The Ontology of the Table |
Modern people often think they understand what a table is.
A table is where individuals consume calories. It is a site of preference expression. One child dislikes vegetables. Another wants dessert first. One adult is dieting. Another is tracking protein intake. The table becomes a negotiation platform for autonomous wills attempting to maximize satisfaction while minimizing discomfort.
This ontology is so pervasive that it feels invisible.
But Judaism proposes something radically different.
The rabbis taught that a person’s table resembles the altar of the Temple. At first glance, this sounds metaphorical or sentimental. Yet the claim is far more profound than that. The table is not merely “important.” It participates in holiness because eating itself is not viewed as a purely biological or individual........