#382 (s5765-25/ 21 Adar 5765)

Food for Thought

Rabbi Elimelech of Lyzhinsk sensed that his guest had not yet refined and elevated his appetite for food.

Food for Thought

A serious-minded chassid once came to visit Rabbi Elimelech of Lyzhinsk, who sensed that his guest had not yet learned to refine and elevate his appetite for food. He decided therefore to invite him to join him at breakfast.

The chassid felt honored indeed. The table was set with rye bread, salt, and a bread knife, and they washed their hands and pronounced HaMotzi, the blessing over bread.

The rebbe bit off a little from his slice, and had barely swallowed it when he began to complain to himself, addressing himself by the diminutive Yiddish form of his name: "Melech, Melech! Just look how you're eating, and with what ugly desire you're chewing the bread. Why, you want to swallow up all the bread at once! You really are worse than an animal."

But then he answered himself as follows: "No, I don't eat out of animal desire, but simply to satisfy my hunger, for if I don't eat I won't be able to study Torah and serve my Maker."

He cut himself another morsel of bread, and again, this time before swallowing it, chided himself in a harsh undertone: "Melech, Melech! Whom do you thing you're fooling? Whom are you trying to convince that your only intention in eating is to keep your soul alive so that you can serve your Maker?

It's all a bunch of lies! Just look - every part of you is fraught with animal desire, and if you could, you would swallow your whole meal in one gulp. How could you bring yourself to lie, and say that you eat for the sake of heaven?"

After a thoughtful pause he again answered himself in a sober whisper: "No, in fact it is not an animal urge that impels me to eat. But what is there to be done? I am fashioned of physical matter, a creature of flesh and blood, and I am obliged to pay this material body its due, otherwise it won't want to serve me.

So I do have to eat bread - though I won't eat it for the sake of sensual gratification, but simply because of the necessity of keeping myself alive."

And with that he gave himself another slice.

Overhearing the muttered monologue, the guest's heart was humbles within him. He would make a fresh start!

Rebbe Elimelech thereupon rounded off his breakfast by reciting the Grace after Meals, confident that his novel prescription had accomplished its purpose.

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[Selected and adapted by Yrachmiel Tilles from the rendition in A Treasury of Chassidic Tales (Artscroll), as translated by our esteemed colleague Uri Kaploun from Sipurei Chasidim by Rabbi S. Y. Zevin.]

Biographical note:
Rabbi Elimelech of Lyzhinsk (1717 - 21 Adar 1787), was a major disciple of the Maggid of Mezritch, successor to the Baal Shem Tov, and the leading Rebbe of the subsequent generation in Poland-Galitzia. Most of the great Chassidic dynasties stem from his disciples. His book, Noam Elimelech, is one of the most popular of all Chassidic works.

Yrachmiel Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and editor of Ascent Quarterly and the AscentOfSafed.com and KabbalaOnline.org websites. He has hundreds of published stories to his credit.