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, 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. The lower or emotive 7 sefirot reflect the colors of the rainbow.  Kabbalistically, each of the sefirot are associated with a color.

 

 

During the Omer, we strive to achieve  rectified midos (character) through the process of the counting throughout the 7 week period of the Omer. Each week’s sefirot (its  power, emanation, energy) and the daily combinations or interinclusion of the 7 emotive emanations of the sefirot of the 49 Day  (7 days x 7 weeks) 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  and 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 and instead we eat dairy. On this day the purity of the  Crown of Torah (Keter) comes to rest upon us.

 

If the many explanations of why we may eat dairy on Shavuos is 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 is compared to milk, we eat a dairy meal on Shavuot, 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 Keter which is white, lofty and pure, whereas the meat is as 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 Dairy before may eat Meat. 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)  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