Negative Mitzvah 195: It is forbidden to eat or drink more than our needs demand
Leviticus 19:26 "You shall not eat anything with blood"

HaShem provides us with many things to enjoy.

Food is certainly one of the most important things that we enjoy.

From the moment we are born, eating becomes part of our daily lives.

Many of us don't just eat to build our bodies and keep our health!

We often nosh, eating foods just because they taste good.

HaShem wants us to enjoy our food, but not to eat or drink too much.

For example, on Shabbat and Holidays, we often have special cakes and dishes. This adds to the enjoyment of the holiday.

While we all know that food should taste good and we should enjoy what we eat, the Torah warns us that eating or drinking too much is not good for our bodies.

This Negative Mitzvah cautions us not to develop wrong eating habits, by drinking or eating in excess of our needs.

(In the Torah there is a description of what is called a "stubborn and rebellious son" - Ben Sorer U'Moreh.

This description (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) provides us with an account of what exactly is meant by eating and drinking too much.)

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Positive Mitzvah 37: Burials in which a Priest must be involved
Leviticus 21:3 "For her, he may become impure"

The Torah regards priests as very holy.

They should not become impure (see Negative Mitzvah 166).

Therefore, they must not come in contact with a dead body (see Positive Mitzvah 107).

Nevertheless, the Torah commanded them to attend the funeral of their closest relatives.

The Torah lists these relatives as follows:

Mother; Father; Son; Daughter; Brother; and unmarried Sister.

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Science presents no challenge to Torah. Scientists, perhaps, but not Science. True Science can only enhance Torah by demonstrating its truths in the empirical realm. Communication technologies have provided us a metaphor to comprehend how One Being can perceive all things in a single instance. It makes you wonder how previous generation could possibly have understood such things.

Modern physics has brought us to a realization of the oneness of our universe, from which we may better grasp the Oneness of its Creator:

All that exists can be divided into two elements: The force, and the particle that bears that force. In other terms: Quality and quantity. With a simple equation, Einstein demonstrated that even these two elements are truly one.

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If you believe the universe has a Creator, then you surely recognize that the creation must have a purpose. Now, take a look around you. This is definitely not the purpose. The purpose is in a time yet to come. This is just a way of getting there.

From: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth by Tzvi Freeman - tzvif@aol.com