Likutei Etzot (Compilations of Advice), Eating 1-13

Eating

1. Through eating properly, as is fitting, which is to eat in moderation and not eating in a forceful manner, the intellect is repaired and foolishness is suppressed. However, when one eats like a glutton and drunkard, through this foolishness overpowers the intellect and through that the light of the tzadik becomes darkened and one is not able to receive from him fear and love [of HaShem]. (From Likutei Moharan I, 17)

2. Through [giving] charity to the true tzadikim and to fitting poor people (that is, poor people worthy of receiving charity), through this converts are made and damage in eating is repaired. Through that, the intellect is made whole and one merits to see the light of the tzadik, meriting to receive from him fear and love. (There^)

3. One who has a completeness of holy tongue and has shmirat habrit is able to arouse the sparks of the [Hebrew] letters that are in everything[, from which everything was created by HaShem's utterance], and then his eating and drinking and all his enjoyments are only from the sparks of the letters and his heart shines from this. Through this, his face shines and he merits to purify his face so much so that he is able to arouse others to repentance via them looking at his face only. For everyone will see their own face in his like a mirror and they'll see how sunken in darkness they are, until without rebuke and without reprimand he'll arouse is friend to repentance only from him looking at his face alone. (From Likutei Moharan I, 19)

4. When a person feels some hunger, that the lust for eating overpowers him, he should know that he has enemies. Therefore, he should rob and break his animalistic [instinct] that craves eating, for the essence of hunger is for the animalistic, and through that he is saved from his enemies. (From Likutei Moharan I, 39)

5. Through the lust for eating comes dispute, that people will insult and degrade him. And when one breaks the lust for eating he merits peace, and then there is also peace in his [HaShem's] heights above and thus great satiation is revealed and increased in the world. (There^)

6. One who is sunken in the lust for eating, it is definite that he is far from the truth and it is definite that judgments are out over him. Also, this is a sign of poverty and he will also come to disgrace and shame. (From Likutei Moharan I, 47)

7. One who breaks the lust for eating, the Holy One Blessed is He will do wonders through by his hand. (There^)

8. There are two [kinds of] people who sleep [away] their days and there are those who fell into the aspect of sleep through lusts and bad deeds. There are those who are good and pleasant people, only that their fall is through eating, for sometimes when a person eats a food that isn't clarified yet to [the category of] human food (in other words, that he did not eat the food the proper way, instead he ate it like an animal -translator's note). Through this his mind falls to the aspect of sleep, for when one eats in holiness and purity, then it enlightens his face, that is, his intellect - through his eating. However, when his eating is not in holiness, then the food brings wickedness to the heart and through that he looses his face and falls into the category of sleep. Even if it seems to the world that he is serving HaShem and busying in Torah and prayer, even so he is in the aspect of sleep, for all his service remains below and HaShem has no satisfaction from it. One must awaken him him from his sleep, but it is impossible to awaken him except if he awakens himself a little bit at first.  The awakening from sleep, that not to spend one's days, God forbid, in sleep one merits through the tales of the tzadikim of truth. Fortunate is the one who merits to come to a tzadik like this who is able to awaken him from his sleep, so he won't sleep his days [away], God forbid. (From Likutei Moharan I, 60)

9. The food of the man of Israel needs to be food after it has been clarified and has no mixture from the forces of evil because through food like this that has a mixture in it a person can [come to] sin. The clarification of foods is through faith that one merits through fasting. Then, through his eating, a face to face unification between the Holy One Blessed is He and his divine presence is made. (From Likutei Moharan I, 62)

10. All the lusts are the aspect of 'shells' and 'extras' (these terms are used to denote forces of evil, demonic forces -translator's note), for without lusts, the body would [still] be able to exist. And when the lusts overpower a person, it is the overpowering of the 'shells' over holiness. The head of the lusts are the lust for eating and drinking; all lusts are drawn after them and when they overpower, they draw speech into exile and then one is in the aspect of "their throats are parched", and one is unable to speak a word before HaShem. The remedy for this is fasting, then one can speak. Through this, one can bring distant ones closer to HaShem which is the essential completeness of faith, and then one's eating will be very precious because a great unification is made through his eating. (There^)

11. Through the lust for eating, holy honor is damaged and then the brazen-faced of the generation overpower because the honor falls to the wicked nations and the brazen-faced of the generation who take up all honor and rule. Thus, it is the aspect of 'the hiding of the face' corresponding to the overpowering of judgments, God forbid. However, when one breaks the lust for eating, through this is 'the elevation of the face' corresponding to the cancelling out of judgments - and then holy honor is whole and there is no authority and honor for the brazen-faced. (From Likutei Moharan I, 67)

12. One must be exact in not eating more than his need because when one eats more than his need, it harms him a lot. For even the remaining food (all that which was eaten before one exceeded the amount necessary -translator's note) joins together with this food (all the food one ate after he exceeded what he needed -translator's note) and they harm him much. (From Likutei Moharan I, 257)

13. When a person eats excessive food, he is like an animal because the category of human is to eat only according to what is necessary; and when one eats more [than this], it is exactly the behavior of an animal. Through this, eating excessive food, comes the sickness of the fever, God forbid. Also, through not yet clarified food occurring within one's food, comes the sickness of the fever, God forbid. (From Likutei Moharan I, 263)

(Continue to the second part)