The Mystery of Wine & Wisdom: Emptying Our Vessel
A strange encounter between a Rabbi and the daughter of the Roman emperor opens the door to a deeper mystery about humility, the soul, hidden wisdom, and the meaning behind Jesus’s teaching about “new wine.”
It's plausible that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanania was not what people would consider handsome. He was, however, an undeniably excellent Torah scholar.
Once¹, the daughter of the Roman emperor saw him and remarked at this apparent contradiction:
"Woe that such glorious [Torah] wisdom is stored in such an ugly vessel!"
Rabbi Yehoshua didn't get defensive. Instead, he asked her a question: "Where does your father keep his wine?"
"In clay vessels," she replied.
"Clay?" he replied. "The Emperor of Rome stores his royal wine in vessels of clay?! Shouldn't something so precious be kept in gold or silver?"
The princess thought for a moment and realized that he was right. She had her servants transfer her father's wine into beautiful and ornate vessels of silver and gold. The wine spoiled almost immediately.
Rabbi Yehoshua made his point.
While this story is generally taught as a lesson in humility², and not to judge by appearances, understanding the depth of these metaphors expands upon the lesson.
The Metaphor of Wine
We've explored how water, milk, and wine are symbols that represent the wisdom of the Torah, and how the Sages regard wine as the highest. Thus, wine represents the deepest levels of knowledge.
In the Rabbinic interpretative framework of Pardes³, the highest level is Sod, which means secret. The connection to wine is strengthened by the fact that the word for wine, yayin (יין), and the word sod (סוד), share the same numerical value⁴: 70.
So, the finest wine doesn't spoil, but it still needs a vessel capable of holding it.
Earthen Vessels
In the Torah laws of purity, two types of vessels are often discussed: earthen and metal. Metal vessels can become impure with contact from the outside, but earthen vessels (Kli Cheres) are not affected the same way.
People are often described as the latter type of vessel, and this idea is found in Isaiah 64:7:
"We are the clay, and You are the Potter,..."
Made from the earth, humans are literally earthen vessels, but these vessels contain an ancient and holy soul.
Emptying the Vessel
The concept of vessels becomes fundamental in the Kabbalistic tradition, relating to the formation of our universe on a large scale and also how we express ourselves on a personal level.
No one would ever pour fine wine into a vessel that is dirty or already filled with something else. In the Mussar tradition, this becomes a powerful symbol of our need to empty ourselves of arrogance and ego. This work is known as Bittul ha-yesh (ביטול היש), nullifying the self.
Finding Balance
From a spiritual perspective, if we are filled with deceit, selfishness, or hatred, our souls become contaminated. This theme is used throughout the Apostolic writings. For example, in 2 Timothy 2:21, we read:
"... if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work."
On the other hand, foregoing or neglecting our physical self is not the right approach, either. This is why ascetism is not a compatible ethic.
The goal is to find alignment between our physical and spiritual aspects. This combination unlocks access to higher consciousness and the Divine Presence⁵.
Perhaps hidden in the Talmudic above story is a commentary on the nature of the Roman empire and its inverted values. Represented by the gold and silver vessels, they are attractive from the outside, but filled with impurity on the inside, and therefore, lacking wisdom.
The greatest spiritual teachers in history are those who understood this and have achieved inner and outer purity.
New Vessel, Old Wine
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov⁶ once said:
"I am a new vessel filled with old [wine]."
- Chayei Moharan 49
He wasn't claiming to have invented anything new. Rebbe Nachman, like others, had tapped into a level of Torah wisdom that had always been there, just out of the reach of most. This idea Jesus once stated in his parable of new wine and old wineskins⁷.
With this, a little more of the tradition shines through this story. The challenge is still the same centuries later; true spiritual growth cannot be attained by force of intellect, might, or credentials. This ancient wisdom is available to those willing to seek it through the hard work of truth and humility.
Notes:
¹ Talmud Taanit 7
³ Pardes - Jewish Hermeneutics
⁴ Gematria - Decoding the Hidden Secrets of Torah
⁵ Holy Spirit vs. Ruach HaKodesh: Revealing the Essence of Divine Presence