London – Rabbi Addrsses Over-Eating In The Jewish Community

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    London – A person’s table is compared to an altar — just as an altar atones for our sins so does genuine hospitality. But for increasing numbers of people, their table is an altar on which they are sacrificing their health.

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    Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in many countries. More than 26 per cent of the United States population are obese, the highest percentage of any country. In October social workers in Scotland took a newborn baby into care because its 23-stone mum was considered too fat. Officials swooped after repeated warnings to her and her partner, who together weighed 41 stones, to bring their other six children’s weight under control.

    Although research had suggested that obesity rates in England may be levelling off, a University College London study found that this was occurring most in children from wealthier backgrounds. Obesity rates among the lower classes were likely to be significantly higher by 2015.

    China experienced a 28-fold increase in obesity over a 15-year period to 2000. Experts blame this on Western lifestyles that include less exercise, increased meat consumption and the use of cars rather than walking. Most astonishing, however, is that in seven African countries, obesity is becoming more common among poor city-dwellers because of easier access to cheap, high-fat, high-sugar foods.

    The World Health Organisation said in October that being overweight has now overtaken being underweight among the world’s leading causes of death. Even animals are suffering, with owners of obese pet dogs having been prosecuted for neglect.

    Maimonides dedicated an entire chapter to healthy eating (Laws of De’ot, 4). He observed that out of every thousand people who die, most die from excessive eating. Rambam encouraged people not to eat when on the move, to leave their stomachs a quarter empty, to progress from light foods to heavier foods and to sleep on their side (this helps with digestion). Rambam believed that most illnesses are due to either eating the wrong foods or eating essentially good foods but in excess (4:15).

    The founder of Ponevez Yeshivah, Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman (1886-1969), thought excessive eating not only unhealthy for the body but also the soul. The primary intention of eating, he explained, should be to enable the soul to function properly.

    It is therefore surprising that a number of great Chasidic Rebbes tended to be on the portly side. It has been suggested that they became large for altruistic reasons, following the kabbalistic doctrine of reincarnation; they avoided food wastage by eating it with the intention of elevating the soul of the reincarnated person within the food.

    For most people however, we should bear in mind the teaching of Rav Avraham Pam (1913-2001), head of Yeshivah Torah Vodaas in Brooklyn, New York, that if the only reason a person is eating the food is to prevent it from being thrown out, then the person has become a garbage can.

    As well as advocating sensible eating, Judaism has, in addition to the mandatory five biblical fast days, other optional fasts. However, many rabbis encouraged holy eating rather than optional fasting. Rabbenu Yonah of Gerona (died 1263) counselled self-restraint at the table : “When food is before a person and they still have an appetite to eat it, they should refrain from eating out of honour for the Creator, they should not eat to their desire,” he wrote. “Such conduct will prevent a person from sinning and remind him of his love for his Creator more than one [optional] fast a week…”

    When warning of the dangers of obesity, the message must be clear. It may be for this reason that the sages used graphic language to discourage obesity: “He who increases his flesh increases worms [in the grave]” (Ethics of the Fathers 2:7). Perhaps this stresses that death may come quicker than expected.

    On the other hand, when dealing with individuals we need to be sensitive. The Tanach is careful when referring to Eglon, King of Moav, the Bible’s best-known obese character, as “ish bari”, a “healthy man”. This appears to be a euphemism, thereby teaching us not to use derogatory language for the sake of it. Eglon was the grandfather of Ruth, the great-grandmother of King David, and merited such descendants, according to the sages, because when Judge Ehud brought him a divine message, he stood up, despite the great effort this entailed owing to his unusual weight (Judges 3:17-20). Although a wicked man, he performed such a respectful act that he received a reward in this world rather than the next.

    It is both ironic and catastrophic that, while in parts of the world people are dying because of obesity-related illnesses, millions of others are dying from starvation. It is chilling to think that every six seconds a child dies from hunger and related diseases. Clearly, there is enough food to go round. Perhaps by eating less we will learn to share more.

    Daniel Levy is rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregation, Leeds


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    30 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Living a frum lifestyle is intense and simply make opportunities for exercise more remote. People tend to eat to relieve tension. IYou are rushing early in the morning for the minyan and shiur then off to work, wolfing down a sandwich to make it in time for a mincha minyan, back home at 7:30 – 8:00 p.m. helping kids with obscene amounts of homework and test and then another seder. By that time, I am totally physically and mentally exhausted.

    My non religious colleagues go to the gym in the morning or at night. They lead a far more relaxed lifestyle and, frankly, are in much better shape than I.

    Brit
    Brit
    14 years ago

    for all you yanks, 1 stone =14 pounds
    so 23 stone would be 322 pounds

    focus
    focus
    14 years ago

    i saw last shabbos at a kiddush how people stuffed themselves with kishke and shmaltz hering as if they have nothing to eat at home. if this would have been during the summer i would say that they’ll eat the shabbos seuda 3-4 hors later, but in the winter with shabbos ending about 5:00 there’s isn’t much time to push off the seuda.
    so i assume they went home and ate a seuda right after fressing

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Rav Levy’s words are a warning for other rabbonim who not only don’t speak out on the growing plague of obesity among yidden, they seem to be among the first to stuff their faces at the tish, sholosh saudos, and kiddush. These are the same rabbonim who are themselves overweight and sometime obese yet do nothing to promote exercise and indeed sometimes discourage exercise by raising all sorts of irrelevant tzinius concerns and saying its bitul torah to exercise rather than learn. The article notes how many chassideshe rabbonim are themselves grossly overweight and seem to take pride in what is a clear chilul hashem. In simple terms, these rabbonim are implict acomplices in the disease of obesity killing tens of thousand of yiddin each year.

    flash
    flash
    14 years ago

    #1
    Change your life-style as quickly as you can. Those are just excuses .Start exercising, you will feel better, learn better ,daven better, and live longer. All that will make up for the 45 minutes a day, 4-5 times a week that is needed for a healthy lifestyle.
    Try it, you will never regret it
    PS, when is the last time you got your cholestorol checked, or went to a cardiologist for a checkup, you could be a walking time bomb.

    Susan
    Susan
    14 years ago

     anonymous #1 : The obesity crisis is just as severe, if not *worse* among non-frum and non-Jews because they have access to extremely cheap non-kosher fast food. Everyone has an excuse for why they eat too much and exercise too little.

    great pic
    great pic
    14 years ago

    this is the best picture vin has posted in a very long time – tzu gezunt

    David
    David
    14 years ago

    “It has been suggested that they became large for altruistic reasons, following the kabbalistic doctrine of reincarnation; they avoided food wastage by eating it with the intention of elevating the soul of the reincarnated person within the food.”

    I suggest that they became large for exactly the same reasons that other people become large– too much eating; not enough exercise. Still– it was a cute explanation. I think I’ll start explaining my own vices as examples of my great altruism, rather than trying to amend them.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Cutting sugar out of a diet helps loads (and don’t use saccarine) – tried and tested

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    I used to smoke and drink whiskey to take the edge off the day. i stopped both B”h.
    now i replaced those with food and i am rapidly gaining weight. any suggestions?
    i cant just eat lettuce and tuna. i need good tasting food to relive my anxieties

    flash
    flash
    14 years ago

    #1 /13
    My cardio vascular surgeon who performed triple bi-pass on me 5 years ago, told me I better get my weight down to what I weighed in High school- You seem to be keen on listening. You have a responsibility to your wife and kids, they come first, I agree with number 18, — you have to have priorities,- or not only won’t you have time to learn, you won’t be able to do homework , and deal with your clients.- and your wife will certainle be less happy. I guarantee you, that if you take a brisk walk,/ treadmill 4-5 times a week for 45 minutes, your life will change for the better. Coordinate with your wife and kids, maybe they can join you-
    Take a walk Shabbos afternoon, before you take a nap-
    BTW, my job is high stress 24 hours a day.
    good luck

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    My doctor told me to join cea-how, a 12-step program to fight food addiction. At the first meeting I went to, they said you have to attend 3 meetings a week. I asked them whose got time for this? The moderator asked me, “Do you have time to lay for 3 months in a hospital bed?”

    If it’s important, we can make time to exercise, eat correctly, and take care of ourselves. It’s a mitzvah d’oiraisoh to put on tefillin every day (except Shabbos). Every day you live longer you can fulfill this mitzvah. It is not a d’oiraisoh to eat cholent, kugel, viennese tables, etc.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Cut out on partially Hydronated fat, high fructose corn syrup & Cut down on carbs. Sat. Fat is good for u & will not make u fat. Meat, chicken, eggs r a good source of protein & NO it will not raise your colesterole or make u fat

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    One problem is that it is easy to buy cake, muffins and junky food. It is much harder and more costly to buy really healthy food. Healthy food does not mean a vegetable soup sold in a retaurant or take out place, it means vegetables AND no added fat.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    I am a non american who recently moved to the US . I am shocked at the level of junk food kids bring to school . It is the norm to send with your kid at least one ‘snack bag’ every day. Were I come from recess is meant for a fruit or a healthy snack.I dare say that a lot of the issues kids have at school and at home are due to the lack of proper balanced diet . I fail to see how parents can justify slacking off their obligation in feeding their kids a balanced diet with a packets of potato chips. The amount of kids you see here with large stomachs (sorry for being so explicite) is really disturbing , something which you don’t see nearly as much of outside the US . Its time for parents to take resbonsibility of caring and bring up their kids in a healthy balanced fashion.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Soveya is aJewish organization which is dedicated to educating and providing help to the frum community with the issues of overeating and obesity. Go to http://www.soveya.com to check it out.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    in the uk at least in my kids school children are not allowed to bring junk food to school. they have a fruit in morning break and afternoon break they have a cracker or a biscuit but nothing else – and its brilliant.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    I was at a beautiful Aufruf kiddush recently and they served it on 6 INCH PLATES. They had cake and the only hot dish was potato kugel. So what did people do? They ate a little, said “Mazel Tov”, and went home to have the seuda with quality family time.