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Thought for the Day: Keeping Kosher while Traveling; Reminder that HaShem Loves You

We just returned from a beautiful few days in Arizona. Two days exploring and enjoying some of HaShem's most over the top, spectacular creations at Sedona and, l'havdil, the Grand Canyon. ("l'havdil" because as beautiful as Sedona is; the Grand Canyon is in a class by itself). We thought about actually staying at a lodge at the Grand Canyon, but then didn't. Why not? One word: food. There closest kosher food is in Flagstaff, about an hour away. Oh well, that's what we get for keeping kosher. Goyim can just go wherever they want and the food is plentiful and comes in a wide variety. Is that fair? Let's talk about that.

After the first sin (I don't know how original it was; seems pretty run of the mill to me; he did what he wanted instead of what was right), the first man was told (B'reishis 3:18/19):

18 And it will cause thorns and thistles to grow for you, and you shall eat the herbs of the field.   יח וְק֥וֹץ וְדַרְדַּ֖ר תַּצְמִ֣יחַ לָ֑ךְ וְאָֽכַלְתָּ֖ אֶת־עֵ֥שֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶֽה:
19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground, for you were taken therefrom, for dust you are, and to dust you will return."   יט בְּזֵעַ֤ת אַפֶּ֨יךָ֙ תֹּ֣אכַל לֶ֔חֶם עַ֤ד שֽׁוּבְךָ֙ אֶל־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה כִּ֥י מִמֶּ֖נָּה לֻקָּ֑חְתָּ כִּֽי־עָפָ֣ר אַ֔תָּה וְאֶל־עָפָ֖ר תָּשֽׁוּב:

Now if I had written those verses, I think I would have split the phrases up a bit differently. I would have made another verse in the middle -- let's call it 18.5: And you shall eat the herbs of the field; by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread. After all, that's all one curse; isn't it? The medrash, though, says there was something going on behind this narrative. After Adam haRishon was told, "and you shall eat the herbs of the field," he started to cry. HaShem then comforted him with the words, "By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread." (Wow! I really got that wrong!)

Great... but what does that mean? What bothered Adam so much and what was the comfort in being told he would have to work hard to make a living? Before answering that, let's ask a similar question on the way the serpent was cursed:  you will eat dust all of your life. (B'reishis 3:14). What kind of curse is that? The serpent will never go hungry! He'll never have to raise even a finger... er...um... a neck to eat. All the dust he wants, wherever he goes; no worries, no cares.

R' Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld answers brilliantly: That is precisely what makes it such a terrifying curse -- HaShem gave the serpent food aplenty so that He would never again have to hear from the serpent (nor even any of his descendants). What about Adam? He cried because he now saw himself as eating from the same feeding trough as the donkey. HaShem comforted him: No... you'll work hard. You'll have to work hard and daven to Me that the land will produce food. I want to hear from you every day. I love you and I want you close to Me always. (For more about that, please listen to the shiur on TorahAnytime from R' Ezriel Cziment from Aug 3: What Benching can Guarantee)

So when HaShem wants a relationship with you, He makes sure you need to put in effort and daven for success -- He wants to hear from you. When a relationship with you is not important to HaShem, then he gives you a full billet of food. (I actually know a lady whose husband was so fed up with her that he divorced her and gave her a credit card so she'd have no reason to ask him for anything again!)

Back to the question: Goyim always have access to plenty of food with no bother. Is that fair? I would feel badly for them, but they have a choice. (No one is harder on a smoker than an ex-smoker. המבין יבין)

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