The
Tikkun of Eating Part 1
Selections
from Likutei Eitzos, (Inyan Achilah)
When you carefully observe the dietary laws (kashrus),
and eat slowly and deliberately, without hurriedly swallowing your food, your
mind will be purified and the spirit of folly will be subdued. However, if you
eat like a glutton, your mind will be overwhelmed by foolishness, the light of
the Tzaddik will be concealed from you, and you no longer will be capable of
receiving love and fear of G-d from the Tzaddik (LM I, 17:3).
***
When you attain perfect mastery of Holy Speech,
and live a life of sexual purity and restraint, you will be able to arouse the
sparks of the letters that animate all created things. Then the enjoyment you
derive from eating and drinking and all physical pleasures will come only from
the sparks of the letters. From this your heart will be illuminated, and your
face will become so radiant that people will be moved to return to G-d simply
by gazing upon you. Everyone will see his face reflected there, as in a mirror -
everyone will see how, by contrast, he is sunken in darkness. Without a word of
preaching or reproof, the one who gazes will be aroused to return to G-d,
simply by resting his eyes upon such a spiritually refined person's face (LM I,
19:7-9).
***
When at last you manage to break your desire for
sensory gratification from food, G-d will work miracles through you (LM I, 47).
***
There are people who sleep away all their days.
Some fall into a state of spiritual sleep through evil desires or deeds. Others
are good and decent people; however, their downfall is through improper
eating. Sometimes a person may partake
of a food that has not yet become sufficiently refined for human consumption.
As a result, his mind descends into a state of spiritual sleep. When one eats
in purity and holiness, his face - which
is his consciousness - becomes radiant. However, when one does not eat
in holiness, the food damages his heart (i.e., his capacity for holy feelings),
which causes him to lose his face. Thus, he falls into spiritual sleep. Even if
it seems to the world that he still serves G-d and engages in Torah study and
prayer, this is still a form of spiritual sleep - for all of his
Divine service remains below, and G-d derives no gratification from it. It is
necessary to awaken him from sleep. Yet this cannot be accomplished unless he
initiates the process by stirring himself a bit. However, the stories of the
true Tzaddikim have the power to awaken those who are asleep, so that they will
not waste their days in unconsciousness, G-d forbid. [Then one can begin to
stir himself.] Fortunate is one who comes to a Tzaddik who can awaken him and
prevent him from sleeping away all of his days (LM I, 60:6).
***
Be careful not to eat more food than you need.
Overeating can cause you much harm [both physically and spiritually]; for the
extra food combines with the needed food, and together they cause great damage
(LM I, 257).
***
If your teacher is a true spiritual master,
capable of enlightening the Jewish people, and if you are a mighty warrior and
not the opposite, you will receive a sublime illumination of holy desire (ratzon)
at the time of eating. That is, such holy desire will awaken within you at the
time of eating that you will experience a boundless longing that transcends
understanding. You will not even know what it is that you desire -
for this is the simple unself-conscious desire of the soul for G-d (LM I, 7:10)
***
The main purpose of eating is to bring about the
spiritual refinement (birurim) of Creation, to refine the food and cause
it to be transformed to beautiful words: these are the blessings we recite
before and after eating, and the words of prayer and Torah study we say with
the energy derived from the food we have eaten. We should bear this in mind
whenever we eat. Then our act of eating will be like the Incense Offering in
the Holy Temple; we will experience true joy, and fashion a spiritual crown of
loving kindness and mercy for King Solomon, of whom the verse states: "Go
forth, O daughters of Zion, and gaze upon King Solomon, upon the crown with
which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, and on the day of his
heart's rejoicing" (Song of Songs 3:11). In addition, through this our
livelihood will be gained without hardship
(LM II, 16).
***
Every Jew, even the greatest Tzaddik, inevitably
experiences a certain amount of pain every day. The greater your understanding,
the greater your pain. However, by eating in holiness and with fear of Heaven,
you may sweeten this pain, so that it should not overwhelm you (LM II, 77)
***
When you eat in holiness and with fear of
Heaven, your mouth becomes part of the supernal human form. Through this
spiritual transformation, you become worthy of having the Shechina
(Divine Presence) speak through yours lips. However, when you do not eat in
sanctity, your mouth is like that of an animal, and you descend to the level of
an actual beast, G-d forbid (ibid.).
***
Eating fruit that has not fully ripened can
damage your very soul. However, if you recite the blessing over the fruit with
proper mental focus and fear of Heaven, you will be protected. Be extremely
careful with the blessings over food, particularly the blessings over fruit,
for fruit contain many "lost objects" [i.e., reincarnated souls] that
require birur (extrication) and tikkun (spiritual rectification).
Cooking unripe fruit does not help eliminate this danger. However, allowing the
fruit to ripen after it has been picked does help. Such fruit may be eaten (LM II, 88).
***
Be careful not to swallow your food ravenously
like a glutton. It was Jacob's evil brother Esau who said, " Let me
swallow some of this red, red pottage…" (Genesis 25:30). Rather, accustom
yourself to eat slowly, with mindfulness and good table manners, as if you were
eating in the presence of an honored person. You should conduct yourself this
way at all times, even when you eat alone (Chayei Moharan, Avodas Hashem,
69)
Translations by David Sears © 2001 The Breslov
Center
