Our Gemara at the end of 16b and beginning 17a teaches us that certain great tzaddikim were able to get a taste of the World to Come, while still alive on this earth. One of these righteous persons was our forefather, Yaakov.

Be’er Mayyim Chaim (Bereishis 32:33) expands on this concept with an interesting take in regard to the ancient Jewish custom and prohibition of not eating the sciatic nerve.

After Yaakov’s mostly successful encounter with the angel, the verse states:

וַיִּֽזְרַֽח־ל֣וֹ הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר עָבַ֖ר אֶת־פְּנוּאֵ֑ל וְה֥וּא צֹלֵ֖עַ עַל־יְרֵכֽוֹ׃

The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping on his hip.

על־כן לא־יאכלו בני־ישראל את־גיד הנשה אשר על־כף הירך עד היום הזה כי נגע בכף־ירך יעקב בגיד הנשה

That is why the children of Israel to this day do not eat the Gid Hanashe that is on the socket of the hip, since Jacob’s hip socket was wrenched at the thigh muscle.

Be’er Mayyim Chaim notes that there is something odd about the sequence. We are taught that the first verse which mentions sunrise, alludes to the healing energy and blessings from God by rays of the Sun which healed Yaakov from his injury (see Rashi ibid). If so, why offer tthe reason for Gid Hanashe AFTER Yaakov is healed?  This verse should have been stated before, while he was still limping, as this commemorates the injury.

Be’er Mayyim Chaim explains that Gid Hanashe represents the ultimate non-kosher, the impurity that somehow still sticks to a person, even when having achieved a high level of righteousness. There is a Talmudic tradition that the sciatic nerve has no taste (unlike other non-kosher foods) and yet still is forbidden. This speaks of the hollowness found in this impurity. Meaning to say, even a righteous person who has removed from himself many aspects of lust and physical desire can still be affected by the intrinsic presence of certain impurities in the physical world. Yet, because as our Gemara states, Yaakov achieved a sense of the world to come while still in this world, he was able to take it to the next level and completely expunge any residue of impurity. However, only he is the exception. The overwhelming majority of Jews, even the righteous, still must be on guard and are still susceptible to a shadow force of impurity.

Now the sequence of the verses make sense. The implication is even though Yakov achieved this great level of divine inspiration (as represented by the rays of the Sun, see Malachi 3:20) and was healed from his limp (full purification), his descendants would not be able to achieve that level en masse before messianic times. Now the verse states, “That is why the children of Israel do not eat from the Gid Hanashe”. Meaning to say, quite literally the children of Israel, do not eat from this, while metaphorically Yaakov was able to do so because of his full achievement of divestment from the physical world.

Personally, I was struck by the symbolism that the Gid Hanashe is a nonkosher form of food, despite the fact that it has no taste. I wonder, how many sins promise an illusion of tastiness when really they have no nutritious value?

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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