Parshas Re'eh 5786
- Torah Tavlin
- Aug 7
- 2 min read
שמעו שמוע אלי ואכלו טוב ותתענג בדשן נפשכם ... (ישעי' נה-ב)
Depressed and forlorn, the Jewish people felt as though their exile would never end. Hashem promised that just as Dovid Hamelech became a King even though he was a commoner, so shall the people be lifted out of their desperate situation if only they would return to Him. He unequivocally declared, “Listen! Give heed to Me, and you shall eat choice food and enjoy the richest dishes.” Why the double wording?
R’ Mordechai Gifter zt”l explains with a story from his youth in Telshe. It was Shavuos morning and after a long night of learning, he and his chavrusa went out on a walk. One of the city laymen spotted them and berated them for not learning on the day of Shavuos. They responded that they had already spent the whole night learning and were not out to enjoy a bit of air, however, the laymen was not buying it. Shaking his head, he shot back at them, “Have you ever seen a drunkard say I had enough to drink?!”
Taking it to heart, R’ Gifter would add that just as food satisfies the stomach, Torah satisfies the soul.
The double wording of Hashem’s promise is in reference to both the physical world of pleasure (עולם הזה) and the world of spirituality (עולם הבא). Although they seem to contrast each other completely, they are however intrinsically tied together. For a lax in spirituality automatically affects the physical world negatively. True, a Jew should focus his attention on spiritual growth, nevertheless, we still live in the physical world and it is therefore our duty to uphold its existence.