“RABBI’S MUSINGS (&
AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh parshas Beshalach/Shabbas
Shirah
12 Shevat 5782/January 14, 2022
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לרפואה שלימה נטע יצחק בן רחל
NATURE-SWEET
Our
family enjoys eating cherry tomatoes, particularly “Nature-Sweet cherub
heavenly salad tomatoes”. Ironically, I have other close family members that I
grew up with who harbor a severe dislike for tomatoes and won’t eat salad that
has any tomatoes in it. But the Staums who live on Landau Lane, go through a
few packages of the little red guys each week.
One week,
my wife showed me that on the inside of the cover label of the Nature-Sweet
tomatoes, there is a picture of one of their employees with the employee’s job
description underneath. In fact, each container of Nature-Sweet tomatoes had
its own picture of a featured employee with their job at Nature-Sweet featured
below the picture. It also says that you can find out more about your featured
tomato employee on the Nature-Sweet website. I decided that it was a great
conversation piece and began collecting the Nature-Sweet labels and placing
them on a shelf next to our Dining Room table.
When I posted
on my status that I was collecting the labels, I received quizzical replies from
people who were very confused about what I was talking about. But I am grateful
to one friend who actually sent me three labels.
On the
website it says there are 36 featured employees. So far, our family has
collected 11 of the employee labels. Although we’ve gone through far more packages,
recently we keep getting doubles. Each week when my wife returns home from
shopping, we excitedly open the new tomato packages to see which ‘tomato
employee’ we got. I haven’t had so much excitement collecting anything since I
collected sports cards in high school, and no, I don’t need a new day job. (By
the way, speaking of old sports card collections, I have Shaq’s Fleer Ultra
rookie card. I should add that unlike my father’s generation who had Mickey
Mantle’s rookie card until their mothers threw out all their cards, I actually
still have the card. Just saying.)
Beyond
my new hobby of collecting tomato employee labels, it was fascinating to realize
how many different employees are involved in the production of those little
tomatoes. There are workers in pre-harvest, manufacturing, packing, packaging,
maintenance, sales, as well as tractor drivers, grafting associates, backhoe
operators, and irrigation leaders.
It’s
reminiscent of a story with Rav Yisroel Salanter. He once traveled to a posh
hotel in Paris in an effort to inspire and influence secular Jews. As he was
preparing to deliver a speech in the restaurant of the hotel, the waiter came
by to take his order. Rav Yisroel replied that he only wanted a glass of water.
After he
finished his address and was preparing to leave, the waiter handed Rav Yisroel
a bill for an exorbitant fee. Rav Yisroel asked the waiter if perhaps there was
a mistake, as he had only ordered a glass of water. The waiter replied that it
was not a mistake at all. He explained that while enjoying the water, Rav
Yisroel was also benefitting from the elegant ambiance of the restaurant, the
exquisite furniture, the stunning draperies, and the quartet that was playing
pleasant music in the background. In addition, the restaurant afforded a
magnificent view and the service of a dignified waiter wearing a tuxedo and a
towel draped over his arm. The waiter explained that, from that vantage point,
Rav Yisroel had actually gotten quite a bargain.
After
Rav Yisroel paid the bill, he wrote a letter to his students recounting his
experience at the restaurant. He explained that it had given him a new
understanding of a beracha we recite constantly, and often nonchalantly.
Generally,
we recite berachos whose text relates to the specific food we are eating - “Blessed
are You Hashem…Who creates fruits of the tree”, “Who creates the fruits of the
ground”, “Who creates different types of grains”. The beracha of shehakol -
“That everything was created with His Word” - is an exception. Why do we recite
such a beautiful and encompassing beracha, noting that all of creation is the
result of G-d’s word, on a mere glass of water?
Rav
Yisroel noted that he learned from that waiter that we are not merely
thanking G-d for the water. Aside for the miraculous natural process that
created the water, we are grateful for having access to the fresh water, as
well as the incredible process wherein the water refreshes and rejuvenates us.
Beyond
that, we are expressing appreciation for the magnificent surroundings in
which G-d serves the water to us - the fresh air we breathe as we drink that
water and the sun that gives us light and the tree that shades us. That
one glass of water symbolizes the elaborate miraculous process involving many
different facets of our magnificent world.
The
Kotzker Rebbe once quipped that he does not understand why people don't become
more G-d fearing when reciting the words of bentching, after eating a bread
meal.
It was
through bentching that Avrohom Avinu was able to draw so many people close to
Hashem. When they would thank Avrohom for the delicious food he served them,
Avrohom would reply “was it from me that you ate?” He would then redirect their
gratitude towards Hashem, after which guest and host would sing praises to G-d
for the food they had eaten and for all His goodness (Sotah 10b).
When
the Kotzker’s quip was repeated to the Chiddushei Harim, he replied that he
could not comprehend how people do not become more G-d fearing from food
itself. In the opening words of bentching we thank Hashem “Who sustains the
whole world with favor/charm, kindness, and with compassion.” We have an
incredible variety of foods. Foods can taste spicy, sweet, tangy, sharp, or
sour. Its texture can be crunchy, mushy, hard or soft, and each has a different
color and shape. Just look at any salad and you will see beauty and charm, if
you spend a moment contemplating it. One can become a believer by appreciating
the wonder of the food he eats. But one must dedicate time and attention to
think about such profound things.
It
should be added the studies show that eating mindfully promotes better
digestion and helps a person feel satisfied eating less. Unfortunately,
scrolling or checking messages while eating isn’t considered eating mindfully.
Whether
anyone decides to start collecting Nature-Sweet tomatoes labels or not, we
should appreciate just how much is necessary for us to enjoy those tomatoes,
and all other vegetables in our salad, as well as fruits we enjoy. Think about
how much was involved in its production, cultivation and transportation just to
end up on your plate for you to enjoy! It’s particularly appropriate to focus
on this profound idea as we mark and celebrate Tu b’Shvat.
And if
anyone does decide to collect the Nature-Sweet labels, we have triples of
Genaro Barcelo from the packing department, and would be happy to trade.
Shabbat
Shalom & Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum