Teaching #13: We are How We Eat: A Jewish Approach to Food and Sustainability

Core Teaching #13: We are How We Eat: A Jewish Approach to Food and Sustainability

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov identifies the desire for food and drink as the central desire of the human being, and the one from which other desires emanate. In Rabbi Tzadok Hacohen’s “A Treatise on Eating,” he cites the mystical book of theZohar, which calls the moment of eating “the time of combat.” This is because in eating a Jew must engage in the spiritual fight to ensure the act is a holy one.

Eating food is a significant part of the Jewish spiritual path, and Jewish teachings and practices provide guidance for how to eat in a holy manner. These include being selective and mindful of which foods we eat (based on the kosher laws), and how we eat them. Jewish teachings can help us appreciate the food we eat and eat it in a spirit of holiness. As we will see, eating in a Jewish way can also help the environment.


We are How We Eat: A Jewish Approach to Food and Sustainability



These materials are posted as part of Jewcology’s Year of Jewish Learning on the Environment, in partnership with Canfei Nesharim. Jewcology thanks the Shedlin Outreach Foundation and the ROI community for their generous support, which made the Jewcology project possible.

Learn more about the Year of Jewish Learning on the Environment!


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