As many of you know, Clara and I have both recently lost a
significant amount of weight: 13 Kilos
for me and 10 kilos for Clara. We feel
pretty good, and we’re happy that our clothes fit us again. We would like to lose more. Since our achievement, we returned to more-of-less
‘normal’ eating and have mostly maintained the weight loss whilst we steel
ourselves for another go.
Being overweight is
very normal today. According to the
World Health Organisation, in 2008 about one-third of the world’s adult
population was overweight, whilst full-on obesity afflicted 11 percent. Australia – and this will be no surprise to
many – is much worse than these averages. Two thirds of Australian adults are
overweight, whilst one in four is obese.
That’s staggering. And it’s not
just about aesthetics. The problem with
obesity is that it leads to so many serious health problems. Clara and I are at an age where it is easy –
all too easy! – to put on extra weight.
We decided we wanted to maintain our good health and help ensure that we
will be around to enjoy our grandchildren.
I’m not going use
this forum to advertise exactly how we lost weight. Suffice it to say here that we did it
primarily by using a flavoured protein shake as a meal replacement. When we told our daughter, Ma’ayan what we
were doing, she pooh-poohed the idea. She
warned us: “Almost everybody who loses
weight that way, gains it all back when they stop drinking the shakes.”
In Mishnah Avot
we’re challenged: Who is wise? He that learns from every one. It would therefore be unwise to dismiss
the words of our young, but very intelligent daughter. Especially in light of this week’s Torah
reading.
As we know, our
Torah records that God fed the people Israel during their 40-year sojourn in
the wilderness with a substance called ‘manna.’
Today, manna is used as a synonym for a windfall of something
wonderful. Manna from heaven is
what we call great sustenance, or really any great thing that we chance
upon. But the Torah records that the
people repeatedly rebelled against the diet of the manna, a flaky, white substance
that is pounded into cakes and fried.
They complained bitterly and repeatedly to Moses. They pointed out a number of times including
in this week’s Torah reading that in Egypt, despite the hardships of their
lives there, they enjoyed some variety in their diet. Specifically, they had meat to eat!
The mysterious part
of this whole provisioning in the desert thing, is that the Israelites were
droving their cattle and other livestock with them on the Great Wilderness Trek
of 40 years. So they didn’t eat of the
meat of their livestock for all that time?
If not, then why not? If
we don’t have an answer to the above question, and we do not, that doesn’t mean
it’s an unreasonable question. Not at
all. Rather, the lesson the Torah is trying
to teach us here is unrelated to whether it was logical for the Israelites to
slaughter some of their livestock, even occasionally, along the way.
The point is that
the Israelites’ physical needs were taken care of. God made sure that they were fed with a food
that was nutritionally complete, and that they had as much of it as they
needed. Even if it sounds as if it was
gastronomically boring. But the
nutritive urge, as the Rambam called it, is only part of what drives us to
eat. For our ancient forebears, as for
us, there is a pleasure-seeking element to it.
We eat because we enjoy eating.
And the foods that we enjoy eating are not always those that are best
for us!
I’ve never knowingly
tasted manna. But I have this to say
about my protein shakes: I’m happy they
have helped me lose weight. But when I
was drinking two of them every day as meal substitutes, I craved variety in my
diet. Badly. When I become hungry, I would want something savoury
– not the sweet shake. But more than
anything else, I wanted meat!!! Oh,
I didn’t need it. In truth,
nobody needs to eat meat. My
shakes were nutritionally complete.
Taking them, and snacking on fresh veg, I didn’t need to worry at all
about whether my diet was balanced. But oh,
did I crave real food!!!
Just like the
Israelites in the wilderness did. So
much so, that they began to view Egypt through rose-coloured glasses. They began to recall with fondness the place,
despite their enslavement there to the capricious Pharaoh. Despite the precariousness of their lives
there. Despite the hardships. Despite their inability there, to live lives
of obedience to their God. Just because
they missed an occasional fish from the Nile, and an occasional cucumber,
melon, leek, onion or garlic. For a
little fresh produce, and a little meat, they were ready to return and
voluntarily enslave themselves to Pharaoh once again.
When one reads this,
one cannot help but achieve clarity on human behaviour. One cannot help but begin to understand why
we humans are so easy to manipulate. To
get us to participate in evil. To
prevent us from doing good. Because most
people are like the Israelites. They are
willing to accept an evil order in exchange for a few veg and fish and meat. This, even when their nutritional needs are
all taken care of!
So for a little
variety in foods, the nation was ready to turn against Moses’ leadership and
give up their quest to be a free people under the sovereignty of God in their
Promised Land. That would have been a
tragedy. But the good news is that, in
fits and starts, the people did follow Moses. They ate the boring diet of manna whilst
sojourning toward their date with destiny.
As Clara and I
prepare for Phase Two of our diet in hopes of losing some additional weight,
it’s a good lesson to keep in mind. And
for anybody who has ever been called upon to temporarily sacrifice something
they enjoyed for some greater good, it is an important lesson. Whatever it is we might crave at a given
moment, we can benefit greatly by taking the long view. Often in life, there’s a choice between
immediate gratification and doing what’s best long-term. It’s an important lesson to remember. Shabbat shalom.
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