—had he known it would be written, "And he handed her parched grain," he would have fed her fattened calves.

The Sefas Emes learns a tremendous principle from this: Each one could have brought the Geulah (Redemption), had they performed the mitzvah with just a drop more joy. Aaron already rejoiced in his heart, but if he had added drums and dances—the complete Geulah would have arrived immediately, without the need for the Ten Plagues and the Splitting of the Red Sea. We would have entered directly into Eretz Yisrael and built the Holy Temple.

Every second that a person adds another drop of joy, another dance in honor of Hashem, he brings down fire from Heaven. It is told of the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov and the holy Tannaim, that through dancing with myrtle branches, fire descended and surrounded them. That is the whole difference—one more circle, one more melody, one more spark of enthusiasm.

The Geulah Depends on the Small Details

A person does not know that the entire Geulah depends on every small detail. Sometimes a guest comes to you—give him a nicer piece of fish, give him another slice of bread, another spread, smile at him more. From this small addition, the Geulah can come.

If Reuven had brought Joseph home, we would not have needed to go down to Egypt at all. There would have been no exile. The Sefas Emes says that perhaps they would have gone down for one day and returned, but not an exile of "and they shall serve them, and they shall afflict them." The exile and the afflictions are caused because we lack this perfection in joy and kindness.

So too with us—if we strengthen ourselves a little more in kindness, in eating in holiness, in the joy of a mitzvah, we will merit that Mashiach ben David will come immediately. Everything depends on this small addition of the heart.

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