When the Jewish people finally entered the Land of Israel and settled it, the manna stopped falling. Real bread was now necessary for the existence of the nation and of its individual members. This proved to be and continues to be one of the supreme tests of national and individual Jewish life — how does one retain a sense of spirituality while toiling to acquire bread to live on?

Providing time for the study of Torah, performing mitzvos (religious duties) and granting priority to true Jewish values in our lives helps us answer this difficult question. Sabbath and the holidays also provide us with an escape from pursuing bread alone and allow us to refocus our attention on our Creator-created relationship.

It is not for naught that the rabbis insisted that our speech and even our thoughts on Sabbath and the holidays not deal with the bread of daily toil and struggle. Instead we are to treat the food of Sabbath as though it were of heavenly origin.

Labels: jewish, religious life

# posted by Squach : 8:14 PM   |