Torah as the Bread, Water, Wine, and Milk of the Soul

The transgressors of Israel, what is their end? Rather, because at the moment when they commit transgressions they desire the destruction of the world, and it is as though they push away the feet of the Divine Presence, as it were, in the manner of what is said, "The whole earth is full of His glory" (Isaiah 6:3) -- therefore, just as they desire the destruction of the world, so the Holy One, blessed be He, exiles them from their houses and from the land of their dwelling, and does not return them to their land, and sends them out to the place of ruin, as it is said, "And I will purge out from among you the rebels and those who transgress against Me" (Ezekiel 20:38). And what difference is there between the one who reads and studies and the one who does not read and study? They told a parable. To what may this be compared? To a king of flesh and blood who had many sons and loved them with a complete love, and he sent them to Scripture and to Mishnah and to the learning of proper conduct, and he looked forward to them and said: When will they come to my house that I may see them? And when he sees that his sons do not come, he himself comes and goes to them and stands over them and finds them reading and studying and occupying themselves with proper conduct; immediately he seats them between his knees and kisses them and embraces them and hugs them, and brings them to his city, some of them he takes on his shoulders, and some on his arms, and some before him, and some behind him. And thus did the Holy One, blessed be He, do, as it is said, "As a shepherd tends his flock, he gathers the lambs with his arm and carries them in his bosom, and gently leads those that are with young" (Isaiah 40:11). And if you say: since He lowered Himself like a shepherd, perhaps He is small -- behold, see what is written after it; immediately: "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out the heavens with a span and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has directed the spirit of the LORD, or being His counselor has taught Him?" (Isaiah 40:12-13). Behold, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not do thus except because His mercies are abundant in the world. And how do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, would find them reading and studying and occupying themselves with proper conduct? As it is said, "They shall walk after the LORD; He shall roar like a lion; when He roars, then the children shall come trembling from the sea" (Hosea 11:10) -- and "sea" means nothing but the words of the Torah, as it is said, "All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full" (Ecclesiastes 1:7); and it says, "They shall come trembling like a bird out of Egypt and like a dove out of the land of Assyria, and I will settle them in their houses, says the LORD" (Hosea 11:11). And let a person not say to himself: Have I not already read and studied until this day, well and good, I no longer need to learn afterward? Let him not say so. Rather, let a person say to himself thus: after an hour comes death; and let him lift up his eyes and look at the heavens and say: Who created these, the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon, the stars and the constellations, which rise early and stay late to do the will of their Creator every single day continually -- so shall you rise early and stay late for the words of the Torah, to do the will of your Creator every single day continually, as it is said, "And let us know, let us pursue to know the LORD; His going forth is established like the dawn" (Hosea 6:3). And let a person look at himself and know that the words of the Torah are likened to water and to bread. And what has Torah to do with bread and water? Rather, to teach you that just as it is impossible for a person to be without bread and water even one day, so it is impossible for a person to be without Torah even one hour, as it is said, "This book of the Torah shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success" (Joshua 1:8). And are these not matters of a fortiori reasoning? If of Joshua son of Nun, who occupied himself with Torah from his youth to his old age, it is nevertheless written, "This book of the Torah shall not depart," then other people, how much more so. And let a person look at himself and know that the words of the Torah are likened to wine and to milk, as it is said, "His eyes shall be red with wine and his teeth white with milk" (Genesis 49:12). The verse says that wine is better than milk; the teeth, that is the child -- what is milk? It raises the child; and wine gives ease of spirit to the elders and gladdens his heart and restores his soul and brightens his eyes. So too the words of the Torah raise those who learn them and give ease of spirit to whoever labors in them and gladden his heart and restore his soul and brighten his eyes, as it is said, "The Torah of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes" (Psalms 19:8-9).