Kashrus Kurrents, Fall 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the Yamim Noraim<\/em> season, it is important to focus on\nour potential, who we are now and who we want to be going forward. In that\nlight, I would like to touch on one aspect of the topic of \u05e7\u05d3\u05e9 \u05e2\u05e6\u05de\u05da \u05d1\u05de\u05d5\u05ea\u05e8 \u05dc\u05da \u2013 sanctifying yourself\nthrough that which is permitted to you<\/em>.[1]<\/a> I would like to skim the surface of the topic\nof kedushas ha\u2019achilah<\/em> \u2013 eating in a holy, noble manner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n My intent is to offer a few thoughts to help us eat a little\ndifferently in this New Year of 5783. The Yamim Nora\u2019im<\/em> are an\nauspicious time to start doing so, as it is the zman<\/em> when we tend to be\nin a more reflective frame of mind and become more receptive to lofty and\nnuanced ideas, especially in areas of personal and spiritual growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aizeh Hu Ashir<\/em><\/strong>: Who is\nWealthy?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Chofetz Chaim offers a hashkafic<\/em> insight related to the metzora<\/em>.\nThe Mishna says, \u201cA wealthy person who brings a poor man\u2019s sacrifice has not\nfulfilled his obligation<\/em>.\u201d [2]<\/a> He teaches\nthat wealth refers not only to a person with material riches but to anyone who\nis spiritually rich.[3]<\/a> In\naddition, the principle applies not only to sacrifices but to any mitzvah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, one who is spiritually wealthy cannot go about his\nfulfillment of mitzvos<\/em> like any other Jew. His mitzvos<\/em> must be\nfulfilled with increased diligence and meticulousness. If he makes brachos<\/em>\nthe same way a less learned Jew does so, then he has not met Hashem\u2019s\nexpectation of him. If he doesn\u2019t daven with more reverence and focus, he has\nnot fulfilled the mitzvah of tefilla<\/em> as Hashem knows he could. Due to\nhis spiritual gifts, the bar is set higher for him than for others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, using the Chofetz Chaim\u2019s definition of wealth, it is worth\nconsidering that we \u2013 who are blessed with great Torah knowledge, beautiful middos,<\/em>\nand lofty goals in our service of Hashem \u2013 should think of ourselves as wealthy!\nWith these spiritual riches at our disposal, I suggest that in this season of teshuva<\/em>,\nwe put some of our energies towards adjusting our perspectives of the way we\napproach food and drink. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While there is a\ntreasure trove of sources to tap into, I will share a few ideas from Chazal, along\nwith an inspiring story, that can provide hisorerus <\/em>for even small\nchanges during this special season. With syata d\u2019Shamaya,<\/em> any small\nchanges we make will be catalysts for exponential aliyah<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dedicating Times for Eating<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n About a month after leaving Mitzrayim, Bnei Yisroel depleted their supply\nof food, causing them to turn to Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon with complaints. When\nMoshe appealed to Hashem to provide the nation with sustenance, He responded\nthat He would nourish them from the heavens. Moshe davened further that Hashem\nshould provide that sustenance in a manner that would reveal to the Bnei\nYisroel that He not only physically took them out of Egypt, but also removed\nthem from the Egyptian way of life. What way of life was that? <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Egyptians ate at all hours. The Gemara quotes Rav Acha bar\nYaakov as saying, \u201cOriginally, <\/em>[in Egypt], the Jewish people were\nsimilar to chickens who peck at garbage all day, until Moshe came and\ninstituted a time for their meals<\/em>.\u201d[4]<\/a> Moshe\u2019s\ntefilla<\/em> was that Hashem would teach the Bnei Yisrael a more elevated way\nto eat \u2013 by setting aside specific times to eat, during what we call mealtimes<\/em>.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Eating to Live<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our tradition also teaches that the Torah gives us guidance regarding\nhow much we should eat each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the desert, Hashem declared that each person would receive an omer<\/em>\nof the mohn<\/em> daily. Each morning, individuals would go out to collect the\nmohn<\/em> without measuring. Some underestimated an omer, while others overestimated.\nRegardless, upon returning home and measuring, they discovered that, miraculously,\nthe amount they had collected was exactly one omer.<\/em> Chazal teach, \u201cFrom\nhere we learn: Someone who eats this amount is healthy and blessed. One who\neats more is gluttonous. One who eats less, his intestines will be faulty.\u201d<\/em>[6]<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n The lesson for us: Each day there is a set amount of eating that is\nhealthful and brings bracha<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Removing Temptation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What can we do to help us limit the frequency and amount of food we\nconsume daily? <\/p>\n\n\n\n The following suggestion is a tool that we ought to apply in many\naspects of our lives, but will prove especially powerful in our quest to begin eating\nin a holier manner: to limit our exposure to \u2013 and thus being tempted by \u2013 food\n (e.g., in grocery stores, advertisements,\nbuffets \u2013 even peeking into our refrigerators and pantries more than is necessary)\nThe Chovos Halevavos understands this is pshat<\/em> in the words of the possuk<\/em>\nthat we read twice a day in Kri\u2019as Shema<\/em>: \u05d5\u05dc\u05d0\n\u05ea\u05ea\u05d5\u05e8\u05d5 \u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d1\u05d1\u05db\u05dd \u05d5\u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d9 \u05e2\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u05db\u05dd \u2013 do not turn\nafter your heart\u2019s desires and what your eyes see<\/em>.[7]<\/a> He understands\nthe possuk<\/em> as encouraging us to rein in our sense of sight by doing our\nbest to avoid looking at things that distract us from what is truly beneficial:\n\u05d0\u05dc\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e9\u05ea\u05de\u05e9 \u05d1\u05d7\u05d5\u05e9 \u05d4\u05e8\u05d0\u05d9\u05d9\u05d4 \u05e9\u05dc\u05da \u05dc\u05e8\u05d0\u05d9\u05d9\u05ea \u05d9\u05e6\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d1\u05d5\u05e8\u05d0 \u05d9\u05ea\u05d1\u05e8\u05da, \u05db\u05d3\u05d9\n\u05e9\u05ea\u05ea\u05d1\u05d5\u05e0\u05df \u05d1\u05d4\u05dd \u05d5\u05ea\u05d1\u05d7\u05d9\u05df \u05d5\u05ea\u05d1\u05d9\u05df \u05de\u05d4\u05dd \u05d0\u05ea \u05d9\u05db\u05d5\u05dc\u05ea \u05d4\u05d1\u05d5\u05e8\u05d0, \u05d0\u05ea \u05d7\u05db\u05de\u05ea\u05d5 \u05d5\u05d0\u05ea \u05d8\u05d5\u05d1\u05d5. \u2013 use your sense of sight to focus on Hashem\u2019s\ncreations: to contemplate and ascertain Hashem\u2019s capabilities, His wisdom, and His\ngoodness<\/em>.[8]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking Ahead to 5783<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Like\nAvi in our story below, we, too, can start making small adjustments to when we\neat, how much we eat, and which foods we see. We might even lose some weight in\nthe process. More importantly, with proper focus, we could also add more kedusha<\/em>\nto our lives. By making small but significant changes in our eating habits, we\ncan daven that Hashem will propel us to aliyah<\/em> after aliyah<\/em> in shnas<\/em>\n5783 and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Starting Small Can Create Big Change: A Story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s\na story I heard from Rabbi Avrum Mordechai Malach that took place a few years\nago in Eretz Yisroel. It\u2019s about someone I don\u2019t know but whom nonetheless I\nconsider as one of my heroes. I will call him Avi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The story begins on Yom\nHa\u2019atzma\u2019ut, which is essentially a legal holiday for most people in Eretz\nYisroel. Kiruv workers use that opportunity to schedule special learning\nprograms for Jews of all backgrounds. Rabbi Chaim Zaid, a Sephardic kiruv\nrabbi, gave an introductory shiur<\/em> tailored to a diverse audience that\nincluded an assortment of kippot \u2013 knitted, colored, black \u2013 along with several\nbare heads. Some of the kippot looked like they had been taken out of a drawer\nfor the special occasion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He began by reviewing the\nlaws of Netilas Yadayim<\/em>. He followed by discussing eating b\u2019kedushah,\n<\/em>with holiness, explaining that a Jew is supposed to approach eating and\ndrinking in a refined manner: a Jew sits down, makes a bracha<\/em> before and\nafter eating, and cuts his food into bite-sized pieces. Eating in a refined\nmanner, he assured his audience, is propitious for Divine help in being granted\na good living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When he finished\nspeaking, Avi, a man with a tiny kippah, who had worked in a bakery for years\nand was now unemployed, approached Rabbi Zaid and exclaimed, \u201c<\/sup>I am\naccepting always to eat in a refined manner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though Rabbi Zaid\nthought to himself, first keep Shabbos, wear tefillin, and eat kosher<\/em>,\nhe nevertheless encouraged Avi much success with his commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The following Yom\nHa\u2019atzma\u2019ut, Rabbi Zaid spoke at the same venue. Afterwards, a very pious\nlooking Jew approached and said, \u201cShalom aleichem,<\/em> Mori v’Rebbe<\/em>\n(my teacher, my rebbe). Do you remember me? I was the non-religious Jew who\ntold you he was only going to eat in refined manner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, Rabbi Zaid\nremembered the man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you want to hear\nmy story?\u201d Avi asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAbsolutely!\u201d was the\nreply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLast year, I took\nvery seriously what the Rav said about eating with kedusha<\/em>. The Rav mentioned\nthat a Jew eats and cuts his food with a knife into smaller pieces, and then\neats. I said to myself, granted I am not Orthodox, but I am not an animal. I\ncan still eat like a refined person. I accepted upon myself to only eat after\ncutting my food into small pieces, and made my whole family do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter a while we\nstarted making brachos<\/em> on our food. We didn’t wear kippot, but we\nlearned when to make a Shehakol, Mezonot<\/em> and Ha’eitz<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne day, I went with\nmy kids to a park. They ran around and played for a while and had a good time.\nAfter a while they became hungry but I had nothing to feed them. Then, we saw a\ndelivery truck for one of the big bakeries in Israel. My kids said, \u2018Aba, there\nis a bakery truck. Maybe you can buy us something?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI said, \u2018They only\nsell wholesale.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey responded, \u2018We are so hungry. Please ask\nanyway.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n\u201cI\nwent to the driver and asked if I could buy something for my children. He confirmed\nthat they don\u2019t sell retail. But then he said, \u2018You asked so nicely \u2026\u2019 He\nopened the back of the truck and there were these fresh chocolate Danishes,\noozing with chocolate. I bought a few and we sat down to enjoy. \n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs the kids were\nabout to eat, I said, ‘One minute, remember, we eat civilized. Let me get a\nknife and eat like Jews.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Of course,\u2019 the kids said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs I was cutting, I\nnoticed, mixed in with the chocolate were these small green spots. Since I had\nworked in a bakery, I knew you can have some sugar or chocolate that is not\nmixed well, but this was different. The color was strange. I pulled off a small\npiece and sniffed it carefully. It smelled like engine oil!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll the Danishes I\u2019d purchased\nwere the same. It was clear, whether by accident or by intention, a worker had\nput add engine oil to the mix. I ran to the driver and shouted to stop him from\npulling away, yelling, \u2018Everyone is in danger!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe thought I was\ncrazy. I told him I had worked in a bakery a long time. \u2018I know! This is\npoison!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe checked the rest\nof the Danishes. They were all adulterated. He called the boss. The boss halted\nall of the trucks in the fleet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he recounted his\nstory, Avi reflected on what had happened. \u201cIf I hadn’t cut them up, because of\nall of the chocolate and sugar, we wouldn’t have noticed until it was too late.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Due to\na seemingly small commitment regarding kedushas ha\u2019achila<\/em>, Avi and his\nfamily changed their lives forever. (The icing on the cake: the boss offered Avi\nto be his general manager. The segula<\/em> for eating b\u2019kedushah<\/em> was\nrealized!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n This story illustrates\nwhat can happen when we are careful with something seemingly small \u2013 we allow\nspecial Divine influences to affect our lives and usher in significant growth. [1]<\/a> Yevamos<\/em>\n20a (see Rambam Vayikra<\/em> 19:2) <\/p>\n\n\n\n [2]<\/a> Negai\u2019im<\/em>\n14:12<\/p>\n\n\n\n [3]<\/a> Parshas\nMetzora <\/em>14:21<\/p>\n\n\n\n [4]<\/a> Yoma<\/em>\n75b<\/p>\n\n\n\n [5]<\/a> Seforno,\nShemos<\/em> (16:6)<\/p>\n\n\n\n [6]<\/a> Eruvin<\/em>\n83b<\/p>\n\n\n\n [7]<\/a>\nBamidbar 15:39 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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