Vitamins and Minerals
Rabbi Raymond Beyda
Rabbi Abraham Twersky says, "Just as the body cannot function optimally
unless it receives its vital nutrients, neither can the neshamah [soul] be
in optimal condition unless it receives its vital nutrients." There is a
difference, however, between a deficiency in physical nutrients and a
spiritual deficiency. When the body lacks one of the "foods" it needs to
function the deficiency manifests itself in a symptom characteristic to
that vitamin or mineral. The treatment is to fill the need for that
component of bodily balance. You can't fill the need for vitamin C with
mega doses of vitamin B-- but the right dose of C will cure the problem and
erase the symptom. When it comes to the spirit, however, the manifestation
of a deficiency is not so clear. A shortage of Torah learning, respect for
elders and parents, acts of kindness or any of the Misvot that the soul
needs to be healthy and satisfied is not clearly demonstrated. Instead a
person may feel depressed, or generally unhappy without being able to
pinpoint the cause.
One thing is certain. One cannot compensate for a shortage of spiritual
vitamins with physical remedies. Money, food, drugs and alcohol won't
eliminate the malady.
Today, should you feel a tinge of sadness, general dissatisfaction or
unhappiness--stop! Don't try and fill the need with a physical fix. Instead
think--"What area of my Misvah performance or Torah learning can I
increase." Even if you don't pinpoint it exactly, unlike the physical, an
increased dose of any spiritual nutrient will go a long way to restoring
your spiritual balance. It only takes a minute but it will assist in
restoring your mental "health" and good "spirit."
DID YOU KNOW THAT
The person who goes up to the Torah when it is being read publicly in the
Synagogue must read quietly along with the reader--he cannot fulfill his
obligation by merely standing silently and listening to the reader.
[Source Yalkut Yosef siman 141:20]
Text Copyright © 2003 Rabbi Raymond Beyda and Torah.org.