Eating Holy - Being Holy

In Bamidbar Chapter 11 the Torah relates the story of Kivros Hataavoh, where the Bnei Yisroel complained that they didn’t have meat to eat and when given meat by Hashem, died as soon as they ate it. What was wrong with requesting meat? Why did they die upon eating it? What caused all this? Seforim Kedoshim comment on this occurrence that the story should not be taken at face value.  The Torah states that the “asafsuf”, the people mixed into Klal Yisroel, complained that they had no meat to eat. Then the Torah adds that the Bnei Yisroel, the higher level people, also started complaining that they wanted meat. All they had was the Mohn. Why did the high level Yisroel complain?

Avrohom Ovinu asked Hashem, what will happen if my children will sin? Will you destroy them as you destroyed the generation of the Flood? Hashem answered, no. Asked Avrohom, how will I know. Hashem told him to bring three calves. Hashem answered, through bringing sacrifices. Asked Avrohom further, and what will they do when there is no altar? Hashem answered, each individual’s table will be used to atone.

In the Gemoroh Menochos 97a the Gemorah cites a verse from Yechezkel 41-22 concerning the mizbeach, altar, and then concludes with the statement, this is the shulchan, table, before Hashem. Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Elazar both state – when the Beis Hamikdosh stood the altar atoned for a person’s sins through the korbonos, sacrifices. Now without the Beis Hamikdosh, the table of each person can atone for his sins. How is it possible that an individual’s mere table should have the capacity to atone for one’s sins? How in fact was it possible that through bringing a live animal on the altar was a person able to atone for his sins? A person sinned but the animal didn’t sin. How did the animal’s sacrifice bring atonement?

Every created object has two phases, a material phase called Chomer, meaning substance or materiality. And a spiritual phase called Tzurah, meaning the Image or spiritual side. The objects of creation can be divided into four realms – Domem or non-organic; Tzomeach or organic growing objects, plants, etc.; Chai or living animals; and Medaber or speaking beings, humanity. When a person brings a korban sacrifice to Hashem, he unites or is “mekarev” from the word “korban”,  all four of these creative realms. And in turn unites the Tzurah spiritual phase of the sacrifice with its source in Heaven. The sacrifice which consists of a Chai living animal and a Tzomeach the mincha made of flour, is brought on the Domem altar by the Medaber human priest, who through his sacrificial service unites all these material objects of creation. When an individual does Teshuvah repentance for the transgression of the sacrifice then the union of the spiritual phases with their sources in Heaven brings atonement to the individual, combined with his Teshuvah or repentance.

During the process of Creation Hashem gave creative essence of being to all of creation through instilling in everything Nitzotzos Kedushah or Holy Sparks of the Eternal Light. This is what we called Tzurah added to the Chomer or material phase. When a person eats he can separate the Chomer for his body from the Tzurah which he elevates spiritually. How, by realizing and instilling in himself the thought that everything is from Hashem and is to be used to further his servicing Hashem, learning Torah and doing Tefilah. As an example, eating strawberries. The Hebrew word for strawberries is “tutim” or “tut” for one. The word consists of three letters, tes vov tes. This can connote Torah U’Tefilah. By understanding that the eating of the strawberries will bring material vitamins and sugar into his body and that the spiritual essence of the nutrition will enable him to learn Torah and do Tefilah, the person has united the Tzurah with its source in Heaven and brought to himself atonement and in turn the Chomer has enabled the body to become holier through its uniting with various body parts and enabling them to serve Hashem.

Through this process of eating material foods in the proper fashion, by understanding that all sustenance is from Hashem and is used in the service of Hashem, does one in effect bring a sacrifice and accomplish the same purpose as the living sacrificial services did in the Beis Hamikdosh on the altar. The individual separates the Tzurah of his food and unites it with its source in Heaven, along with ingesting the Chomer to be used by the body in serving Hashem. If the eating and using material objects and having pleasure from Olem Hazeh is done only for one’s own pleasure, not as a means to serve Hashem, then all of his actions actually affect his being in the opposite way, causing the yetzer hora to bind him in his web.

The purpose of the Bnei Yisroel in their wandering through the Midbar was to grow strong spiritually so that upon entering Eretz Yisroel they would have the spiritual foundation to live a life of Torah and yiddishkeit and withstand the temptations of the pagan nations surrounding them. Hashem wanted them to ingest purely spiritual sustenance, the Mohn and holy meat of the karbonos brought to the Mishkan. But the higher level Jews realized that the spiritual effect and growing was not of their own doing. It was a daily gift from Hashem to them. They wanted to accomplish their growing process through their own work and achievements. They wanted to eat bosor chulin, non-holy meat, which would allow them to unite the Holy Sparks themselves, without aid from Above.

The Jews who were not on a high level and did not understand that process, they ingested the non-holy meat and did not separate the Holy Sparks. However, the Tzurah of the meat had to be elevated. The result was that the spiritual Tzurah united with the person’s soul and did elevate, in effect killing that person. Obviously most of Klal Yisroel did not die at Kivros Hataavoh. But they did learn a lesson from those who did. Their national transgression was 2^nd guessing G-d. When you see that G-d wants you to serve Him in a certain way, don’t think to yourself, I know better. Der frummer meint zech. The extra frum person means himself, not Hashem. He knows better.

As an aside I would like to mention that elevating the nitzotzos hakedushoh of coffee and chocolate on Shabbos morning before davening is a major avodas Hashem but brings with it a heightened and enhanced state through which one may reach higher levels of holiness in his Torah and Tefilah.