A thought on פרשת תרומה
"...v'nosata al ha'shulchan lechem...""...and on this table place the bread..." (25:30)
The Torah instructs us to place the lechem ha'panim on tubes and to leave it on the Temple table.
The Recanati writes that the function of having bread on the table was to show our recognition that on HaShem's "table," namely, the Temple table which was a symbol for the higher concept of a "table" Above from which HaShem's will showers His people with sustenance, there is never a shortage of Divine resources and shefa. We make this gesture of placing bread below in that consecrated spot, as a means of boosting our awareness that we must make an effort here to display our fervent quest for Heavenly care and shefa which comes to us from Above.
(We actually find this paralleled in halacha. In Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 180:1) we are given the rule that bread must be placed on the table at the time of bentching. Even though our meal is finished, we signify our recognition that all of our sustenance comes from HaShem, Who is there to sustain His people.)
The question which remains is "why the tubes?" Why was the bread placed in holders rather than put on the bare table? What is the symbolism or lesson to be learned from this?The Recanati writes that we must be aware that there are times when we are not aware. When we lose our sense of being connected to HaShem by forgetting our role below, when we fail to engage in serving Him and doing His will, our access to Divine sustenance is affected. He will still sustain us, but that blessing will be indirect. It will be manifest in obscure or hidden ways.
The bread will descend, but it gets to the table through conduits. Those tubes are symbols of those pathways and conduits which disguise the sense of Presence in the same manner in which our preoccupation with our selves has distracted us from an awareness of the Above.
In my home, as in my parents home, we keep the challa on the table when it is time to bentch, and we are among those who are also accustomed to cover the challa at that time, as well. This custom may well be traced to the insight of the Recanati here: by covering the bread, we signify our sober awareness that our sustenance is not necessarily readily available. There are times when the gift of sustenance is rapid and uncomplicated but there are times when our own errors and straying may impede the flow of shefa from Above. Like the tubes which enclosed some of the lechem ha'panim and left it hovering just above the shulchan, we cover our bread, encasing it in a way which partially conceals it, delaying our immediate access as we bless HaShem and ask Him to bless us in return by sending us "bracha meruba b'bayis ha'zeh v'al shulchan zeh sh'achalnu alav" - abundant blessing to this home and upon this table at which we have eaten.
Leaving you with yet another insight to implement this Shabbos at your se'udos. Good Shabbos. D Fox
The Torah instructs us to place the lechem ha'panim on tubes and to leave it on the Temple table.
The Recanati writes that the function of having bread on the table was to show our recognition that on HaShem's "table," namely, the Temple table which was a symbol for the higher concept of a "table" Above from which HaShem's will showers His people with sustenance, there is never a shortage of Divine resources and shefa. We make this gesture of placing bread below in that consecrated spot, as a means of boosting our awareness that we must make an effort here to display our fervent quest for Heavenly care and shefa which comes to us from Above.
(We actually find this paralleled in halacha. In Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 180:1) we are given the rule that bread must be placed on the table at the time of bentching. Even though our meal is finished, we signify our recognition that all of our sustenance comes from HaShem, Who is there to sustain His people.)
The question which remains is "why the tubes?" Why was the bread placed in holders rather than put on the bare table? What is the symbolism or lesson to be learned from this?The Recanati writes that we must be aware that there are times when we are not aware. When we lose our sense of being connected to HaShem by forgetting our role below, when we fail to engage in serving Him and doing His will, our access to Divine sustenance is affected. He will still sustain us, but that blessing will be indirect. It will be manifest in obscure or hidden ways.
The bread will descend, but it gets to the table through conduits. Those tubes are symbols of those pathways and conduits which disguise the sense of Presence in the same manner in which our preoccupation with our selves has distracted us from an awareness of the Above.
In my home, as in my parents home, we keep the challa on the table when it is time to bentch, and we are among those who are also accustomed to cover the challa at that time, as well. This custom may well be traced to the insight of the Recanati here: by covering the bread, we signify our sober awareness that our sustenance is not necessarily readily available. There are times when the gift of sustenance is rapid and uncomplicated but there are times when our own errors and straying may impede the flow of shefa from Above. Like the tubes which enclosed some of the lechem ha'panim and left it hovering just above the shulchan, we cover our bread, encasing it in a way which partially conceals it, delaying our immediate access as we bless HaShem and ask Him to bless us in return by sending us "bracha meruba b'bayis ha'zeh v'al shulchan zeh sh'achalnu alav" - abundant blessing to this home and upon this table at which we have eaten.
Leaving you with yet another insight to implement this Shabbos at your se'udos. Good Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 8:19 PM
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