Aaron, my husband, and I are not big fans of wasting food. I think of that scene in Dirty Dancing where Baby's mother stares at her leftovers and asks her daughter if there are still starving children in Europe. In fact, there is a Jewish concept called Bal Tashchit, a prohibition against wasting that which has the potential for good in the world. If I was going to boil it down to one word, it would be GUILT.
On the other hand, I must treat my body with dignity and I am not a human garbage disposal.
So this is what I'm working through:
This week also happens to coincide with Yom Hashoah, Holocaust remembrance day and my mind goes to the 6 million Jews and those others who were murdered, starved, and deprived of their humanity and my problem is over abundance??? I feel like such a shmuck!
On the other hand, I must treat my body with dignity and I am not a human garbage disposal.
So this is what I'm working through:
1. Having leftovers in the house isn't good for my health and success on the scale.
2. Throwing out the food spits in the face of those who have been hungry and those who are currently hungry.
3. There is an inherent Jewish value in maximizing the usefulness in the world.
So, what should I do? I'm trying to find the synergy of my values so I looked at the bottom line:
1. Some of the food does not entice me (especially the yogurts) and Aaron likes them and will eventually eat them so they can stay.
2. Some food can be donated to someone who is hungry. Aaron often brings food into the city with him to give to those who are asking for something to eat. Please don't get me wrong. We need to be wary that were not treating anyone like a human garbage disposal. But if the food can do good, then we'll find a way.
3. Some food I will have to throw.
And if feeding the hungry and not wasting is truly on my mind, then I have to make it a real priority. There is an amazing organization, called Leket, that collects perfectly good fresh produce that farmers are about to discard and cooked food from events and distributes it to the hungry in Israel. I just donated to them. Here is the link if you want to donate.
Happy Hametz!
1. Some of the food does not entice me (especially the yogurts) and Aaron likes them and will eventually eat them so they can stay.
2. Some food can be donated to someone who is hungry. Aaron often brings food into the city with him to give to those who are asking for something to eat. Please don't get me wrong. We need to be wary that were not treating anyone like a human garbage disposal. But if the food can do good, then we'll find a way.
3. Some food I will have to throw.
And if feeding the hungry and not wasting is truly on my mind, then I have to make it a real priority. There is an amazing organization, called Leket, that collects perfectly good fresh produce that farmers are about to discard and cooked food from events and distributes it to the hungry in Israel. I just donated to them. Here is the link if you want to donate.
Happy Hametz!
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