12 May SHAVUOS and… A Colourful Kabbalistic Insight of Eating Meat and Dairy
Inspired by the teachings of Harav Yitzchak Ginsburgh and Rabbi Moshe Genuth
During the Omer and the counting of the 49 Days that lead up to Shavuos as the 50th Gate of Understanding (binah) we focus on the counting and daily meditations of the (lower) 7 emotive (heart) experiences of the sefirot.
There are 10 sefirot in total . The 3 (upper) sefirot are referred to as the Intellectual (mind) sefirot. plus the 7 lower or Emotive (heart) sefirot that reflect the 7 colors of the rainbow. Kabbalistically, each of the sefirot are associated with a color.
During the Omer we strive to achieve rectified midos (character traits) through the process of the counting throughout the 7 week period of the Omer. Each week’s prmary sefirot of the 7 emotive experience and the daily combinations or interinclusion of the 7 emotive emanations of the 7 days of the 7 weeks of the sefirot of the 49 Day s of the Omer holds a certain power of rectification of character for each of the 49 Days of the Omer.
Keter (Crown of Torah), is the loftiest of all and is beyond the the upper sefirot of Daat-Knowledge however keter does not form part of the lower 7 emotive experiences associated with the weeks and days of the Omer. Keter is associated with translucent white (purity).
Gevurah is one of the 7 emotive experience and is the emanation of Din-Judgment (might-strength). Gevurah is associated with the color red.
On Shavuos as we approach the 50th Gate of Binah-Understanding, with God-Willing, a rectified heart (of the 49 interinclusive experiences of the the heart) to be prepared to receive the Torah. There is a strong custom to refrain from eating meat on Shavous , the day of receivin the Torah, and instead we eat dairy. On this day the purity of the Crown of Torah (Keter) comes to rest upon us.
Of the many explanations of why we may eat dairy on Shavuos is that Torah is Likened to Milk (which corresponds Chochma; wisdom of the mind, and the side of chesed-loving kindness). From ‘The Song of Songs’; “ The sweetness [of Torah] drops from your lips; like honey and milk it lies under your tongue.” Since the Torah (chochma) is compared to milk, we eat a dairy meal on Shavuot, the day when the Torah was given.
A brief kabbalistic insight regarding the consuming of Meat and Dairy separately is as follows. Milk is dairy, it corresponds to Chochma which is white, lofty and pure, whereas the meat is associeated with Gevurah, correspond to the color red, judgment and might, and ‘fire’. Meat as we said is associated with Gevurah; might and fire. We must wait 6hrs after eating Meat before we may eat Dairy. It is explained that where meat may be eaten first, the opposing forces of the ‘heat of the fire’ of meat (gevurah) will rise in the body to intermingle (mix as opposing forces) with the dairy (chesed) if eaten too closely together in time.
Lawrence (Leib Getzel) Lax
Addictions and Counseling (Hnrs)
www.lawrencelax.com
lawrenceJlax@gmail.com