Bread and Wine Symbolize the Service of Hashem in Youth and in Old Age
With immense pleasure, we will now interpret the passuk: “And Malkitzedek, King of Shaleim, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest of G-d, the Most High.” We will begin by introducing the explanation of the Techeiles Mordechai (38) as to why Malkitzedek brought out bread and wine. He refers to the Gemara (Shabbas 152a): "עד ארבעין שנין מיכלא מעלי, מכאן ואילך משתי מעלי"—until forty years old, solid foods are beneficial; from then on, liquids are beneficial.
Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg, zy”a, explains that the yetzer hara constantly seeks stratagems to impede and dissuade a person from serving Hashem. Hence, when a young person wishes to study Torah, his yetzer persuades him with the following argument (Koheles 11, 9): "שמח בחור בילדותך"—rejoice young man in your childhood—you are young and will have plenty of time to study Torah when you are older. Conversely, when a person is elderly, the yetzer convinces him with the false argument: You have studied enough Torah in your youth; it is now time to relax and not overexert yourself.
So that we will not be brainwashed by these misleading arguments, Chazal teach us eloquently how to withstand the persuasions of the yetzer hara: “Until forty years old, solid foods are beneficial; from then on, liquids are beneficial.” During your younger years, prior to the age of forty, a good way to overcome the yetzer hara is by learning a lesson from food. Bread is best eaten when it is fresh out of the oven; once it ages and cools down, it dries out, hardens, and is not very edible. The same is true of serving Hashem. It is best to do so when a person is still young and healthy; if he procrastinates until he is elderly, it will not be as fresh and easy; it will be like old, stale food.
“From then on, liquids are beneficial.” After the age of forty, a person begins to age and deteriorate. Then, a good way to overcome the yetzer is by learning a lesson from liquids. The longer wine ages, the better it gets. Similarly, if a person continues to serve Hashem even as he grows older, it is beneficial and advantageous. To summarize, he teaches us that we learn from bread the benefit and advantage of serving Hashem when we are young, and we learn from wine the benefit and advantage of serving Hashem when we are old. This is his sacred insight.
With this in mind, the Techeiles Mordechai explains why Malkitzedek brought out “bread and wine.” He was hinting that Avraham Avinu’s impressive victory on the battlefield was in the merit of having served Hashem from the time he was young until he grew old—like “bread and wine.” This accords with the teaching in the Gemara that some pious, accomplished Jews would remark (Succah 53a): "אשרי ילדותנו שלא ביישה את זקנתנו"—happy is our youth, which did not shame our old age.
