In the first years of this millennium when I visited Ethiopia I loved their food and cultural traditions. I made many friends there too. Earlier when I was in Detroit, Brothers Gebreyesus (Gebre = servant; Yesus = Jesus) and Bagashaw were my close friends. At times I used go with them to an Ethiopian restaurant in Southfield. When we went there, we would order food in the Ethiopian style. First, they would bring steamed moist towels. We are supposed to wipe our hands with it thoroughly, and give it back to the waiter. For all three/four of us the combo meal would come with five or six dishes and their special rolled pan bread called Injera in a large platter. All four of us would eat from the same platter with our fingers. It was an experience of deep warmth. Only the closest persons would like to do that. When we eat that way, we indeed become very close.

The Ethiopian people and their culture are very closely related to the Jewish people and culture. It was the same way in the Jewish culture too. They used to serve food with their hands (The Holy Eucharist is always given out with hands). It is in the same cultural context that the Apostle Paul speaks of 'eating from the same dish and drinking from the same cup'. When we read that at the Last Supper, “He took bread, and having given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples,” we might imagine like cutting a cake with a knife and giving a piece. But that is not the case. Like a old fashioned mother serving her children, he is breaking a piece off the flat pan-bread with his hands and handing it over lovingly. Speaking of the one who will betray him he says: “one who dips his hand with me into the dish” (Matt. 26:23). In fact all disciples were dipping their hands with him into the dish.

Among the Psalms which we think had reference to him, some of them mention a similar situation.

"If it was an enemy who reviled me; I could endure that. If a foe had treated me with contempt, I could manage to avoid him. But it was you, one like myself, a companion and a dear friend, who has done it." (55:13)

"Even my friend whom I trusted, the one who dined at my table, has raised his heel against me" (41:9)

So, when we think about it from the other side, how terrible it is! Someone who has eaten the same bread and drunk from the same cup for years - someone who stated by deed that we are one soul - is the one who betrays!

Kick at the love!

Cheat the love; betray it!

In such situation, the main thing is not that our ego is hurt, but rather the pain that arises in us is that the other, who said that we are united in the soul, had no soul at all, that there was such a lovelessness!

Spitting on love; considering love as garbage; giving love away for a price; betraying love ...

It's all happening today. It happens all the time. It's everywhere!