Crumbs
(Picture courtesy of carmansbakeries.co.uk)Kav HaYashar #70 provides insight into the great importance of ensuring that crumbs from the challah at the Shabbos table are properly disposed of. Kav HaYashar notes that lack of attention to this detail can result in a person falling into poverty.
This teaching seems to fit in perfectly with the Degel Machaneh Ephraim's equation that bread equals parnossa. When reading Rebbe Nachman of Breslov's story "The Clay Digger" to my kids it also struck me that there was yet another connection, and I wondered whether Rebbe Nachman of Breslov had Kav Yashar #70 in mind when he wrote this story. In Rebbe Nachman's story, the clay digger lost his wealth when the ship's cabin-boy shook the crumbs from the table cloth out the window and into the sea without noticing the clay digger's precious diamond; his seemingly haphazard manner of disposing the crumbs resulted in the clay digger's loss of fortune.
Maybe I am now trying together things that are not even tied together, however, I wonder if throwing bread crumbs into water during Tashlich and burning bread crumbs before Pesach can also be connected somehow to the Degel's bread equals parnossa equation. Do you think there is a certain unifying element that ties all of these things together and connect them to the concept of parnossa?
6 Comments:
By the way, the Gemarah in Chullin states that not cleaning up bread crumbs (after eating) brings about poverty.
Excuse my ignorance, but what IS the proper way to dispose of bread crumbs?
What about the minhag to eat the crumbs that fall off after hamotzie? That ties in nicely. with the parnassa aspect.
Hashlech al Hashem yihavecha- throw your burden of parnassa on Hashem- v'hu yichalkilecha- and He will sustain you.
Perhaps davka on Rosh Hashana we throw our bread on the water, and do something that we normally are careful NOT to. On the day when we toss away our sins, we also throw our parnassa, our bread, on the water (mayim siman bracha, v'remez l'Torah).
This will go in Peirush Chanie when I am done writing it- it is not from any other source, just mixed together in my head.
If Tashlich is said on Rosh Hashanah (as opposed to later during Aseres Yemei Teshuvah), and there are birds or fish in the pond or stream who might eat the crumbs, throwing the crumbs into the water may be prohibted.
See, for example:
http://www.ou.org/index.php/jewish_action/article/28204/
Check with your posek.
If you can't see all of my last "OU" link, it ends like this:
... /article/28204
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