“The whole world is nourished by my son Hanina, and Hanina my son suffices himself with 102 carobs [meager food] from one eve of Shabbat [Sabbath] to another” (Taanit 24b).

We should interpret this in the work. One who walks in the ways of the Creator, during the work, called “weekdays,” as in “He who did not toil on the eve of Shabbat [Sabbath],” “suffices,” meaning settles for feeling the taste of carobs in his work. Yet, through the exertions he makes in that he has no taste in his work, but only that of carobs, and it is known that “If you labored and did not find, do not believe,” so he wants that through his work and labor, abundance and blessings will be drawn out to the whole world, meaning that all the vitality and attainments of the light of Torah will reach the entire world.

This is the meaning of the words, “The whole world is nourished by my son Hanina.” Why does he do this? It is because he has the grace of Kedusha [holiness]. This is why he is called Hanina, from the word Hen [grace]. Therefore, he is rewarded with the state of Shabbat. This is why “He who did not toil on the eve of Shabbat, what will he eat on Shabbat?”

Hence, we could ask, If Hanina extended the light of Torah to the whole world, why are they not obtaining the light of the pleasure and only Hanina was rewarded with the state of Shabbat? This is so only because they have no Kelim [vessels] to receive. The labor is the Kelim in which the lights pour.

It is about this that they said (Avoda Zarah 3a), “He who did not toil on the eve of Shabbat, what will he eat on Shabbat?” Although Hanina extended the light of Shabbat to the whole world, they haven’t the Kelim to receive. However, the servant of the Creator himself should walk on the path of not receiving anything, which is called “carobs.”