Tuesday –
Histapkut – Restraint and Simplicity
Rabbi Ira Stone
writes:
Defined as
temperance, histapkut is often seen as embracing simplicity, being content with
less. Not focusing on trying to fulfill never-ending needs and desires frees us
to be fully present to the moment and available to the others in our lives. Histapkut
is first of all distribution with regard to what goes into our mouth. If the
act of eating is considered in the context not only of self, but also of other,
then when we eat we are by definition distributing food to another. With every
meal we are challenged to consider before our own need or desire for food and
the need and desire for food of another.
Secondly,
histapkut means to provide for oneself. The reality and importance of our own
needs for survival and satisfaction beyond survival can never be erased by
theoretical constructions. We are not only commanded to live, but to enjoy life
and to enjoy in gratitude the abundance of resources provided by the world of
God’s creation. To sacrifice ourselves for the other is not permitted. The road
to kedusha requires that we put the needs of the other before our own, but it
neither requires nor permits us to ignore our own legitimate needs.
Histapkut prompts
us to ask, before consuming, “Is this food necessary for me?” “Would this food
better serve another?” “Should I be first distributing food, at this very
moment, to another before feeding myself?” “How can I legitimately balance my
needs and the needs of others?” The act is dependent on the questions. This
value helps us to cultivate the uncertainty that destabilizes our
self-absorption.
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