In a city abroad, I came across a huge supermarket which sold kosher products. The name of this store: The Kosher Connoisseur. This unusual name captivated me. Aren’t Jews enjoined to restrain their desire for food, eating only l’shem Shamayim, so that we can have strength to serve Hashem? How can a person profess to be a connoisseur and kosher at the same time? In truth, this phrase is an oxymoron. A G-d-fearing Jew never indulges in the title connoisseur.
Let us take the following scenario as a case in point. A man comes home from the Beit Hakeneset on Shabbat morning. He is hungry and thirsty. But he will not attack his food ravenously. First of all, he will make Kiddush and sing some zemirot. Then he will wash his hands for the meal and recite the blessing over the bread. Only afterward, will he actually begin his repast.
The acts of Kiddush, washing, and making blessings subdue one’s beastly urges to eat. He has raised himself above the level of epicurean indulgence and is no longer considered a glutton.
The very fact that a person is scrupulous to eat only kosher foods breaks his physical desire by sifting out non-kosher foods. Our entire eating experience is a constant exercise in subduing our animalistic instincts, sanctifying our food to the level of a holy object used in the service of Hashem.
I remained bothered by the name of this store for a long time afterward. Finally, I thought of a way of translating it in a positive light. When a person is starving, he must make sure to eat only kosher. He must subject his physical desires to Hashem’s command. Only then, will he find spiritual satiation.
