- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Ekev
1092
When the Jewish people finally entered the Land of Israel and settled it, the manna stopped falling. Real bread was now necessary for the existence of the nation and of its individual members. This proved to be and continues to be one of the supreme tests of national and individual Jewish life - how does one retain a sense of spirituality in the midst of the toil of acquiring bread to live on? Providing time for the study of Torah, performing mitzvoth and granting priority to true Jewish values in our lives helps us answer this difficult question. Shabat and the holidays also provide us with an escape from pursuing bread alone and allow us to refocus our attention on our Creator-created relationship. It is not for naught that the rabbis insisted that our speech and even our thoughts on Shabat and the holidays not deal with the bread of daily toil and struggle. Instead we are to treat the food of Shabat as though it is manna of heaven. The secret ingredient in Shabat food according to the Talmud is Shabat itself. To be able to live at least one day of the week on the word of God, so to speak, and not on the bread of man is a truly spiritual experience. The Jewish story of survival and destiny over millennia is the proof of the words of the Torah - man does not live by bread alone - to be real and true.
A Woman's Obligation to Pray
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed | 5766
A Woman's Obligation to Pray
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed | 5766
