Re'eh(Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17)

Eat to Your Heart's Desire

As the Jews stand on the East Bank of the Jordan River, Moses again warns them against following pagan practices.

In this week's Torah portion, we have instructions telling the people to focus on centralized worship. However, some of these instructions differ from the accepted practices which were followed during the years in the desert:

However you may slaughter animals and eat their meat in all your gates, to your heart's desire, according to the blessing of the Lord, your God which he has given you; ... When the Lord your God shall enlarge your border, as he has promised you, and you shall say, "I will eat meat," because your soul longs to eat meat; you may eat meat, to your heart's desire. If the place which the Lord your God has chosen to put His name there is too far from you, then you shall kill of your herd and of your flock, which the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and you shall eat in your gates, to your heart's desire. (Deut. 12:15,20-21)

During the years in the desert the only meat allowed was the flesh of animals offered in the Tabernacle. Upon entering the land "optional" non-sacred meat will become permitted. (See Midrash Rabbah, Deut. 4:9.)

Nachmanides (in his commentary to Deut. 12:20) sees the shift in law as a practical expression of the reality of the Jews being dispersed throughout a vast country. The insistence that meat only be eaten as part of religious expression is no longer practical, as it was in the desert. This does not sound like a theological reason, rather a pragmatic reason.

Maimonides identifies spiritual forces in the desert which accounted for the erstwhile prohibition.

Maimonides (in his "Guide for the Perplexed" 3:46) identifies spiritual forces in the desert which accounted for the erstwhile prohibition. Now, when entering the land, those forces need no longer to be contended with.

Rav Tzadok HaCohen ("Dover Tzedek" section 1) saw the permissibility of meat upon the conquest of Israel as an expression of the holiness of the Land of Israel. The very air or spirit of the land is imbued with holiness, therefore the change in status of meat from exclusively "sacred" meat to "mundane" meat is the logical extension.

HEDONISTIC FORMULATION

While the change from prohibited to permitted is intriguing, the precise formulation of the wording is more so. Not only shall the people eat ? "but to their heart's desire." This formulation sounds hedonistic. Why would the Torah encourage man to capitulate to the desires of one's heart?

The idea of the Torah making concession to the baser side of man is well known. The prototypical example is that of the captive woman. And, in the Talmud's expression of the captive woman, we also find reference to forbidden meat:

Our Rabbis taught: "And you see among the captives [means] 'when taking her captive'; a woman [means] 'even married"; of beautiful countenance [means] 'the Torah only provided for human passions.' It is better for Israel to eat flesh of [animals] about to die, yet [ritually] slaughtered, than flesh of dying animals which have perished. [So too here:] and you have a desire ... then you shall bring her home. [This] teaches that he must not molest her on the [field of] battle." (Kiddushin 22a)

Perhaps it is possible to understand the reference to meat in the previous passage as a metaphor, but even then this passage implies that the allowance of meat consumption is a concession.

A phrase utilized in a subsequent verse compounds the problem. The Torah goes on to say that despite the heart's desires being filled, certain boundaries remain. The eating of blood remains taboo both in the Tabernacle and out:

Only be sure that you eat not the blood; for the blood is the life; and you may not eat the life with the flesh. You shall not eat it; you shall pour it upon the earth as water. You shall not eat it; that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, when you shall do that which is right in the sight of the Lord... And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the meat and the blood, upon the altar of the Lord your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of the Lord your God, and you shall eat the meat. Observe and hear all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you forever, when you do that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God. (Deut. 12:23-25,27-28)

The alternative to the eating of blood ? which includes the eating of meat to one's "heart's desire" - is described as "good and right in the sight of the Lord your God." This makes the indulgence of meat sound not like a concession, rather like an objective.

The fact that the Temple service included meat consumption should be an indicator that this is a positive endeavor.

It was taught, Rabbi Judah ben Batyra said: "When the Temple was in existence there could be no rejoicing save with meat, as it is said, And you shall sacrifice peace-offerings, and shall eat there; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God. But now that the Temple is no longer in existence, there is no rejoicing save with wine, as it is said, and wine that makes glad the heart of man." (Pesachim 109a)

Obviously, this is not merely an expression of hedonism, rather, the Torah -- which so well understands the physical makeup -- encourages man to experience physical pleasure as part of the spiritual expression.

UPLIFTING THE BODY

Judaism does not see the body as an evil device designed to take man away from spirituality, rather it sees the body, and indeed the entire physical world, as waiting to be uplifted spiritually.

The Jerusalem Talmud (Kiddushin, end of the first chapter) insists that, one day, man will have to give an accounting for the pleasure that he could have legitimately experienced in this world but avoided. God created man with a physical body in a wonderful physical world. Eating meat is an extreme expression of physicality. The challenge, according to Judaism, is not the rejection of the physical, rather in the elevation of the physical. The goal is to take the mundane and transform it into a spiritual reality.

The Torah is extremely realistic, and psychologically attuned to man's weaknesses.

While there are certain things that are awaiting elevation, there are others that are prohibited. In a sense the Torah is extremely realistic, and psychologically attuned to man's weaknesses. It is fascinating to see where the Torah "concedes" and where it demands unfailing allegiance.

The Alshech HaKadosh notes that the Torah passage regarding the consumption of meat -- which is normally translated as "to your heart's desire" -- actually says "to your soul's desire." The role of consuming meat is to bring one's desires closer to God.

This idea needs to be explored and understood. The soul obviously does not need the physical nourishment. How can meat elevate the soul?

ELEVATING THE SOUL

A terse comment by the Seforno (12:25) may help explain this concept.

Commenting on the passage -- Only be sure that you eat not the blood ... You shall not eat it; that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, when you shall do that which is right in the sight of the Lord -- the Seforno explains that the verse is not referring to the consumption of meat, rather the "good and the right thing" is the avoidance of the blood.

This seems strange since the avoidance of a negative commandment should not be described as "doing the right thing." The Seforno explains that avoidance of blood should not be motivated by aesthetics, rather by the word of God. (See Rashi Leviticus 20:26; also see the comments of Maimonides in his introduction to his commentary on Avot, Shemona Perakim, chapter 6.)

The purpose of all commandments both positive and negative is to bring the individual closer to God.

Generally, positive commandments are viewed as an expression of man's love for God while avoidance of negative commandments are viewed as an expression of man's awe or fear of God. Avoidance of blood -- because blood is disgusting -- would not be adhering to the word of God, rather it would be in compliance with man's aesthetic sense. Such avoidance would have no impact on the soul. Therefore, all proper avoidance of sin is an expression of accepting the kingship of God.

The debate whether commandments need intent is only meaningful with regards to positive commands. Prohibitions avoided for considerations other than acceptance of God are spiritually impotent. (Sha'arie Leshem 1:18:1)

Positive commandments need to be fulfilled with intent to comply with a Divine directive. If the individual has additional motivations while the deed is being performed, the fulfillment of the deed is imperfect. The Netziv (Numbers 15:39) insists that this is only the case where the individual has a relationship with God. However, in a situation where a positive command is performed outside of a relationship with the God, the act can not be classified as a commandment, rather the individual is worshiping his own desires.

While possessing desires is part of the human condition, man is called upon to frame and focus those desires.

While possessing desires is part of the human condition, man is called upon to frame and focus those desires. Therefore, one may still insist that the eating of meat may be a concession to man's desires. Yet in this instance the Torah felt that by institutionalizing a proper outlet the soul would be elevated. Proper slaughtering and limited types of permitted animals was seen as sufficient in terms of elevating the physical to a spiritual experience.

ORIGINS OF DESIRE

At the dawn of history desire entered the world. The seductive words of the serpent -- that led to man's rebellion against a prohibition of God -- made first mention of desire:

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God said, 'you shall not eat of every tree of the garden'? ... For God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was desirable to the eyes, and a tree which is pleasurable to make one wise, she took of its fruit, and ate, and gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:1,5-6)

In a sense, the existence of a prohibition causes desire. This is the phenomenon of "stolen waters are sweetest"(Proverbs 9:17).

Yet prohibitions are needed because in adhering to them, man indicates his acceptance that this universe has a Creator and Sustainer. By adhering to the laws of Kashrut, man indicates his acceptance of God -- both by the rejection of certain types of food, and by the acceptance of other types of food.

Therefore, Alshech HaKadosh states that the allowance of meat is not a concession to the baser part of man, rather it is a method of elevating the soul by refocusing the desires.

Certainly on Shabbat and holy days, the eating of meat is part of the process of elevating the soul. It ceases to be exclusively a physical gesture, it becomes a religious experience, and in the process reverses the effects of the venom inflicted by the serpent in Eden.