A Spiritually Satisfying Repast
In my parents’ home in Morocco, as in all Jewish homes of those days, throughout the Pesach holiday, we would satisfy ourselves with potatoes, matzah, and a bit of chicken. Those days did not see the plethora of foods available today, all with superior hechsherim. All of the assorted foods, cakes, and drinks, were not even the stuff of dreams. Yet we lived very well. The holiday itself, including the changes it brought, gave us tremendous joy. In spite of the poor fare, we felt greatly enriched. Where there was a dearth of physical sustenance, we subsisted on food for the soul.
This teaches a valuable lesson. Throughout our lives, we crave various gourmet foods. We look for interesting recipes, in order to lend diversity to our dishes. Then, along comes Pesach and reminds us that it is all frivolous. It is possible to live very well for an entire week, and even longer, only on matzah, some potatoes, and water. The abundance of the modern world is superfluous and unnecessary. The more we fill ourselves with physical bounty, the less room we have for spirituality. Filling one’s plate with delicacies is an expression of feeding the Yetzer Hara with fleeting pleasures.
By satisfying oneself with the bare minimum and reducing one’s physical intake, he makes himself into a vessel fit to imbibe spirituality.
