VaYikrah Excerpts
ויקרא
Shabbat Shalom
(3:17) 'you may not eat any Chaylev animal fat (specific pieces of fat) or blood.' You people can't control yourselves at kiddush. Like little kichel monsters. Forbidden to eat? Can't even wait till the blessing is made...We have to get the sisterhood on you. We had to re-institute hand lashes...Bernie's hands are still red from last week. If there was Chaylev on that table, you would attack it...
Blood we can understand, but why not the Chaylev?
Oh. A question we see.
The Chaylev went up on the altar. Artscroll translates Chaylev as (3:16) 'choice parts,' in order to not be exact in the translation. Most Israelis would have translated it as milk...Not the point.
It was chosen to serve H.' To go up on the altar as a 'satisfying aroma.' Not all is for consumption. Some foods have a greater purpose. Forbidden for the sake of purpose.
Now I know where the watermelon basket went at my son's Bar Mitzvah. The Kriegman family couldn't wait till the Kiddush blessing...Yes Bernie. After the sisterhood stopped them, they ran home with it. By the time the sisterhood got to their house, they had eaten it. Even the outer layer.
There are reasons for not eating sometimes. The question is how do we see food. What do we use it for...Do we use it to share? Do we use it for sacrifices? Do we use it to make a Bar Mitzvah more enjoyable? Do we use it to decorate our Sukkah?
Why should Ben not eat praline ice cream? Because other people don't put on as much weight when they eat it.