Recipe for a Blessing— Or the Opposite

“If despite these you will not be chastised toward Me, and you behave casually with Me, then I, too, will behave toward you with casualness; and I will strike you, even I, seven ways for your sins…When I break for you the staff of bread, ten women will bake your bread in one oven, and they will bring back your bread by weight; you will eat and not be sated” (ibid., 26:23–26).

Parashas Bechukosai describes in great detail the horrific curses that will befall the Yidden if we abandon Hashem and his Torah, chas veshalom. It’s prefaced, however, with the wonderful blessings the Ribbono Shel Olam will bestow upon us if we adhere to His mitzvos and strive to continually deepen our relationship with Him.

So what does eating have to do with it?

Isn’t the act of consuming food exclusively for meeting our physical needs for nourishment? Why would our spiritual relationship with Hashem impact our ability to be satisfied from a good meal? Clearly, the Torah is identifying a very strong connection.

A healthy relationship with food is inexorably linked to our spiritual wellbeing. Meaning, if we treat food in line with the purpose for which Hashem gave it—to provide energy and vitality to our bodies so they can be in the best condition possible to perform our avodas Hashem—then that itself is a spiritual pursuit, as the Rambam says in the beginning of the fourth chapter of Hilchos Deios. We are respecting the body Hashem granted us, and acknowledging His beneficence by enjoying the fine food He provides in an appropriate manner that promotes our health. We will be sated—satisfied with the proper amounts, and not stuffing ourselves to feed our indulgences or grasping for unhealthy things just because they give us an immediate hit of a few seconds of palatable pleasure.

However, if indulgent behavior is our norm, this is an indication of a breakdown in our spiritual wellbeing and relationship with Hashem. We are focusing on our physical gratifications and ignoring the responsibility we have to care for the body He gave us. We are feeding our yetzer hara and starving our soul, thereby creating distance in our relationship with Hashem and, as the Torah clearly teaches, actually lessening our ability to be satisfied. An individual who misuses and abuses the gift of food will never be sated because he’ll be chasing after a carrot dangling from an endless stick.

Let us follow the berachos we say before eating with a behavior that maximizes our healthy relationship with food, and thereby earn the benevolent blessings Hashem yearns to give us. In this way, we will acquire genuine and lasting satisfaction.

Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC, CWMS, is the founder and director of Soveya and the author of the best-selling book Enough Is Enough—How the Soveya Solution Is Revolutionizing the Diet and Weight-Loss World, available on Amazon and at Barnes & Nobles and Judaica Plaza in Lakewood. He has worked with thousands of clients around the world and has maintained a 130-pound weight loss for the last 19 years. For more information about Soveya’s programs call 732-578-8800, email info@soveya.com, or visit www. soveya.com.

By Rabbi Ezra Friedman