from the Rebbe on this week's parashah, Parashat Re'eh. One of the things it says in the parashah is, Hashem said to the Yidden, when you will enter Eretz Yisrael and you want to eat meat, you're able to eat meat. כי ירחק ממך המקום אשר יבחר ה' אלקיך לשום שמו שם, what happens if it will be far from the place where you have to bring the korbanot, so you could eat meat without bringing a korban. And then the pasuk continues, רק חזק לבלתי אכל הדם, but be strong and don't eat blood. Now there differences of opinion peshat in this parashah, but according to Rabbi Yishmael, the way the Gemara brings in Chullin, what it means is like this, that when the Yidden were in the Midbar, they were not allowed to eat meat. If a person wanted to eat meat, it only could be meat of a korban. So they would go to the Mishkan, the Mishkan was not far, they always had the Mishkan close to them, and they would bring a korban and the meat of the korban would be able to be eaten. But they couldn't eat meat without a korban, that's called בשר תאוה, that was asur. And the pasuk tells us that when you go that into Eretz Yisrael, then you're allowed to eat בשר תאוה, then you don't have to you don't have to bring a korban, if you want to eat meat, you could eat meat. And then the pasuk says, but you're not allowed to eat blood. And the

question is, what is the connection between the two things? The issur of eating blood is an issur for itself, you're not allowed to eat blood. Why is it connected to this inyan, now that you are allowed to eat meat, remember don't eat blood. The issur of blood is an issur for itself. What is the connection? And the Rebbe says that this whole thing that they were not allowed to eat בשר תאוה in the Midbar and in Eretz Yisrael they were allowed, is not only a difference in the dinim of eating meat, but that is part of the general derech in avodah the way it was in the Midbar versus the way it was in Eretz Yisrael. In the מדבר we know the Yidden were not involved in gashmiyus. They didn't have to work in the field, they didn't have to do anything, everything they had prepared, the מן and they had this the whatever they the even the clothes grew with them and they had ענני הכבוד, they didn't What did they do? They were completely involved in רוחניותדיקע ענינים, spiritual ענינים. But when they entered Eretz Yisrael, then they had to get involved in gashmiyusdike things. And that's the reason why there was a difference in meat. In the מדבר, since they were not allowed to be involved in gashmiyus they were not involved in gashmiyus, so the only way they could have the gashmiyus is if it's part of a mitzvah. So the meat that they were able to eat was only if it's part of a mitzvah. But in

Eretz Yisrael, now the Yidden already are on a different level in a way that they're getting involved, lowering themselves to gashmiyus, so now you're allowed to eat meat. But what the Torah is trying to tell us here is that even though you're allowed to eat meat, we call it בשר תאוה, nevertheless, you have to remember that it doesn't have to be part of a mitzvah, but it has to be l'shem Shamayim. You have to eat l'shem Shamayim for the sake of Hashem, not just לשם תאוה, just for the sake because a person likes meat. And that's what the pasuk says here, when you will come to Eretz Yisrael and you'll want to eat meat, yes you're allowed to eat meat, רק חזק לבלתי אכל הדם, but forget don't eat the blood. Blood represents excitement. The blood we call it רתיחת הדמים, the cooking of the blood. Don't eat the meat with the excitement of the meat. You're allowed to eat meat, and it doesn't have to be a mitzvah, it doesn't have to be a korban, but nevertheless remember that it shouldn't be just because you're excited in the eating of the meat. Has to be because this will bring you health and mimela you'll be able to serve Hashem better, be able to learn Torah better. But so it has to be l'shem Shamayim, so that's the connection between the two things.

It's similar to what I once heard that in the Holocaust that was one of the people asked one of the רבנים there about if he's allowed to eat the food that they gave which is definitely treifah, I mean whatever food they gave, so he said to him there were bones in the soup or something like that, am I allowed to eat it? So the rav said sure you're allowed to eat, it's pikuach nefesh, it's life depends on it, sure you're allowed to eat it. But he said remember one thing, but don't suck out the bones. Don't eat it with a geshmak, knowing that it's not kasher, don't eat with a geshmak. The same thing what the Torah says here, you're allowed to eat meat, בשר תאוה, but check the geshmak should not be in the meat, the geshmak should be that this will bring you to be able to serve Hashem better.