אֲכִילָה

Eating with kashrus means that even when one eats foods that are halachically kosher, one must eat them properly — with composure and a settled mind [יִשּׁוּב הַדַּעַת] — and not in the manner of lustful eating, like a glutton [זוֹלֵל] or a drunkard [סוֹבֵא]. That is: those kosher foods of which one eats more than the measure — whether meat or other foods — of which in truth one could make do with less, but because of lust one eats more than the amount needed for bodily sustenance: this is called gluttony [זְלִילָה]. And likewise when one drinks kosher beverages — namely spirits, wine, beer, and other drinks — more than what is needed: this falls under the category of drunkenness [סֹבֵא]. When one eats with kashrus, as described above in this section and in §§9 and 26, through this the intellect is rectified and purified from foolish views. But when one eats and drinks like a glutton and a drunkard, foolishness [כְּסִילוּת] overpowers the intellect — meaning the person's mind becomes clouded and stupefied — and through this the light of the Tzadik becomes darkened for him. That is, the person loses, G-d forbid, the feeling and understanding in the daas he received from the true Tzadik, and he can then no longer receive from him the good character traits of true fear and love — whose meaning is: to fear committing a transgression out of true fear of Heaven, meaning out of awe of the Creator Who warned him against it, and to love the fulfillment of a commandment out of love for Hashem, may He be blessed. These good traits of true love and fear are the foundation and root of all Jewishness, and one can attain them only through genuine closeness to a true Tzadik.

Through giving charity to true Tzadikim and to worthy poor people, converts are made and baalei teshuvah [penitents] come into being. That is: some non-Jews are awakened to understand the truth, abandon their false beliefs, convert, and become Jews; and some Jews who were distant from Jewishness are awakened and draw close to fear of G-d and fulfillment of the Torah — meaning they return in repentance. And through this, the eating that was without proper kashrus until now — as described in §1, §9, and §26 — is rectified. Also through giving charity to Tzadikim and worthy poor people, the intellect is rectified, and one merits to see and understand the light of the Tzadik — meaning the true daas (knowledge) of the true Tzadik — and one merits to receive from the true Tzadik true fear and love. For all these rectifications — eating with kashrus, understanding the daas of the true Tzadik, etc. — one merits through giving charity properly: not for the sake of honor or the like, but solely because Hashem, may He be blessed, commanded it.

One who has perfection of the holy tongue [לְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ] — meaning one who brings forth from his mouth only words of holiness: Torah, prayer, etc. — and especially one who guards his mouth and tongue from speaking forbidden speech, such as lashon hora [evil speech about others], gossip, mockery, vulgarity, etc. — and who strives to guard the bris [covenant of purity], meaning he guards his mind from evil thoughts and especially from thoughts of licentiousness — such a person is able to awaken the letters of the Torah present in every thing in the world. For what gives life to a person through food and drink is because the vitality drawn from Hashem, may He be blessed, is present in them — vitality that is called "the letters of the Torah," for Hashem and the Torah are one, as is explained in the holy Zohar : "The Holy One, blessed be He, and the Torah are entirely one." Therefore the vitality of Hashem present in food and drink — and likewise in other things — is called by the name "the letters of the Torah" — and it is these that give the person life through eating and drinking, as it says in the Torah: "For not by bread alone does man live, but by every utterance of the mouth of Hashem does man live" [Deuteronomy 8:3] — meaning man lives not from the physical nature of the food, but only from the vitality of Hashem — namely the letters of the Torah called "the utterance of the mouth of Hashem" — present within it. Such a person, who merits perfection of the holy tongue and guards his bris as described, and who receives his vitality from his food, drink, and all pleasures solely from the letters of the Torah clothed in them — meaning he nourishes himself only from divine spirituality, divine vitality, and not from bodily pleasure at all, G-d forbid — through this his heart and face are illumined, and his face becomes refined and sanctified, until he can arouse people to repentance simply by gazing upon them. For through looking at his face, the one who looks sees himself as in a mirror that reflects the inner state of the viewer in comparison to the refined one, and sees how he himself dwells in darkness — meaning in distance from Hashem, may He be blessed, and from the commandments of the Torah. That refined person, as described in this section, is able to awaken his fellow to repentance without any rebuke or words of moral instruction — solely through his fellow gazing upon his pure and radiant face.

When a person feels a ravenous hunger due to an intensification of the lust for eating, let him know that he has enemies [שׂוֹנְאִים]. And he must break the animal nature [בַּהֲמִיּוּת] that is overpowering him — meaning, break the lust for eating that befits a beast [בְּהֵמָה], for which reason the lust for eating is called "animal nature." And through breaking the animal nature one is saved from one's enemies.

Through lust for eating, strife [מַחֲלֹקֶת] comes upon the person — people revile and disgrace him. But when one breaks the lust for eating, one merits peace, and great satiety [שֹׂבַע] comes to the world.

One who is sunk in the lust for eating — it is known that he is far from truth, and judgments [דִּינִים] rest upon him. That is, accusations [קִטְרוּגִים] are aroused against him, and through this come, G-d forbid, sufferings — if he does not repent and does not strive in genuine prayer to nullify these judgments. The lust for eating also brings poverty, degradation, and shame.

One who breaks the lust for eating — Hashem, may He be blessed, performs wonders through him. That is, his speech has the power to be sustained through the Providence of Hashem, may He be blessed — and therefore he is able to be a channel through which wonders are performed.

There are people who pass the days of their lives in sleep. That is, they do not feel their distance from Hashem, may He be blessed, and from the Torah — and this distance is considered as sleep. There are those who fall into sleep because of lusts and evil deeds — they do not feel their distance from the truth. And there are people who are upright and wholesome, but who fall into sleep specifically through eating. For when a person eats food that is not pure, as described in §9, he falls thereby from his mind and daas — from understanding the truth — and falls into sleep, meaning he distances himself from Hashem, may He be blessed, and from the Torah, without feeling the distancing. For when a person eats in holiness and purity, as described in §§1, 3, and 9, through this his intellect is illumined and he understands the truth in every thing. And when the intellect is illumined within a person, he is not considered as one who sleeps — for he performs every good deed with vitality, with longing, and with arousal. But when his eating is not with proper kashrus, as described, he then loses the true intellect and daas and falls into sleep. And even though it appears that this person serves Hashem, may He be blessed, and engages in Torah and prayer — in truth all his service is in the aspect of sleep, and Hashem, may He be blessed, has no satisfaction [נַחַת] from the service of a person sunk in sleep. Therefore he needs to be awakened from his sleep. But it is impossible to awaken a person from sleep unless he has awakened at least a little of himself. And the counsel for awakening from sleep — so that one's years and days not be lost, as many people lose them because they do not truly understand — is only through the story-tales [סִפּוּרֵי מַעֲשִׂיּוֹת] that a true Tzadik told. For there are true Tzadikim who can tell wondrous story-tales that awaken from sleep one who truly and sincerely listens, or who studies the story-tales himself in truth, sincerity, and with great attentiveness with this specific intention — to awaken from his sleep. Fortunate is the man who comes to such a true Tzadik who can awaken him from his sleep, so that his years may not pass in slumber.

The food of a Jew must be refined and clean of all manner of mixture of the sitra achra [the "other side," the forces of impurity]. That is: a Jew's livelihood and food must be clean of all manner of concerns about prohibition and falsehood — such as theft, robbery, and murder, in all their forms. That is: not only actual theft, robbery, and murder are certainly forbidden, as everyone knows — but even in subtler manifestations of the same, such as lending money with no intention to repay, unless through genuine compulsion; and likewise lying and deceiving, whether in commerce or in craft — these too are under a very severe prohibition. And especially forbidden foods — these are certainly mixtures of the sitra achra, not only what is literally treif, but even whatever is not kosher according to the Shulchan Aruch. Furthermore, one's livelihood and food — and the food that comes through it — must also be clean of flattery [חֲנֻפָּה], hypocrisy [צְבִיעוּת], and false reliance [בִּטָּחוֹן שֶׁל כָּזָב]. And especially forbidden is livelihood-seeking in a way that contravenes the Torah — meaning to transgress or belittle even a minor commandment on account of the pursuit of livelihood. All these blemishes in livelihood and in food, as described in this section and in additional places in this book, are called "mixtures of the sitra achra." And food that contains these mixtures causes the person to sin, for through eating without proper kashrus, one risks forgetting Hashem and distancing oneself from Him — as warned in the Torah's portion Eikev: "Lest you eat and be satisfied, and your heart become haughty and you forget Hashem your G-d" [Deuteronomy 8:12, 14]. And forgetting Hashem brings a person to all manner of sins and iniquities, G-d have mercy. The clarification [בֵּרוּר] of foods — the counsel by which one's livelihood and food are clean of all mixtures of the sitra achra — is only through genuine faith, whose essence is faith in Providence [אֱמוּנַת הַשְׁגָּחָה]. That is: to truly believe that one's livelihood and food come solely through His Providence, may He be blessed, and not through effort via natural causes — as explained in §30 of the chapter "Truth and Faith." So too must one's livelihood and food be clean of all manner of falsehood and effort contrary to the Torah, for these are included within the mixtures of the sitra achra. And when a person is careful that his livelihood and food are clean of mixtures of the sitra achra, a "unification of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Presence, face to face" [יִחוּד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וּשְׁכִינְתֵּהּ אַפִּין בְּאַפִּין] is brought about through his eating — meaning he draws close to Hashem, may He be blessed, and recognizes Him, may He be blessed, as if seeing with his eyes and understanding with his intellect. This true closeness to Hashem, may He be blessed, and the proper recognition of His Providence, is called by the name: "unification of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Presence, face to face." For Kudsha Brich Hu [the Holy One, blessed be He] refers to Hashem, may He be blessed; and "His Presence" [שְׁכִינְתֵּהּ] is a term applied to every Jew who conducts himself according to the Torah in every detail. For Shechinteh means "indwelling" — that the Holy One, blessed be He, dwells and abides, as it were, with every Jew who fulfills His will in truth, as He revealed in His holy Torah. Therefore, a Jew who properly recognizes the Providence of Hashem, may He be blessed, and truly fulfills His will — the Holy One, blessed be He, certainly dwells within him and beside him. And this is called "the unification of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Presence" — meaning this person is united with and close to Hashem, may He be blessed, face to face, because he recognizes and feels His honor and His Providence upon him — as a person recognizes his close friend, and especially when he sees him face to face.

All lusts are called klipos and luxuries [קְלִפּוֹת וּמוֹתָרוֹת]. That is: all bodily needs that a person lusts for — and especially in a measure beyond what is required for the body's sustenance — such as eating, drinking, clothing, and other things that a person desires in a measure he does not need, but out of lust he craves these expansions. For in truth the body can sustain itself without lusts — on the contrary, the more one reduces lusts and luxuries, the better it will be for him, as is brought in the books of truth, and as is also explained in books of medicine, that an excess of lusts and an excess of luxuries harms a person. And one sees this perceptibly: a person who is content with fewer pleasures and luxuries fares better and his health is also improved. And especially a person who understands the truth and wishes to walk in the way of Jewishness, in the way of the Torah in truth — it is far better for him when he gives the body only what is absolutely necessary for its sustenance. And when lusts overpower a person — meaning the klipos overpower the holiness present in every Jew, which is the soul within him, which is a part of G-d above, for the lusts are klipos and luxuries as described above — and the greatest among them are eating and drinking, after which all other lusts are drawn, as one sees perceptibly: when one eats and drinks beyond the measure, all the lusts are aroused. And when the lust for eating and drinking overpowers a person, they drag speech into exile [גָּלוּת] — meaning it becomes impossible to speak any word properly in truth before Hashem, may He be blessed, whether in Torah, in prayer, etc. The counsel and the rectification against the overpowering of the lusts are fasting and genuine distancing from lusts and luxuries. One must remember that distancing from lusts and luxuries is easier beyond all measure [לְאֵין שִׁעוּר] than fasting, and aids in nullifying one's lusts just as actual fasting does. And it is brought in several books of truth that in several respects the benefit of distancing from lusts and luxuries is greater than fasting. And when one fulfills this counsel described above — fasting and distancing from lusts and luxuries — through this speech is rectified, and one can speak words of Torah and prayer in truth, and then one can draw near those who are distant from truth to fear of G-d and fulfillment of the Torah. And drawing people near to Hashem, may He be blessed, is the very essence of the perfection of faith. When a person fulfills this counsel as described in this section, his food is precious and dear to Hashem, may He be blessed, and through his eating great rectifications are made, and a "unification of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Presence, face to face" comes about — as explained in the previous section with its wondrous elucidation.

Through lust for eating, holy honor [כָּבוֹד דִּקְדֻשָּׁה] is blemished. That is: through being sunk in the lust for eating, honor and dominion [כָּבוֹד וּמֶמְשָׁלָה] are taken from Israel and fall to the nations of the world. That is, from Heaven the honor and dominion are handed over to the gentiles, and the wicked and brazen ones of the generation seize them for themselves — and this is called "the hiding of the face" [הֶסְתֵּר פָּנִים]: meaning Hashem, may He be blessed, as it were, does not watch over Israel to protect them from troubles and suffering. For Israel are saved from troubles and suffering only through the Providence of Hashem, may He be blessed — but when Hashem, may He be blessed, does not watch over them, G-d forbid, because of their being sunk in the lust for eating as described at the beginning of this section, through this the judgments are intensified, G-d forbid — meaning accusations [קִטְרוּגִים] arise, G-d forbid. And through the accusations come, G-d forbid, troubles and suffering. But when one breaks the lust for eating — and likewise when one distances oneself from other lusts — the judgments are nullified. And then the holy honor — meaning the honor of Israel — is complete, and to the brazen wicked and transgressors there is no authority or appointment whatsoever.

One must be very careful not to eat more than necessary, for excessive eating harms a person greatly — both spiritually and materially. And even the foods already in a person's body join with the excess food the person has eaten and harm him greatly, G-d forbid, both spiritually and materially.

When a person eats excess food, he is likened to a beast [בְּהֵמָה], for the definition of a human being is to eat only for the sustenance of the body. But when one eats beyond what is required, this is literally the act of a beast — and for such eating comes the illness of fever [קַדַּחַת], G-d have mercy. And likewise when food that is not fit for human consumption befalls a person, as described in §9, through this too comes this illness upon him, G-d have mercy. May Hashem, may He be blessed, save us from all manner of illnesses and help us with all good.

The lust for eating is one of the three lusts that blemish and corrupt the fear of the heart [יִרְאַת הַלֵּב]. And through properly receiving the festival of Sukkos, one draws the daas of how to rectify this lust. And then one merits fear and prayer — see the heading "Fear" .

Through the foods that one eats, one's dreams are sometimes corrupted. That is: when one does not eat with proper kashrus, as described in §9 and in additional places in the book, through this the person dreams bad dreams that can lead, G-d forbid, to nocturnal impurity [טֻמְאַת קֶרִי]. The rectification and counsel for being saved from this is joy [שִׂמְחָה] — meaning to rejoice in the commandments, in the kindnesses, and in the expanses that Hashem, may He be blessed, always bestows upon a person — whether materially, in bodily health and livelihood, or spiritually. One should rejoice over every good point of fear of Hashem and fulfillment of the commandments that one finds within oneself. And one must always strengthen oneself to rejoice in this — that we are Jews and not gentiles, as our Rebbe, of blessed memory, explained: that one must rejoice greatly in the matter of "Who has not made me a gentile." And especially one must always distance oneself from sadness and worry, for through this one is saved, with Hashem's help, from all manner of blemishes.

One who merits to draw close to a true Rebbe who is capable of properly awakening the good point within a Jew, and who is also a man of valor [אִישׁ חָיִל] and not one lacking in men [חָדַל אִישִׁים] — what is commonly called a "שְׁלֵימַזְלְנִיק" [a hapless, feeble person] — through this he can receive, during the time of his eating, the light of longing [אוֹר דְּכִסּוּפִין]. That is: during the meal, longings [כִּסּוּפִים] for Hashem, may He be blessed, are aroused within him, until he yearns and longs for Hashem, may He be blessed, without limit. And one must know that longings and yearning for Hashem, may He be blessed, and for fulfillment of the Torah are more precious and dear than everything — for through them one will certainly arrive at the doing of commandments and good deeds.

Through mezonah d'gufa [sustenance of the body] — that is, lust for eating and drinking — mezonah d'nishmata [sustenance of the soul] is weakened. That is: the will and the longing to perform good deeds — which are Torah, prayer, commandments, and acts of charity, called "sustenance of the soul" — are weakened. And the true fear of G-d present in the person — which is the very essence of sustenance of the soul — becomes corrupted.

Through receiving reproof and moral instruction from the true Tzadik — who is capable of properly rebuking Jews, meaning he gives those people life through his words of reproof and instruction — for one who cannot give life to people through his moral words is forbidden from rebuking others, since reproof and rebuke that do not give life are liable to cause harm, G-d forbid, as explained in Likutay MoHaRaN — but when one hears moral instruction from the mouth of a true Tzadik, through this the mezonah d'nishmata is strengthened over the mezonah d'gufa: meaning one is aroused to fear of Hashem and engagement in good deeds — which are the sustenance of the soul — with far greater power and longing than the craving and desire for bodily pleasures, which are the sustenance of the body.

The primary purpose of eating is in order to give forth imrei shafer [words of beauty and grace — see Targum on Genesis 49:21] — meaning to recognize the kindnesses of Hashem, may He be blessed, to give thanks and praise Him for them: this is called imrei shafer. And also, through the strength of eating, to serve Hashem, may He be blessed — meaning to engage in Torah, prayer, and good deeds. This is what a person should think during eating and while engaged in other bodily needs — meaning he should think that he is eating etc. in order to have strength to serve Hashem, may He be blessed, as described above. And one who fulfills this — his eating is considered as the ketoress [Temple incense offering], and he merits joy — meaning he always recognizes the kindnesses and goodnesses that Hashem, may He be blessed, does with him, and through this he is always in a state of joy. That is: he rejoices in the commandments and good deeds, which are the essence of joy, and from his food a crown [כֶּתֶר] is made for Hashem, may He be blessed. Through this one merits also easy livelihood [פַּרְנָסָה קַלָּה].

Every person — even a great Tzadik — must endure some pain each day. And the greater one's daas, the greater also are one's sufferings. And through eating in holiness, with kashrus, and with fear of Heaven — as described in §9 and in additional places in the book — through this the sufferings are sweetened [נִמְתָּקִים] so that they not overpower.

Through eating in holiness and with fear of Heaven, the mouth is refined and sanctified, and the person merits that the Shechinah [Divine Presence] speaks from within his throat. That is: the words that go forth from his mouth are literally from Hashem, may He be blessed — not from his human intellect or his imagined notions — but only from the absolute truth that the Holy One, blessed be He, places in his mind. But one whose eating is not in holiness and proper kashrus is literally like an animal and a beast.

The very essence of fear [יִרְאָה] comes to a person during the meal when he eats properly, as described in many places in this book. Therefore one must be careful to eat in holiness and with kashrus — in order to merit true fear during the meal. And when one eats in holiness and with kashrus, one merits all the good things mentioned in §§20–21.

One must be very careful not to eat any fruit before it has fully ripened on the tree, for one can, G-d forbid, lose one's soul through this. For as long as a fruit grows on the tree, it draws its vitality from the tree — for the Holy One, blessed be He, implanted in creation that as long as the fruit has not fully ripened, it draws its vitality from the tree. But when one eats the fruit before it has ripened, it draws vitality from the person who eats it, and he can, G-d forbid, be harmed even materially, and certainly spiritually. And it is also forbidden to pick a fruit before it ripens, even not for the purpose of eating — just as it is forbidden to cut down a tree before its time, meaning before it has produced its fruits.

When one recites a blessing over fruit with proper concentration and fear of Heaven — meaning one does not swallow the words of the blessing and concentrates upon them — through this one is saved from harm from the fruit, even at a time when it has not fully ripened. And one must remember that it is absolutely forbidden in any case to eat unripe fruit, as described in §23. However: if it was not known that the fruit was unripe, and one mistakenly thought it was fit for eating, and only after eating was it discovered that it had been unripe — then, if one had recited the blessing over the fruit with proper concentration and fear of Heaven, as described in this section, no harm will come, with Hashem's help, to the one who ate it. And one must be very careful with every food and every drink — and especially when eating fruits — to recite the blessing with concentration, as described. For regarding blessings over every food and drink, and especially the blessings over fruits, there are many flavors and secrets — therefore one must be very careful with each and every blessing.

One must also know that fruits that did not ripen on the tree — even if one cooks them on a fire or by pickling — are not fit for eating. But if these fruits ripened of themselves over the course of the time they lay after being picked from the tree, they are fit for eating. For after these fruits have lain for a long period, the drawing force [כֹּחַ הַמּוֹשֵׁךְ] is removed from them, and therefore they may be eaten.

One must be very careful not to eat in a gulping manner like a glutton [גַּרְגְּרָן] — for this is the attribute of wicked Esav, who said: "Pour into me, I pray thee" [Genesis 25:30], as the Torah describes. Rather, one must accustom oneself to eat with composure, with a settled mind, and with proper conduct — as one eats with decorum in the gathering of an important person. Thus one should always eat — even when eating alone. Fortunate is the person who fulfills this, as described in §5 and in the preceding sections — the matters and laws of eating with kashrus [עִנְיָנִים וַהִלָכוֹת אֲכִילָה בְּכַשְׁרוּת].