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You Are What You Eat
By: Rabbi David Sterne
"A short summary of every Jewish holiday: They tried to kill us. We won. Let's eat." - comedian Alan King.
As we all know, eating is an integral part of the Jewish cultural experience- in fact, in many ways we are obsessed. Since the Torah is our guide to life, it shouldn't be surprising that it discusses eating in great detail. Though we often discuss Judaism in the context of lofty spiritual concepts and ideals, it is this intimate engagement with the physical world that enables our neshamos (souls) to remain within our bodies. We should remember that unlike many world religions, Judaism does not promote asceticism and retreat from the physical world. The uniqueness of our dictum from Moshe is that we have a directive to engage the physical world and make it holy. Accordingly, the cliché "you are what you eat" actually contains a fair amount of depth, as it represents the fundamental synthesis between our highest levels of self, and the material environment that sustains our existence.
Judaic tradition is rich with discussion about the nature of food. The Torah puts forward a hierarchy of mineral, plant, animal and finally man. These different levels are equal only in the sense that we have to respect every creature for what it is- the work of our creator. However, it is worth noting that Hashem initially created man to share the same diet as animals; that is, the generations of humans from Adam to the flood were all vegetarians. In the very beginning of parshas Breishis, we find that right after G-d created man and told him to have dominion over the animal kingdom (Gen:1:28), he stipulated that we are only allowed to eat fruits and vegetables (Gen: 1:29). We are to have dominion over animals, yet cannot eat them- what is the meaning of this seeming contradiction?
Ever the illustrious commentator Rashi addresses this very point. He notes that verse 30 emphasizes the common diet of all living creatures: "And all the animals of the land and all fowl of the heavens and all that swarms on the land, that has a living soul, all the vegetation and herbs to eat, and so it was." Rashi derives that the word dominion (used in verse 28) is not applicable in the realm of food. Men were originally created to dominate in the sense of responsible stewardship, which does not include harnessing the life force and vitality of the animal kingdom for human sustenance.
The fact that humans currently are allowed to eat meat is a result of the great flood of Noah's generation. The great Rav Simcha Wasserman observed that this represented a great falling in mankind: "to sustain a life at the cost of the life of another living creature is not ideal." (Akiva Tatz, World Mask, 147). He explained that the major sin of the generation of the flood was thievery. Since actions produce consequences of similar ilk- midda k'neged midda - humanity was saved with the result that human were allowed to repopulate at the expense of another creature's life force, a somewhat humiliating state of affairs.
Though we currently live in an imperfect "Plan B" world, we need not be shameful about eating meat. In fact, in the case eating meat- as with many other areas of Jewish philosophy- the tikkun olam (repair of the world) is found within the predicament itself. Through eating meat, we can have the ability to sanctify Hashem's name, and rectify the iniquities of our forbearers. The most string example of this is found in the tamid and taluy sacrificial services of the Beis Hamikdash. As we approach Tisha B'Av, we mourn the destruction of our holy temple, which served as an axial point of connection between the physical and spiritual realms. The Nefesh Hachaim explains that much like we eat food to keep our neshamos within our physical bodies, the sacrificial services at the temple were a way of sustaining the shechina within the physical world. This is why sacrifices are referred to as Hashem's bread- korbani lachmi,- and the alter is referred to as the table of the most high- shulchan gavo'a (Akiva Tatz, World Mask, 150).
We have the exciting opportunity to replicate the activities of the temple at our own dinner table. Through keeping the laws of Kashrus, performing the proper blessings, and utilizing the energy of our food to perform mitzvos, we are creating a Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of G-d). Not only do we sanctify our actions and ourselves through food, but we also sanctify the animal's very existence. When we eat meat in order to sustain our holy actions in this world, then the life force and caloric energy of the animal is used to directly serve Hashem. An animal does not have free will to serve G-d; however, we do and animals can help us accomplish that task.
Let us now return to the question of 'domination' over animals. When Rashi (Gen. 1:26) explains the word "dominate," he says it could be construed in two different ways. "If the person merits, he will dominate (rodeh). If not, he will descend (yored) spiritually and the animals will rule over him." The Hebrew word for 'merit,' - zacha - is also pregnant with meaning. It is from the word, "zach," meaning pure. If one purifies and refines himself, purging his ego and concluding that all of his success comes from Above, then he will dominate. But, if he fails to elevate and purify himself, then he will fall lower than the animal kingdom itself.
Torah gives people a task in the creation. We are the agent of change, tikkun, and therefore we finds himself at the vortex of the universe. That's why the Torah stipulates that humans are to have dominion over all creatures, meaning to use them at their highest potential. The very fact that we were created with such a capability means that our task is to wisely use the potential around us. We must all ask ourselves, "How can we assert our dominion over the natural world without abusing or misusing it?"
Whether you choose to be a vegetarian like Adam, or eat meat like our forefathers, the message is clear- we must ensure that we utilize our resources responsibly. Within our dealings with creation, we must recognize our directive to approach nature with the utmost respect. The callous uprooting of another creature's life force to sustain frivolous or reckless action is irresponsible. Our dominion over animals is based on our obligation to sincerely serve Hashem, thus helping manifest healing in this fractured world. If our every action is dedicated to honoring His creation, performing His mitzvos, and directing loving kindness to all of those around us, then the meals that sustain our vitality and action on earth become a dearly important, if not the most important, aspect of our lives.
And now we finally understand the deep secret behind the Jewish obsession with food.
Originally posted in "On Eagles' Wings" July 20th 2007
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