Kabbalah and Modern Life - The Jewish Home

Part 6
Food, Drink, Air

In Mochin there are two general divisions

Mazon is "life force" called mochin. In mochin there are two general divisions: mochin d'Abba and mochin d'Imma. Mazon, particularly solid food, is mochin d'Imma and is represented by bread. The other element of food, drink, is mochin d'Abba, and is represented by water, mayim. The Torah says (Deuteronomy 8:10): "And you shall eat and be satiated and bless G-d." Our Sages say that eating refers to food, particularly bread, or the manna in the desert. "Satiation" refers to drinking. After eating, to follow the order of the verse, one should drink and experience sova, "satiation."

In the desert, the water was in the merit of Miriam, the Well of Miriam. The origin of water is chochmah, Abba. The origin of food is binah, Imma. The mother prepares the food. The person who goes out to bring the water from the well is Father. In Kabbalah, the relation between water and bread is the relation between chochmah and binah.

Every breath should be a conscious praise of G-d

Even higher, and vital for human life is air. (We are generally not conscious of our breathing. There is a deep level of consciousness of breathing called Kol haneshama t'hallel Yah, Hallelu-Yah (Psalms 150:6). Every breath should be a conscious praise of G-d. Generally, this occurs in the holy Divine soul of Israel, unconscious to one's natural soul. Sometimes it is a Divine service of G-d to become conscious of this. That consciousness inspires even new mochin. That is why it says t'hallel Yah. T'hallel means "light," as in yahel or. It brings new light into yud hei, which are the mochin of Abba and Imma.) The basic experience of the home is breathing air. The home is an atmosphere. The air of the land of Israel, which is our Homeland, is unique in that it makes one wise. It's source is above wisdom. (It comes from Mocha Stima'ah, Koach Hamaskil, which is above wisdom. This comes from kotzo shel yud, which is above the yud of G-d's Name.) It is pure air of the land of Israel, the pure air of one's home, which is a mikdash me'at.

This air is a very high spiritual level. It is the origin of consciousness