Date: Sun, 9 Jan 2000 22:04:55 -0500 (EST)
From: Russell Hendel <  rhendel@mcs.drexel.edu>
Subject: Re: Speaking Torah While Eating

What is the reason that one may not talk while eating?

ANSWER: The primary reason is for 'health purposes'
(since you might accidentally swallow the food down the wind pipe and choke).

I had always thought this law was logically derived. I recently found the
following 'cute' scriptural support in the Torah Shlaymah

Gen 24:33 states: <  And food was placed before him (Eliezer) and he said 'I
WILL NOT EAT TILL I HAVE SPOKEN' and they (Laban & family) said 'Speak'.>

Hence the Torah Shlaymah derives the prohibition of speaking while eating
from the explicit verse <  I WILL NOT EAT TILL I HAVE SPOKEN>

Russell Jay Hendel; Phd ASA; Math; RHendel@Towson.Edu;
http://www.shamash.org/rashi