READING: BETWEEN AFTER MIDNINGHT AND DAWN MONDAY

Lesson on the topic of “Preparation for meals in the Convention”

LESSON MATRIAL

Preparation for meals in the Convention – Selected Excerpts from the sources

1. Baal HaSulam, “The Peace”

“All is ready for the feast,” for the true goal. And the sublime delight that is destined to emerge with the revelation of His purpose in creation, when all the trouble and toil and anguish that befall us over times and generations will seem like a host who greatly troubles himself to prepare a great feast for the invited guests. And he compares the anticipated goal that must finally be revealed to a feast whose guests attend with great delight.

2. RABASH, Article No. 7 (1989), What Is “He Who Did Not Toil on the Eve of Shabbat, What Will He Eat on Shabbat” in the Work?

The fact that a person must aim to benefit the Creator and not himself in order to obtain the Kli [vessel] called “in order to bestow” is great labor and toil. This is called the “preparation for the meal”.

3. RABASH, Letter No. 38

Only the craving for the food determines the measure of pleasure in the meal. For this reason, in order for the creatures to enjoy His gifts, He has imprinted in the creatures a nature of always wanting to receive pleasure.

4. Likutey Moharan, Last Edition, Mark 7

Our sages said (Babylonian Talmud, Masechet Taanit): “No conversing during a meal.” This is because then, during a meal, the illumination of the desire shines, which is regarded as illumination of the surrounding, which are regarded as “silence,” as in “Silence! This is what came to mind!”

5. RABASH, Article No. 25 (1988), “What Is the Preparation on the Eve of Shabbat, in the Work?”

The meal is regarded as the reward. Therefore, they said, “He who did not toil on the eve of Shabbat,” which is the time to prepare the ingredients of the meal, and did not prepare the ingredients of the meal, “from what will he eat?” as the ingredients are certainly labor and toil.

It therefore follows that since Shabbat is a gift, call a “meal,” and it is customary that one who is having a meal invites only those he loves, the “ingredients of the meal” will mean preparations so as to be invited to the meal. This is so because from the perspective of the Creator, a person does not give to the Creator any help with the meal. Instead, what a person can do to prepare the meal is to have himself invited. He can do this in only one way: by doing good deeds that the Creator will like, so the Creator will love him.

6. Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, Noam Elimelech [The Pleasantness of Elimelech]

When the righteous prays, he is certainly in adhesion and holiness, in pure thoughts, lucidity, and immaculacy. While eating, because it is a corporeal matter, fear comes over him that he might materialize and disconnect from holiness by eating. For this reason, he braces himself and exerts to sanctify himself more and more while eating, to attach himself with great connection and adhesion.