| Shabbat | Sh'vat 10* | 5703 | | Torah lessons: | Chumash: Bo, Shevi'i with Rashi. | | Tehillim: 55-59. | | Tanya: Ch. 19. To elucidate (p. 77)...in the heart. (p. 83). | |
(At this point in the Hebrew text appears an emendation of a passage in Torah Or, relevant only in Hebrew. Translator).
When my grandmother, Rebbetzin Rivka, was eighteen (in 5611, 1851) she fell ill and the physician ordered her to eat immediately upon awakening. She, however, did not wish to eat before davening; so she davened very early, then ate breakfast. When her father-in-law, the Tzemach Tzedek, learned of this he said to her: "A Jew must be healthy and strong. The Torah says about mitzvot, 'Live in them,' meaning bring vitality into the mitzvot. To be able to infuse mitzvot with vitality, one must be strong and joyful." Then he concluded: "You should not be without food. Better to eat for the sake of davening rather than to daven for the sake of eating;" he then blessed her with long life. [She was born in 5593 (1833) and passed away on Sh'vat 10, 5674 (1914)].
My father told this teaching of the Tzemach Tzedek to someone at yechidus, adding: "And this must be done with joy."
