Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz:
All the Jewish holidays are so food oriented, with lavish, extravagant meals. Shouldn’t they be days that focus on more spiritual stuff, like on Yom Kippur?
Our Physical Needs
We were put here in this physical world, and given a commandment in the Torah to be holy.
The simple way to accomplish this is by abstaining from worldly pleasures. However, that is not the ultimate achievement. The greatness of a Jew lies in his ability to partake of materialism for the reasons G-d has outlined for us, and connect it to Hashem, transforming it into something spiritual.
Enjoying food for the sake of performing a mitzvah is obviously easier said than done, but this is our mission as Jews. As Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, the great sage and founder of the mussar (character development) movement, put it: “It is easier to fast on Yom Kippur for the sake of Heaven than to eat on Erev Yom Kippur for the sake of Heaven.”
Ballance Is Key!
It is important to understand that spiritual perfection can be reached only through a happy medium, a combination of both approaches. In general, one should be only moderately involved in the pleasures of this world. However, at certain times, such as on Shabbos or Yom Tov, one should partake of delicacies and other pleasures for the purpose of a mitzvah (commandment), thereby infusing spirituality into the material world.
Thus, a person enjoying his meal on Shabbos or Yom Tov with the intention of fulfilling Hashem’s will is doing a great mitzvah. Similarly, one who feels the need for some relaxation or enjoyment, and has in mind that this will help him serve Hashem better, is turning the physical world into a more spiritual place. Additionally, since a person is physical and associates with physical enjoyment, delicacies can actually enhance our service of Hashem. Eating good food puts a person in a good mood, and when in a cheerful frame of mind, one can feel more vividly the pleasure of celebrating the festival Hashem has given us. Thus, the food isn’t an end unto itself. Rather, it’s a tried and-true way for a person to feel Hashem’s goodness, and use this feeling to come close to Him.
In Short:
An integral part of our greatness is our ability to partake of the material world, and transform the physical into a vehicle of spirituality.
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