September 24, 2025 • 2 mins
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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I explore why food plays such a central role in Jewish life and religious experience. While many people notice that Jews have a strong affinity for food, there's actually a profound spiritual significance behind this focus. Judaism is unique among religions in that we don't view the physical world as something to overcome or avoid, but rather as something to elevate and make spiritual. Food represents one of the most basic, animalistic human activities - something we do multiple times every day. This makes it the perfect vehicle for spiritual elevation through blessings, mindful eating, and using the nourishment we receive to better ourselves and the world. I share a story about two people approaching the same apple tree with completely different intentions: one person sees the apple and makes a blessing to eat it, while a rabbi sees the apple and wants to make a blessing, so he eats it. Though they perform identical actions, their spiritual focus creates worlds of difference. When we make blessings before and after eating, and use the energy food provides to do good in the world, we transform the physical act of eating into something holy and spiritual. This approach reflects Judaism's core philosophy that we're here not to avoid the physical world, but to elevate it and make it divine.
Keep the questions coming! If you have a burning question about Judaism,
Please email us at Dearrabbi@Joidenver.com📧
Tune in to Dear Rabbi and uncover the wisdom behind Jewish customs and laws. 🎙️🌟
Follow us for more:
Website - https://www.joidenver.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver
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Subscribe to "JOI to the World" to access all our podcasts, including Yada Yada Yiddish, Kids Say the Deepest Things, Reconnect, and Dear Rabbi.
Join us as we uncover the treasures in our backyard and explore what makes the Jewish people extraordinary! 🕎📚🎙️
In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I explore why food plays such a central role in Jewish life and religious experience. While many people notice that Jews have a strong affinity for food, there's actually a profound spiritual significance behind this focus. Judaism is unique among religions in that we don't view the physical world as something to overcome or avoid, but rather as something to elevate and make spiritual. Food represents one of the most basic, animalistic human activities - something we do multiple times every day. This makes it the perfect vehicle for spiritual elevation through blessings, mindful eating, and using the nourishment we receive to better ourselves and the world. I share a story about two people approaching the same apple tree with completely different intentions: one person sees the apple and makes a blessing to eat it, while a rabbi sees the apple and wants to make a blessing, so he eats it. Though they perform identical actions, their spiritual focus creates worlds of difference. When we make blessings before and after eating, and use the energy food provides to do good in the world, we transform the physical act of eating into something holy and spiritual. This approach reflects Judaism's core philosophy that we're here not to avoid the physical world, but to elevate it and make it divine.
Keep the questions coming! If you have a burning question about Judaism,
Please email us at Dearrabbi@Joidenver.com📧
Tune in to Dear Rabbi and uncover the wisdom behind Jewish customs and laws. 🎙️🌟
Follow us for more:
Website - https://www.joidenver.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver
Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy
Subscribe to "JOI to the World" to access all our podcasts, including Yada Yada Yiddish, Kids Say the Deepest Things, Reconnect, and Dear Rabbi.
Join us as we uncover the treasures in our backyard and explore what makes the Jewish people extraordinary! 🕎📚🎙️
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