Gateway

Here is something that we never talk about.

Kosher meat is defined in a number of ways–it must be the right kind of animal, slaughtered in the right way, and soaked, salted and rinsed to remove the blood. In addition, the rump of the animal cannot be eaten unless it goes through a delicate process called nikur or “deveining” of certain veins.

The reason for this last point is in this week’s parshah.  Jacob, ancestor of the Jewish people, was wrestling with a spiritual force, an angel. The battle was to affect the outcome of the meeting between Jacob and his physical brother Esau, which was to take place the next day. Further, the struggle between Jacob and the angel related to the global struggle between good and evil through the generations, which will only really be resolved with the coming of the Messiah.

Jacob had such spiritual strength that the angel could not conquer him. So the angel touched his thigh, tearing a sinew out of place. The Torah writes that for this reason, Jews do not eat the sinew which is in the thigh.

Since this is difficult to remove, generally the rump is not eaten at all. Through nikur one can get some of the meat, but rump steak is out.
The special quality of Judaism is the way it connects something very spiritual with something very practical. What could be more spiritual than a great man encountering an angel, and the mystical struggle between good and evil? And what could be more practical than a kitchen in which a housewife cooks some cuts of meat and not others?

The parshah joins these two aspects of life together. That is the beauty of Judaism, joining the physical and the spiritual, the kitchen and the Messiah.

Our journey can be summed up in the same way. We too are attempting to join the physical with the spiritual. The life of Meshiach has given us the ability to bring this journey to a successful ending.

Conforming our mouths is one part of this journey. The foods that we eat and the words that we utter are two parts of the process.
Our fathers pursued the same journey.

King David understood when he teaches,

“You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.” (Ps 17:3 )

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O AVINU, my strength and my Redeemer.” (Ps 19:14 )

“« A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed. » I will bless AVINU at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Ps 34:1 )

“O Avinu, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.” (Ps 51:15 )

We need to take control over this vital “gateway” to our souls.