372. Come and behold, every day the dew of Atika Kadisha drips to Zeir Anpin, and the whole Field of Holy Apples is blessed, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and from that, dew is drawn to these below. The holy angels are nourished from it, each one according to his ability to eat. This is what is written, "Man ate the bread of angels" (Tehilim 78:25); NAMELY, THAT DEW MENTIONED EARLIER, WHICH IS THE BREAD OF ANGELS. Yisrael ate of that food in the wilderness, THE MANNA.
373. Rabbi Shimon said, Many people are nourished from it today. And who are they? They are the friends, who are occupied with Torah days and nights. And if it you think that it was actually the same food THAT THE CHILDREN OF YISRAEL ATE IN THE WILDERNESS, it is not, but it is very similar to that food, for it is worth double THE MANNA THAT THE CHILDREN OF YISRAEL ATE IN THE WILDERNESS.
374. Come and behold, when Yisrael came and cleaved unto the Holy King, they merited then to eat a much higher bread because of the uncovering of the holy sign OF THE CIRCUMCISED ORGAN. Before, when they left Egypt, they came with bread called unleavened bread (Heb. Matzah), WHICH IS MALCHUT. Now they merited to eat a different, much higher bread, from a high place, as it is written, "Behold I will rain bread from the heavens for you," actually from the heavens, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, and it became available to Yisrael from this place at that time. The friends who are occupied with Torah are nourished from a higher place. What is it? It is as written, "Wisdom gives life to those who have it" (Kohelet 7:12), which is a place far higher THAN ZEIR ANPIN.
375. Rabbi Elazar said to him, If so, why are those occupied with Torah weaker than other people, for the other people appear to be stronger than those who are occupied with Torah? He said to him, You ask well.
376. Come and behold, all the food of the inhabitants of the world comes from above. That food that comes from the heaven and the earth is the food of the whole world. It is the food of all, and it is coarse and thick nourishment. The food that comes from a higher source and is a finer food comes from the place where Judgment is prevalent, NAMELY MALCHUT, and this is the food that Yisrael ate when they left Egypt, NAMELY, UNLEAVENED BREAD. The food that was provided Yisrael at that time in the wilderness was from a higher place, called 'heavens,' WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN. It is a finer food that enters into the soul more THAN ANY OTHER FOOD. It is more separate from the body and is called 'the food of the angels,' NAMELY MANNA.
377. The food that is the highest of all is the food of the friends, those who are occupied with Torah, who eat the food of the spirit and the soul and do not eat physical food at all. It is from the place that is more precious than anything, called Chochmah (Wisdom). Therefore, the bodies of the friends are weaker than the people of the world because they do not eat the food of the body at all. They eat only the food of the spirit and soul from the distant place, higher and more precious than all - WHICH IS CHOCHMAH, WHICH IS FAR AWAY, AS IT IS WRITTEN, "I SAID, 'I WILL BE WISE; BUT IT WAS FAR FROM ME'" (KOHELET 7:23). Therefore, that food is far more refined than all. Blessed is their portion. This is what is written, "Wisdom gives life to those who have it." Blessed is the portion of a body that can be nourished with the food of the soul.
378. Rabbi Elazar said to him, Certainly, it is so, but in the present time how is such food to be found? He said to him, You ask well. Come and behold, this is the clarification of the matter. The first food is the food of the whole world, that which comes from the heavens and earth. And it is the food of the body.
379. The food that is higher than it, which is finer, comes from the place where Judgment is prevalent, called righteousness (Heb. tzedek), WHICH IS MALCHUT. This is the food of the poor; NAMELY MATZAH, THAT IS CALLED 'THE BREAD OF AFFLICTION.' And the secret of the matter is that one who helps fulfill the poor person has a letter added to Tzedek, and it becomes "tzedakah ('charity')." This is the secret of, "The merciful man does good to his own soul" (Mishlei 11:17). Acts of kindness show that one is under Judgment but has perfected it with Chesed. Then it turns into Mercy.
380. A food even higher than these is a supreme nourishment, more glorious and precious, from the place called 'heaven,' WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN - NAMELY MANNA, WHICH THE CHILDREN OF YISRAEL ATE IN THE WILDERNESS. It is finer than all of them. And this is the food of the sick. This is what is meant by, "Hashem strengthens him upon the bed of sickness, whenever he is prostrate You recover him in his illness" (Tehilim 41:4). Hashem is precise, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN. What is the reason? Because these ill people are fed only with the actual food of the Holy One, blessed be He, WHO IS ZEIR ANPIN.