Our Gemara on Amud Aleph raises an interesting challenge to the verse in Mishlei (15:15): “All the days of the pauper are bad.” It asks: Isn’t it true that even the poor experience good times, such as Shabbos and Yom Tov, when they have access to food and rest? Shmuel responds that even a change to richer food may upset the stomach, so the poor suffer even when they eat better meals.

The Bnei Yissachar (Ma’amar 10:4) delves into why the Gemara raises this question at all, as it’s clear that not every poor person has access to food on Shabbos. In fact, Gemara in Shabbos (118a) speaks of people so impoverished that their Shabbos resembles an ordinary weekday. The Bnei Yissachar explains that the “pauper” in this verse could also refer to someone spiritually impoverished—a person who lacks sufficient Torah knowledge and wisdom.

How does this idea connect to eating? According to the Arizal (Shaar HaMitzvos, Eikev), there is a mystical process involved in consuming food. Originally, humanity was prohibited from eating meat, as animal souls had yet to enter their cycle of reincarnation in lower forms. However, after the flood, souls that had not fully completed their earthly missions could reincarnate in animals. When a Torah sage eats with proper kavannah (intention) to serve Hashem, they can spiritually “redeem” and elevate this matter, transforming the physical into something sacred.

In light of this, only a person rich in Torah knowledge and connected to Hashem can elevate meat in this way. As the Gemara in Pesachim (49b) notes, “An am ha’aretz (ignorant person) is forbidden to eat meat.” On Shabbos and Yom Tov, however, everyone is obligated to enjoy festive meals, even an am ha’aretz. Presumably, Shabbos’s inherent sanctity allows even a simple person to eat meat as part of a mitzvah and to elevate the physical matter of food on these special days.

The Bnei Yissachar does not fully address the Gemara’s answer about a change in diet potentially causing discomfort. Yet, I believe the answer speaks to a spiritual parallel: just as a shift in diet can physically disrupt one’s system, sudden shifts in religious practice or spiritual engagement can be unsettling for someone unprepared. A person unaccustomed to regular Torah study or observance may struggle to navigate and fulfill all the mitzvos of Shabbos and Yom Tov properly. Despite their best intentions, they may misunderstand or misapply certain customs, leading to a spiritual imbalance.

This is consistent with the teaching in Avos (2:3): “A brute cannot be sin-fearing, nor can an ignorant person be pious.” One who is unrefined or unlearned may lack the sensitivity and understanding to perform mitzvos in a way that achieves true spiritual elevation. For the spiritually impoverished, this gap can turn even days of mitzvah and joy into occasions of struggle. Thus, even on holy days, they may feel the challenge of balancing the spiritual ideal with the limitations of their own spiritual state.

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

Do you like what you see? Please subscribe and also forward any articles you enjoy to your friends, (enemies too, why not?)