Arcana Coelestia #5701
5701. Because the Egyptians cannot eat bread with the Hebrews. That this signifies that they could not possibly be conjoined with the truth and good of the church, is evident from the representation of the Egyptians, as being those who are in inverted order, thus in evil and falsity (of which just above, n. 5700); from the signification of “eating bread,” as being to be conjoined (of which also above, n. 5698); and from the representation of the Hebrews, as being those who are in genuine order, thus in the truth and good of the church. (That by the “land of the Hebrews” is signified the church may be seen above, n. 5136, 5236, and this because the Hebrew Church was the second Ancient Church, n. 1238, 1241, 1343.) “Eating bread” is mentioned here, and above “setting on bread,” because by “bread” is signified all food in general (n. 2165), thus the banquet. The reason why by “bread” is signified all food and the banquet itself, is that in the spiritual sense “bread” is celestial love, and celestial love contains within it all things of good and truth, thus all things of spiritual food. (That “bread” is celestial love may be seen above, n. 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 2187, 3464, 3478, 3735, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976.)
Leviticus 24:5-9
5
"You shall take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes of it: two tenth parts of an ephah shall be in one cake.
6
You shall set them in two rows, six on a row, on the pure gold table before Yahweh.
7
You shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be to the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
8
Every Sabbath day he shall set it in order before Yahweh continually. It is on the behalf of the children of Israel an everlasting covenant.
9
It shall be for Aaron and his sons; and they shall eat it in a holy place: for it is most holy to him of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire by a perpetual statute."
