Holy Eating

From Breslov Eikh Shehu: Breslov Customs and Practices, Past and Present, compiled by Dovid Zeitlin and Dovid Sears (work-in-progress). We are grateful to Rabbi Dovid Shapiro for his ongoing contribution to this project.

“Let us eat only to sustain our souls and diminish our natural desires and cravings” – Rebbe Nachman, “Shir Na’im (A Song of Delight)”

Note that this includes a number of personal customs of Rabbi Gedaliah Kenig, zatzal, which we have indicated as such. They are generally followed by his family members and some of his talmidim, but not necessarily by other Breslover Chassidim, even in the Tsfat kehillah he founded. Aside from the customs specifically mentioned by the Rebbe and Reb Noson, there is much diversity within the Breslov community when it comes to such things.
Holy Eating

The Rebbe cautioned that one should eat slowly and mindfully, with great derekh eretz.

(Chayey Moharan 515; Likutey Moharan I, 17:3, et al.)

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He also cautioned that one should never eat to excess, which can bring on various maladies.

(Likutey Moharan I, 257, 263)

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He taught that at the time of eating, one may experience an illumination of the deepest will of the soul for Hashem (he'aras ha-ratzon).

(Likutey Moharan II, 7:10; also cf. Likutey Halakhos, Arev 3:3; as this he’aras ha-ratzon is related to the sense of smell and intuition, see ibid., Pidyon Bekhor 5:10-11; or as experienced through fasting, see ibid., K’riyas HaTorah 4:5)

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When a person breaks his desire for food, G-d will work wonders through him.

(Likutey Moharan I, 47)

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Reb Noson taught that by speaking words of Torah, one infuses the very act of eating with G-dliness. Therefore, one should do so at every meal.

(Likutey Halakhos, Netilas Yadayim liSe’udah 1:3; cf. Ner Mitzvah 8:2, in the name of the Baal Shem Tov; et al.)

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After washing for "ha-motzi," prior to reciting the blessing "al netilas yadayim," Reb Elazar Kenig raises his hands to the level of his eyes. Prior to the berakhah, he recites the verses: "S'u yedeikhem kodesh u-vorekhu es HaShem” (Tehillim 134:2) and “Ve-esa khapai el mitzvosekha asher ahavti vi-asichah bi-chukekha” (Ibid. 119:48). This is a common custom.

(See Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 162:1. Re. elevating the hands, also see Rabbi Chaim Vital, Sha’ar HaMitzvos, Eikev [39a]; Eitz Chaim, Sha’ar Partzuf Zu”N 2:2; Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad, Ben Ish Chai: Halakhos II, Vayeira 13-14, according to the kabbalistic practice)

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Reb Gedaliah Kenig would recite Psalm 23 (“Mizmor leDovid”) at every meal.

(Heard from Rabbi Dovid Shapiro, who heard from Rabbi Elazar Kenig. Cf. Rabbi Chaim Vital, Pri Eitz Chayim, Sha’ar K’riyas Shema she-al ha-Mitah, chap. 11 [80d], who states that it should be recited before one begins to eat the meal. The Magen Avraham states that one should recite it between washing the hands and reciting “ha-motzi,” while the Elya Rabbah states in the name of the SheLaH that one should say it after reciting “hamotzi” and eating the bread. This psalm has 57 words, corresponding to the word “zan,” meaning “to sustain” or “to feed.”)

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Reb Gedaliah used to read both Psalm 67 ("Lamenatze'ach be-neginos") in the form of a Menorah and the Prayer of Rabbi Nechuniah ben HaKanah ("Ana bi-Ko'ach") at some point during each meal with bread, in order to facilitate the elevation of the "holy sparks" in the food.

(Heard from Rabbi Elazar Kenig. Re. reciting Psalm 67 in the form of a Menorah, see Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz, Imrey Pinchas, Shaar HaKedushah #83 [Vol. I, 297a])

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Reb Gedaliah used to wear a hat and a robe or another outer garment when he sat down to eat a meal, even during the week.

(Heard from Rabbi Dovid Shapiro. Cf. Berakhos 51a; similarly,  Zohar: Raya Mehemna, Pinchas [245b]; one should wear a hat particularly while reciting Birkhas Hamazon, according to Rabbi Chaim Vital, Taamey HaMitzvos (Arizal), Eikev [99c]; Rabbi Yaakov Tzemach, Nagid U-Metzaveh, p. 94.)

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He also gave a small coin to tzedakah at every meal in order to subjugate ta’avas achilah.

(Heard from Rabbi Dovid Shapiro)

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The Rebbe mentioned that the skins of many vegetables are edible; therefore one should not remove them completely, but leave at least a small amount of the peel. These outer skins are an aspect of the klippas nogah, the "glowing husk" that is a mixture of good and evil, and by eating some of the peel one has the kavanah of extricating the good.

(Rabbi Shmuel Horowitz, Avaneha Barzel, in the revised version printed in Si'ach Sarfei Kodesh, Vol. I, 534. However, today one must be careful about eating the peels of fruits and vegetables which may have been sprayed or treated with harmful and even non-kosher substances.)

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The Rebbe also cautioned that one should not eat unripe fruit, because this can cause spiritual harm.

(Likutey Moharan II, 88)

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The Rebbe cited the Baal Shem Tov's instruction not to eat raw onions, even when mixed with oil and eggs, etc., whether on weekdays or the holy Shabbos. Onions should only be eaten when cooked, or according to the practice of most Breslover Chassidim, when prepared in brine.

(Sichos HaRan 265; cf. Eruvin 29a; Tosefos, ad loc., and 29b, s.v. mi-pnei; Ta'anis 30a)

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Rabbi Moshe Grinberger recalled that Reb Gedaliah did not consider raw scallions to be a problem, and in practice many Breslovers will eat them. However, Rabbi Dovid Shapiro once heard him say that one who “really wants to follow the Rebbe” should refrain from eating raw scallions, as well.

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Rabbi Chaim Vital states that great carefulness concerning kashrus leads to kedushah, and goes on to quote the beraisa of Rabbi Pinchos ben Ya'ir, which states that kedushah leads to ru'ach ha-kodesh (Sotah 5:19, end). Needless to say, one should be scrupulous about kashrus beyond the minimal requirements. Like all Chassidim and anshei ma'aseh, Breslover Chassidim are strict about chalav Yisrael, pas Yisrael, bishul Yisrael, glatt kosher, and other aspects of kashrus in keeping with the basic standards of the majority of devout Jews today. Such things are not in the category of what the Rebbe meant by chumros yeseiros (unnecessary stringencies).

(See Rabbi Chaim Vital, Sha'arey Kedushah II, 6, et al. Rabbi Yaakov Tzemach mentions that the Arizal was machmir even to refrain from drinking coffee prepared by a non-Jew, Nagid U-Metzaveh, p. 93. Reb Noson darshans on pas Yisrael in Likutey Halakhos, Makhaley AKU”M 1:13, and on bishul Yisrael in Likutey Halakhos, Basar be-Chalav 5:11; Makhaley AKU”M 2:1, 2, 3 and 3:1, 2.)

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Reb Gedaliah would recite “Borei nefashos” after drinking hot tea.

(Heard from Rabbi Aharon Waxler. The more common psak is that one should not recite a berakhah acharonah because the minimal revi’is [between 3.3 and 4.4 oz.] of tea is sipped over too long a period of time for this to be deemed one act of drinking. See Orach Chaim 204:7, with Ba’er Heitiv [12] and Shaarey Teshuvah [12], which also present dissenting opinions. However, one may avoid uncertainty either by drinking a full revi’is when the hot drink cools off or by consuming a kezayis [volume of an olive] of another food that requires the berakhah acharonah of “borei nefashos.”)

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Reb Gedaliah was particular not to leave unpeeled eggs and onions overnight, without leaving at least a small piece of peel on them, or adding salt, etc.

(Heard from Rabbi Yossel Sofer, in the name of his mother, Mrs. Mirel Sofer. See Nidah 17a, in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai; this stringency is cited in Shulchan Arukh HaRav, Kaf HaChayim, et al.)

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He would also bentch over a cup of wine whenever possible, even if he ate his meal alone.

(Heard from Rabbi Dovid Shapiro. See Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 182:2. Shaar HaRatzon cites this as the view of the Vilna Gaon. Mishnah Berurah [ad loc.] explains that this reflects the fact that Chazal usually required that such groups of berakhos be recited over a cup of wine, as a form of praising Hashem.)

Shabbos and Yom Tov Meals

Reb Noson’s daughter Chanah Tzirel said that her father once entered their little kitchen on Friday, while the women were preparing food for Shabbos. He told them: “You should know that the cooking you do in honor of the Shabbos is comparable to the work that the Kohanim performed to prepare the korbonos in the Beis ha-Mikdosh!”

(Heard from Rabbi Moshe Bienenstock, who heard this story from Reb Noson son of Reb Avraham Sternhartz. Chanah Tzirel was his great-grandmother.)

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The Rebbe declared: “Eating on Shabbos is entirely holy, entirely godly (kulo kodesh, kulo elokus). The forces of the ‘Other Side’ have no share in the Shabbos food at all.”

(Likutey Moharan I, 57 – unlike the food eaten during the weekdays; see Rabbi Yaakov Tzemach, Nagid U-Metzaveh, s.v. vi-nakhzor li-taam [p. 86])

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Reb Gedaliah would make “ha-motzi” on four challos at each of the Shabbos meals, stacked two on two. Thus he would use twelve challos in the course of Shabbos, corresponding to the twelve challohs symbolic of the lechem ha-panim in the Beis HaMikdash. This is a variation of the custom to recite "ha-motzi" over twelve challos at each seu’dah, which is mentioned in the Zohar and kisvei Arizal.

(See Zohar III, Raya Mehemna, 245a; also the Tcheriner Rov’s Yekara de-Shabbata, 31. The four challos represent the holy Name YHVH; the challah on the top right corresponds to the letter “yud,” the challah on the top left corresponds to the letter “vav,” while the two challos below corresponds to the two letters “heh.”)

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Reb Gedaliah would not remove the dekel (cloth cover) over the challos until after reciting “ha-motzi.” Then he would hold the top two challos in a vertical position (end-to-end) and back-to-back (zekher le-lechem ha-panim), and cut the loaf that had been in the upper right position—unlike those who use two challos at each meal and cut the bottom loaf on Friday night and the top loaf on Shabbos day.

(Cf. Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad, Ben Ish Chai: Halakhos II, Vayera 15, citing the Arizal)

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Then Reb Gedaliah would cut the rest of the slices on the challah board, dip a slice in salt three times, and eat some of it. Then he would immediately cut another slice, dip it in salt three times, and give it to his wife; followed by slices for guests and other family members. Thus, no one would inadvertently violate the rule of derekh eretz that a guest should not eat before the ba’al ha-bayis (as stated in Orach Chaim 274:4).

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Rabbi Dovid Shapiro once asked Reb Gedaliah if it is necessary to remove and discard the end of the challah, and he said, “Yes, but only a mashehu (small amount).”

(According to oral tradition, eating both ends of the challah is “kasha le-shik’cha.”)

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It was customary in Reb Gedaliah’s home that each child quietly recited his or her own berakhah over the slice of challah he or she received. 

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Reb Gedaliah was particular to wash mayim emtzayim after the fish course, as stated in Shulchan Arukh. This is the practice of the Tsfat Breslov community today.

(See Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 173:2)

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Reb Gedaliah also drank a small glass of shnapps before and after the fish. (The reason is that the nature of fish is to cool off the body, so one should drink something warming. The siman is that the word “fish” shares the same letters as the initials of “pa’amayim yayin saraf,” meaning “two shots of liquor.”)

(Heard from Rabbi Dovid Shapiro. Darkei Chayim ve-Shalom [Munkatch] 396 mentions that “pa’amayim yayin saraf” is roshei teivos “fish.” The Hebrew word for “fish” is “dagim.” Hence the initials of “dagim” (dalet) and “yayin saraf” (yud-shin) spell the holy Name “shin-dalet-yud.”)

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However, he did not drink liquor during the meal. (As a rule, Breslover Chassidim do not drink more than a “l’chayim” or two except on Purim, when it is a mitzvah to drink to the point of intoxication, or at least more than usual.)

(Heard from Rabbi Dovid Shapiro)

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He would not drink water immediately after eating fish.

(Heard from Rabbi Dovid Shapiro. This is based on the view of Tosefos, Moed Katan 11a, s.v. kavra, for health reasons.)

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During the Shabbos or Yom Tov meals, Reb Gedaliah would recite the blessing "Hatov vi-Hameitiv" when served different wine from a second bottle, if it were brought to the table after Kiddush. (However, if one wishes to recite the berakhah, the second wine should not be inferior to the first.)

(Heard from Rabbi Aharon Waxler. See RaMA on Orach Chaim 175:1-2; Rabbi Chaim Vital, Pri Eitz Chaim, Sha’ar Shabbos, 24 [105d]. Presumably Reb Gedaliah did not drink wine during the week, since it is associated with days of simchah; see Nagid U-Metzaveh, s.v. tzarikh lifrosh atzmo [p. 91].)

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Before reciting birkhas ha-mazon, Reb Gedaliah would remove the knives from the table, both during the week and on Shabbos and Yom Tov.

(See Rabbi Chaim Vital, Sha'ar Ru'ach ha-Kodesh, 10b, 12a. This stringency applies only to those whose neshamos are from shoresh kayin; however, Reb Gedaliah once remarked that today everyone has mixed shoroshim.)

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Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Bender stated that Breslover Chassidim of previous generations would leave a few remnants of challah on the table after the Friday night meal, covered with a cloth. This is a minhag of the Arizal.

(Si'ach Sarfei Kodesh, Vol. IV, 464. Cf. Rabbi Chaim Vital, Shaar Hakavanos, “inyan ha-shulchan” [72d], which also mentions that the cup used for Kiddush and/or for Birkhas Ha-Mazon should be left on the table with a few drops remaining in it, in order to leave behind blessing on the Shabbos table.)

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Reb Nachman Tulchiner, who was the mainstay of the Breslov community in Uman after Reb Noson's passing, disapproved of those who make Kiddush on whiskey or other liquor on Shabbos morning in the synagogue after davenning. “Either way, it’s a problem,” he observed. “Either the one who recites Kiddush is a shikor (drunk) or an am-ha’aretz (ignoramus). If he drinks an entire revi’is (a little over 4 oz.), he’s a shikor; if he drinks less, he’s an am-ha’aretz for not drinking a revi’is, as the Shulchan Arukh requires. Therefore, it would be better for everyone to go home instead and make Kiddush over wine.”

(Si'ach Sarfei Kodesh III, 308. However, those who do so rely upon the TAZ, Orach Chaim 210, who rules that even a small shiur of liquor is sufficient for Kiddush de-rabbanan because it is a davar choshuv. This story also reflects the fact that wine was not plentiful in Reb Nachman Tulchiner’s time and place.)

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Reb Gedaliah’s talmidim and chaveirim used to visit him on Motza’ei Shabbos (except on Shabbos Mevorchim, which was reserved for the family Melaveh Malkah). Everyone sang the zemiros together, and Reb Gedaliah distributed candies; however, the chaveirim did not eat the Melaveh Malkah meal with him. Reb Gedaliah said that his teacher, Reb Avraham Sternhartz, always told a ma'aseh about the Baal Shem Tov on Motza’ei Shabbos, but he used to learn the Rebbe’s Sippurei Ma’asiyos instead. He would read the entire ma’aseh in Yiddish without interruption, and only then offer some explanations.

(Heard from Rabbi Dovid Shapiro)

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We have collected a substantial amount of additional material related to Shabbos and Yom Tov, as well as numerous other topics, which we hope to annotate and post in the future, im yirtza Hashem.