Serving Hashem With Mundane Matters:
The Ruzhiner Rebbe adds that when a person eats, it is as if he brings all entities in the world – domem (inanimate objects), tzomech (plants), chai (animals), and medaber (human beings) - as a korban to Hashem. If one were to fast in our times, however, not only would he damage himself physically, he also could damage himself spiritually.
He explains by citing the pasuk in Tehillim (115:16) that says that “the Heavens are to Hashem and the earth is given to man.” Tzadikim explain that the earth was given to man to make it into Heaven – meaning that we can uplift the earth and make it as sanctified as the Heavens, and everything will then be Shomayim. And when one does this, he attains the level of “odom”, a complete man.
Accordingly, the pasuk can be understood as saying: “Odom ki yakriv michem” - an “odom” must be makriv (sacrifice) from himself. He must give his body and soul to Hashem. This could be done through fasting and sacrificing oneself by minimizing earthly pleasures, but it also can be done through Torah and tefillah, as one who engages in this holy work gives his precious time to Hashem and, thereby, offers his most valuable asset to Him.
The Ruzhiner Rebbe zy”a related that when he was young, he used to fast frequently. He asked Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk zy”a if he was doing the right thing and Rav Elimelech told him, “If you are able to eat an entire quart of kasha after the fast, it is permitted for you to fast!”
He then said, “If I had two others to join me in annulling the concept of fasting, I would get rid of it completely!”
Rav Elimelech also said that just like it is a mitzvah to protect a Yid from doing an aveirah, it is also a mitzvah to protect a person who is somewhat weak and to stop him from fasting. He said that one can accomplish the same things through properly eating and drinking as he could with fasting because this will give a person strength to serve Hashem through Torah and tefillah.
It is also known that the Baal Shem Tov zy”a said that “a small hole in the body is like a small hole in the neshama”, meaning that one must be very careful with his health in order to ensure that he can serve Hashem properly.
