Intellectually, we know that food is our body’s fuel, and that our body signals its need for refuelling by making us feel hungry. If we think about it, we may realize that healthier fuel would leave us feeling better, and too much unhealthy fuel leaves us feeling much worse. But in reality, as we know, we often eat for reasons far different from merely assuaging hunger or feeding our bodies. What is really going on when we eat? (Hazon)
לְֹשֵם יִחוּד קֻדְֹשָא וֹּשְכִינְתֵּהּ בִּדְחִילוּ וּרְחִימוּ, לְיַחֵד ֹשֵם י"ה בו"ה בְּיִחוּדָא ֹשְלִים בְֹּשֵם כָּל הַיְצִירוֹת. הִנְנִי מְכַוֵן בַּאֲכִילַת הַמָזוֹן הַזֶּה לַעַלוֹת זְרִימַת הַאֶנֶרְגְּיָה דְשֶׁפַע הַאֵין סוֹף, וּלְהִתְקַֹשֵּׁר נַפְֹשִי הֲצְמֵאָה לְמוֹחִין דְגַדְלוּת. הֲמָזוֹן הַזֶּה הוּא מַתָּנָה לֲעוֹלָם כּוּלוֹ, לַאָרֶץ, לַשָמַיִם, וּלְכָל הַיְצִירוֹת. הַמָזוֹן הַזֶה הוּא תוֹצַאָה מְעַבוֹדָה קַֹשָה ֹשֶל אַהַבָה. יְהִי הֲזָנָתִי עֵרָנִית וּמְלֵאָה רַחֲמִים, לְֹשֵם ֹשְאֲנִי אֱהִיֶה רָאוּי לְקָבֶּל אֶת הַתְזוּנָה וְהַאַהֲבָה ֹשְבַּאָה מְהַיְקוּם. יְהִי הֲזָנָתִי דֵרֶך לְגָדֶּל סָךְ הַאַהֲבָה וְהַרַחֲמִים בַּעוֹלָם, וּלְקָצֶר סָךְ הַסֵבֶל בְּכָל הַיִצוּר
For the sake of the unification of the Sacred, and its presence in reverence and love, in order to unify the name Yood-Hey with Vav-Hey, in perfect unity in the name of all of the formed beings. I am here, intending that, through my eating of this food, the flow of energy of the abundant Endless may increase, like the connection of my thirsty soul to an increased level of awareness. This food is a gift to the whole world, to the earth, to the sky, and to all formed beings. This food is the product of hard labor of love. May my eating of this food be mindful and full of compassion, so that I may be worthy of receiving the nutrition and love that come forth from the universe. May my eating be a way of expanding the sum of love and compassion in the universe, and of diminishing the sum of suffering in all of creation.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגֶּפֶן.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָעֵץ.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁלֹּא
חִסַּר בְּעוֹלָמוֹ כְּלוּם וּבָרָא בוֹ בְּרִיּוֹת טוֹבוֹת וְאִילָנוֹת טוֹבוֹת לֵהָנוֹת בָּהֶם בְּנֵי אָדָם.
Over tree fruit:
Blessed are You, Adonai, our God,
sovereign of the universe, Creator of fruit
of the tree.
Over fruit from the earth:
Blessed are You, Adonai, our God, sovereign of the universe, Creator of fruit of the earth.
Over fruit from the earth:
Blessed are You, Adonai, our God, sovereign of the universe, Creator of fruit of the earth.
Eitz or Adamah? Notice that when you think about which prayer to say, you’re thinking about how the food you ate grew. Was it planted this season? Is it a perennial that produces new fruit every year? Can you imagine the tree or the eld, where your food grew?
Jewish tradition creates holiness through separation. What do you make of this connection?
The Seven Rules Of Mindful Eating (The Jewish Way)
- CHOOSE
- Choose foods that are good for you. Make the choice to eat foods that will nourish the soul and body.
- SIT
- Sit down. Don’t eat while standing or walking. Judaism teaches that a person should be concerned with personal dignity. Not to the point of arrogance, but there should be an awareness that a human being’s essence is something that must be reflected on the outside of a person as well as the inside. Eat at a table.
- COMMIT
- Put enough food on your plate to satisfy your hunger without overloading or underloading your plate. Whatever’s there is going to be your portion.
- ACKNOWLEDGE
- Say a blessing* over your food or drink. Acknowledge the source of the food and drink you are about to ingest and take a moment to be grateful for its presence.
- PACE
- Eat at a medium-slow pace, putting your fork down into between bites. Aside from the obvious aesthetic drawbacks to using your fork like a backhoe, when you shovel food into your mouth, you tend to bow your head towards your food. Do you worship food? Is food your god? Do you submit to food–does it rule you?
- CHEW (BREATHE)
- Breathe in between bites. Don’t talk while eating (R.Yosef Caro, Shulchan Aruch).
- COMPLETE
- Interestingly enough, though eating only when truly hungry is the rule, there are times where Jewish law says one must eat even when not hungry. This includes the third Shabbos meal and the Afikomen (“Dessert” Matzoh) during the Pesach (Passover) Seder. But even at these times, we are forewarned not to overeat earlier so there will still be some room left!