Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

85
Va’eira
A Divine Wedding
Rav Jake Vidomlanski
T he Gemara in Eruvin (54a) records a bit of sagely advice that Shmuel offered
to Rav Yehuda: “Chatof ve’ekhol, chatof ve’ishti d’alma d’azlinan minei kehilula dami.”
Quickly grab and eat, quickly grab and drink for the world we are departing is like a
wedding. The statement is curious and odd. What does it mean that “the world is like
a wedding”? Rashi explains that Shmuel was advising Rav Yehuda to enjoy this world.
Life goes by quickly like a wedding which can hastily pass you by. At weddings, before
you know it the smorgasbord is taken away, your plate is cleared, the dancing is over,
and you find yourself hard pressed to account for the past four to five hours of your
life. All you think about is, “How did I miss the carved meat station?” Some of us put
off sampling life’s bounties, we save for the rainy day but as a result we fail to enjoy
today’s sunshine… before we know it, it is too late. This is the lesson the Gemara
was imparting to us – that which the Torah permits us to enjoy ought to be received
willingly and gladly.
There is another explanation I once saw from Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm (based upon
a hasidic interpretation) that helps elucidate this obscure passage as well as shed much
light on our travels through life. He wrote: