Chasidut for Pesachim 136:8
דתניא ר' אליעזר אומר אין לו לאדם בי"ט אלא או אוכל ושותה או יושב ושונה ר' יהושע אומר חלקהו חציו לאכילה ושתיה וחציו לבית המדרש
R. Shesheth used to revise his studies every thirty days, and he would stand and lean at the side of the doorway and exclaim, 'Rejoice, O my soul, Rejoice. O my soul; for thee have I read [the Bible], for thee have I studied [the Mishnah].' But that is not so, for R. Eleazar said, But for the Torah, heaven and earth would not endure, for it is said, If not for my covenant by day and by nightj had not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth? - In the first place when a man does it [sc. studies], he does so with himself in mind.
Kedushat Levi
Deuteronomy 16,22 “and do not set up for yourself a stone pillar (as a religious symbol).”
I believe that we should interpret this verse in accordance with a saying of the sages in Avot 4,21: התקן עצמך בפרוזדור כדי שתכנס לטרקלין, “prepare yourself in the vestibule so that you may [be able] to enter the banquet hall.” The author of this saying, Rabbi Yaakov, views life on earth as being lived in the vestibule to the celestial regions, and that those who merit it will be admitted to “the palace” upon leaving their bodies behind on earth. Whatever man eats and drinks in this life is merely in preparation for the life to come. He must see to it that when the time comes he will enter that domain in a healthy condition. The sum total of what we consume in food and drink while on earth is described by the Talmud in Pessachim 68 as “the half that is yours.”
[The Talmud there debates how the festival days should be divided by the people, one opinion stating that “half” is to be used for eating, drinking, and sleeping, whereas the other half is to be devoted to spiritual pursuits. The Talmud, of course, quotes verses from Scripture supporting such a view. Rabbi Eliezer is not happy with such an interpretation and insists that either the entire day of the festival be dedicated to spiritual pursuits, or to mundane pursuits, the difference being which festival is meant for devotion to only spiritual pursuits. Ed.]
Our author understands the word לך in our verse above to mean that any physical enjoyments we permit ourselves even on the festival days, when this is a commandment, must be viewed as something transient, as only a stepping stone to when we will be allowed entry into the “banquet hall,” i.e. the celestial spheres.
I believe that we should interpret this verse in accordance with a saying of the sages in Avot 4,21: התקן עצמך בפרוזדור כדי שתכנס לטרקלין, “prepare yourself in the vestibule so that you may [be able] to enter the banquet hall.” The author of this saying, Rabbi Yaakov, views life on earth as being lived in the vestibule to the celestial regions, and that those who merit it will be admitted to “the palace” upon leaving their bodies behind on earth. Whatever man eats and drinks in this life is merely in preparation for the life to come. He must see to it that when the time comes he will enter that domain in a healthy condition. The sum total of what we consume in food and drink while on earth is described by the Talmud in Pessachim 68 as “the half that is yours.”
[The Talmud there debates how the festival days should be divided by the people, one opinion stating that “half” is to be used for eating, drinking, and sleeping, whereas the other half is to be devoted to spiritual pursuits. The Talmud, of course, quotes verses from Scripture supporting such a view. Rabbi Eliezer is not happy with such an interpretation and insists that either the entire day of the festival be dedicated to spiritual pursuits, or to mundane pursuits, the difference being which festival is meant for devotion to only spiritual pursuits. Ed.]
Our author understands the word לך in our verse above to mean that any physical enjoyments we permit ourselves even on the festival days, when this is a commandment, must be viewed as something transient, as only a stepping stone to when we will be allowed entry into the “banquet hall,” i.e. the celestial spheres.
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