The ‘Shomer Emunim’ relates in his sefer ‘Shulchan HaTahor’, regarding one of the students of the Baal Shem Tov who was accustomed to always go to the mikveh before eating. When he was asked to explain this custom, he replied, “The avodah of eating is harder than the avodah of Tefillah because you are converting the mundane to the spiritual, and this battle is more difficult than being involved in something that is just spiritual.”
And so it is written in the Zohar HaKadosh (Cheilek 1, 240 2a) ‘the time of eating is a time of conflict’, that is, it is a time of war.
In Mesechta Avos (4:13), Rebbe Shimon says, ‘There are three crowns – the crown of Torah, the crown of Kehuna [priesthood], and the crown of kingship’. We find all three in the Mishkan and the Bais HaMikdash, 'ועשו ארון עצי שטים... ועשית לו זר זהב' – ‘They shall make an Aron of shittim wood... and you shall make on it a golden crown’ (25:10-11). Rashi explains, ‘A golden crown – it is a symbol for the crown of Torah. This is the first crown – the crown of Torah. crown of Torah. 'ועשית שלחן עצי שטים... ועשית לו זר זהב' – ‘You shall make a Shulchan of shittim wood... and you shall make for it a golden crown all around’ (25:23-24). Rashi explains, ‘A golden crown – It is a symbol of a royal crown, for the Shulchan expresses wealth and greatness, as they say, “a table of kings”’. This is the second crown – the crown of kingship. Of course, the third crown, ‘the crown of Kehuna’ does not need a source as it is the main avodah in the Bais HaMikdash and in the Mishkan.
We learn from here that the crown and glory are dependent on avodah, and one who wishes to earn these crowns must toil to earn them. Aharon earned the crown of Kehuna as the Torah testifies several times, 'ויעש כן אהרן' – ‘Aharon did so’ (Bamidbar 8:3), and Rashi explains, ‘to tell the praise of Aharon that he did not deviate’.
One who wishes to earn the crown of Torah must toil in Torah to fulfill the words of Chazal (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 61) ‘Every day the words of Torah should be new in your eyes’.
The third crown is the crown of kingship, and Rashi says that the Shulchan hints to kingship, and one who wants to earn it must work hard at the avodah of the Shulchan [table] and this is how we began this piece, that the time of eating is the time of war’, and the food that we eat to sustain our bodies must be taken and eaten for the sake of Heaven, as the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch writes (31:2), ‘There are men of action who say before eating, “Behold I want to eat and drink, so that I will be healthy and strong for the avodah of the Creator Yisbarach Shemo’, and even though the yetzer makes it difficult and distracts the person with all sorts of traps so that his eating is not for the sake of Heaven, still, one who wants to will succeed, and will merit the crown of kingship!
-Tiv HaTorah - Terumah
