Know! overeating brings on fever, God forbid. When a person eats more than he needs, it is the aspect of food fit for an animal. This is because to be in the category of man is to eat only what is necessary. Thus, when he eats in excess, it is the behavior of an animal, which eats and masticates all day long. This brings on fever, God forbid.
Likewise, when the food a person eats contains sparks that have yet to be transformed from food fit for an animal to food fit for a human, this too causes the aforementioned sickness {unless he is a very great person, who can bypass an entire level and elevate the food to the status of “speaker”}. This is because when he eats food fit for an animal, as explained above, he then goes from the category of man to the category of animal.
{“You have caused human beings to ride over our heads; we have gone through fire and water” (Psalms 66:12) .} This is the aspect of “You have caused human beings to ride over our heads”—i.e., the category of human being is above him; he is below the category of man, for he has descended to the category of animal, as explained above. Then, “we have gone through fire and water”—this is the aspect of fever, God forbid, which is fire and water, flushing and chills.
{When the Holy One said to the First Man “and you shall eat the grass of the field” (Genesis 3:18) , his limbs trembled. He said, “Will I eat from the same feed bag as the ass?” Once [Adam] heard “By the sweat of your brow you will get bread to eat” (ibid.:19) , his daat (mind) was calmed (Avot d’Rebbi Natan 1:7).} This is as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: “When the Holy One said to the First Man ‘and you shall eat the grass of the field,’ his limbs trembled. He said, ‘Will I eat from the same feed bag as the ass?’” “His limbs trembled” is the aspect of fever, which comes from eating “the grass of the field,” food fit for animals, as explained above.
And this is the explanation of what they said: “Once [Adam] heard ‘By the sweat of your brow you will get bread to eat,’ his daat was calmed.” The reason is that fever is the aspect of a blemish of daat, because daat is produced mainly from the combination of fire and water. This is: “Once he heard ‘By the sweat of your brow…,’” for sweating cures the aforementioned sickness. It was through this that his daat was calmed—the aspect of being cured of the aforementioned sickness, this being the perfection of daat, as explained above.
דַּע, שֶׁחֳלִי הַקַּדַּחַת, רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלָן, בָּא עַל־יְדֵי מַה שֶּׁאָדָם אוֹכֵל אֲכִילָה יְתֵרָה, כִּי כְּשֶׁאוֹכֵל יוֹתֵר מִמַּה שֶּׁצָּרִיךְ הוּא בְּחִינַת מַאֲכַל בְּהֵמָה, כִּי גֶּדֶר הָאָדָם לֶאֱכֹל רַק כְּפִי מַה שֶּׁצָּרִיךְ, וּכְשֶׁאוֹכֵל יוֹתֵר הוּא מַעֲשֵׂה בְּהֵמָה, שֶׁאוֹכֶלֶת וְלוֹעֶסֶת כָּל הַיּוֹם, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה בָּא קַדַּחַת, רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלָן.
Know! overeating brings on fever, God forbid. When a person eats more than he needs, it is the aspect of food fit for an animal. This is because to be in the category of man is to eat only what is necessary. Thus, when he eats in excess, it is the behavior of an animal, which eats and masticates all day long. This brings on fever, God forbid.
וְכֵן כְּשֶׁנִּזְדַּמֵּן לְהָאָדָם בְּתוֹךְ מַאֲכָלוֹ נִיצוֹצוֹת, שֶׁלֹּא נִתְבָּרְרוּ עֲדַיִן מִמַּאֲכַל בְּהֵמָה לְמַאֲכַל אָדָם, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה בָּא גַּם כֵּן חֹלִי הַנַּ"ל. (אִם לֹא מִי שֶׁהוּא אָדָם גָּדוֹל מְאֹד שֶׁיָּכוֹל לְדַלֵּג מַּדְרֵגָה שְׁלֵמָה, וּלְהַעֲלוֹת הַמַּאֲכָל לְמַעֲלַת מְדַבֵּר), כִּי כְּשֶׁאוֹכֵל מַאֲכַל בְּהֵמָה כַּנַּ"ל, נִמְצָא שֶׁיּוֹצֵא מִגֶּדֶר אָדָם לְגֶדֶר בְּהֵמָה.
Likewise, when the food a person eats contains sparks that have yet to be transformed from food fit for an animal to food fit for a human, this too causes the aforementioned sickness {unless he is a very great person, who can bypass an entire level and elevate the food to the status of “speaker”}. This is because when he eats food fit for an animal, as explained above, he then goes from the category of man to the category of animal.
וְזֶה בְּחִינַת (תהילים ס״ו:י״ב): הִרְכַּבְתָּ אֱנוֹשׁ לְרֹאשֵׁנוּ; הַיְנוּ שֶׁגֶּדֶר אֱנוֹשִׁי לְמַעְלָה מִמֶּנּוּ, כִּי הוּא לְמַטָּה מִגֶּדֶר אָדָם, כִּי יָרַד לְגֶדֶר בְּהֵמָה כַּנַּ"ל, אֲזַי: בָּאנוּ בָּאֵשׁ וּבַמַּיִם – זֶה בְּחִינַת חֳלִי הַקַּדַּחַת, רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלָן, שֶׁהוּא אֵשׁ וּמַיִם, חֲמִימוּת וּקְרִירוּת.
{“You have caused human beings to ride over our heads; we have gone through fire and water” (Psalms 66:12) .} This is the aspect of “You have caused human beings to ride over our heads”—i.e., the category of human being is above him; he is below the category of man, for he has descended to the category of animal, as explained above. Then, “we have gone through fire and water”—this is the aspect of fever, God forbid, which is fire and water, flushing and chills.
וְזֶה שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (באבות דר' נתן פ"א ובתנא דבי אלהו פל"א שם איתא לשון זה): בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא לָאָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן: וְאָכַלְתָּ אֶת עֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה, נִזְדַּעְזְעוּ אֵיבָרָיו. אָמַר: אֲנִי וַחֲמוֹר נֹאכַל בְּאֵבוּס אֶחָד. נִזְדַּעְזְעוּ אֵיבָרָיו, זֶה בְּחִינַת חֳלִי הַקַּדַּחַת, שֶׁבָּא עַל־יְדֵי אֲכִילַת עֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה, עַל־יְדֵי מַאֲכַל בְּהֵמָה כַּנַּ"ל.
{When the Holy One said to the First Man “and you shall eat the grass of the field” (Genesis 3:18) , his limbs trembled. He said, “Will I eat from the same feed bag as the ass?” Once [Adam] heard “By the sweat of your brow you will get bread to eat” (ibid.:19) , his daat (mind) was calmed (Avot d’Rebbi Natan 1:7).} This is as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: “When the Holy One said to the First Man ‘and you shall eat the grass of the field,’ his limbs trembled. He said, ‘Will I eat from the same feed bag as the ass?’” “His limbs trembled” is the aspect of fever, which comes from eating “the grass of the field,” food fit for animals, as explained above.
וְזֶה שֶׁאָמְרוּ: כֵּיוָן שֶׁשָּׁמַע בְּזֵעַת אַפֶּךָ תֹּאכַל לֶחֶם נִתְיַשְּׁבָה דַּעְתּוֹ, כִּי חֳלִי הַקַּדַּחַת זֶה בְּחִינַת פְּגַם הַדַּעַת, כִּי עִקַּר הַדַּעַת הוּא עַל יְדֵי חִבּוּר אֵשׁ וּמַיִם, וְזֶה: כֵּיוָן שֶׁשָּׁמַע בְּזֵעַת אַפֶּךָ וְכוּ', כִּי רְפוּאַת הַחֹלִי הַנַּ"ל הוּא עַל־יְדֵי זֵעָה, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִתְיַשְּׁבָה דַּעְתּוֹ – הוּא בְּחִינַת מַה שֶּׁנִּתְרַפֵּא מֵחֹלִי הַנַּ"ל, שֶׁהוּא שְׁלֵמוּת הַדַּעַת כַּנַּ"ל:
And this is the explanation of what they said: “Once [Adam] heard ‘By the sweat of your brow you will get bread to eat,’ his daat was calmed.” The reason is that fever is the aspect of a blemish of daat, because daat is produced mainly from the combination of fire and water. This is: “Once he heard ‘By the sweat of your brow…,’” for sweating cures the aforementioned sickness. It was through this that his daat was calmed—the aspect of being cured of the aforementioned sickness, this being the perfection of daat, as explained above.