כִּ֣י לֹ֥א שְׁא֛וֹל תּוֹדֶ֖ךָּ מָ֣וֶת יְהַלְלֶ֑ךָּ לֹֽא־יְשַׂבְּר֥וּ יֽוֹרְדֵי־ב֖וֹר אֶל־אֲמִתֶּֽךָ׃
Sebab dunia orang mati tidak dapat bersyukur kepada-Mu, maut tidak dapat memuji-Mu; orang-orang yang turun ke liang kubur tidak dapat berharap akan kesetiaan-Mu.
Akeidat Yitzchak
The Midrash, discussing the danger of talking during the intake of food, may now be understood. The windpipe leads to the part of the body that supplies the air, so that the seat of the brain can function; in other words, it ensures the continuity of the mind as such. The gullet is the duct leading to the stomach, i.e. the seat ensuring survival of the body. In the first instance, we are told by a hint that idle conversation during the meal may help confuse the distinction between body and soul respectively. If one loses sight of the relative position of mind and body, one could easily err about the significance of food altogether, and assume that it serves both parts of man equally, and that there is no basic difference between the quality of life of body and that of the soul. Since apparently the hint was not fully understood, Rabbi Yitzchak elaborated on the same theme after the meal in a different manner. The message was that even the part of Jacob that normally needed regular food to sustain it, did not die. When challenged, he quoted scripture to prove that the "Do not be afraid" was addressed not only to the exalted spiritual part of "Israel," but even to the more mundane human being known as "Jacob." The great lesson was that not only the spiritual part of the soul originally supplied by G-d is immortal, but that the contributions made by the brain, mind, in short, the human personality, also will not die.