1. The Torah’s Instruction on Eating Meat
In this week’s Parshas Re’ei, the Torah writes in Pesach Chof, Perik Yud Beis: ki yarchiv Hashem elokecha es gevulcha ka’asher diber loch—when Hashem will widen your borders, as He has spoken to you. This refers to when the Jewish people enter Eretz Yisrael. The Pesach continues: va’amarta ochla basar—and you will say, “I want to eat meat.” The Torah explains the motivation: ki sa’ave nafshecha le’echol basar—because your soul desires to eat meat. Therefore, the Pesach concludes: lechol avas nafshecha tochal basar—you may eat meat according to all the desire of your soul.
This passage raises a basic question: what is the Torah teaching here about eating meat? Rashi comments that this teaches a person should not desire to eat meat unless he has abundance—ki yarchiv Hashem elokecha es gevulcha, when Hashem expands your borders and grants you plenty, then you may eat meat. The implication is that eating meat is not for times of scarcity or need, but rather for times of blessing and expansion.
2. The Gemara’s Debate: Permitted Meat in the Desert
The Gemara discusses two opinions regarding what kind of meat was permitted to Bnei Yisrael in the desert. Rashi blends both views in his commentary. According to Rabbi Yishmael, while the Jews were in the midbar, they were not allowed to eat ordinary meat. The only permissible meat was from kodshim—>sacrificial offerings. If someone brought a korban, they could partake of its meat, but simply slaughtering an animal for personal consumption was prohibited until they entered Eretz Yisrael.
This changed upon entering Eretz Yisrael: at that point, it became permissible to slaughter animals for regular consumption—shechitas chullin. This new allowance was tied specifically to being in Eretz Yisrael and having a Beis Hamikdash where sacrifices were brought.
3. Rabbi Akiva’s Opposing View on Meat Consumption
Rabbi Akiva presents an almost opposite perspective. He holds that while Bnei Yisrael were in the desert, they could only eat non-shechted meat—basar nechira. This means they could consume animals killed without kosher slaughter (shechita). However, once they entered Eretz Yisrael, eating nechira-type meat became forbidden, and only properly shechted meat was allowed.
This view highlights a shift: before entering Eretz Yisrael, there was no requirement for kosher slaughter because their relationship with physicality and food was different. After entering the land and establishing themselves as a nation with a Beis Hamikdash, higher standards applied—they could only eat properly shechted meat.
4. Spiritual Readiness and Manna in the Desert
The Rebbe discusses in his sichos how during their time in the desert, Bnei Yisrael were not yet ready to fully engage with physicality—specifically with eating regular meat. Their main sustenance was man—manna from heaven—a spiritual food that did not require elevation through physical acts like shechita.
The Torah even addresses practicalities such as covering up after relieving oneself (tzniyus)—if manna left no waste, why would this be necessary? The answer is that some people who were dissatisfied with manna would buy food from merchants among other nations; this food did produce waste and required normal bodily functions.
This shows that while there was some interaction with ordinary food sources, it was not central. The Jewish people were primarily sustained by spiritual means and had not yet descended into full engagement with materiality.
5. Entering Eretz Yisrael: Engaging Physicality for Elevation
The transition into Eretz Yisrael marked a turning point. Now Bnei Yisrael had to engage directly with physicality—including eating regular meat through proper shechita. This descent into material involvement was not for its own sake but served a higher purpose: elevating the mundane through mitzvos like shechita and consuming kosher food.
The Rebbe emphasizes that this process represents going down into “the nitty gritty” of life so that one can elevate it from within. Only after entering Eretz Yisrael did these laws apply fully because now there was an opportunity and obligation to sanctify even ordinary acts like eating through adherence to halacha.
6. Summary and Further Study
This discussion is based on a critical sicha, Chelek Daled (volume four), which explores these themes in greater depth. While we have touched on some key points here—the shift from spiritual sustenance in the desert to physical engagement in Eretz Yisrael and its halachic implications—a more thorough study of the original sources is encouraged for deeper understanding.