Intended audience:

• The intended audience for this lesson is Jewish young adults who did not grow up with strong Jewish educational backgrounds but are looking to understand how Judaism can be relevant for their adult lives

• The ideal audience will have some background in meditation and mindfulness. Audience members may not be aware that mindfulness is a key part of the Jewish tradition

• Location: Shabbat dinner table with plentiful food

Goals:

Through this lesson, you will learn how Jewish blessings over food can teach us about mindfulness, moderation, and gratitude. This lesson is designed to be integrated into a Shabbat meal so that you can actively integrate what you are learning into a live experience of blessing. You will see that Judaism naturally gives us valuable frameworks to see the world differently, and we can mindfully make choices to integrate these practices into our routines and lives.

This lesson will walk you through an interactive source sheet. You will read biblical and rabbinic texts in Hebrew and translation. You will read passages that may challenge your preconceived notions about ownership and blessings, including theological statements about God’s role in bringing forth food. In the end, you will learn how moderation, mindfulness, and gratitude are intimately connected to environmental issues and can provide us with a framework for understanding our responsibility to the earth more broadly. You will leave with tangible tools, rooted in Jewish practices, to help you find more moments of mindfulness, moderation, and gratitude in your daily life.

Methods:

This lesson will take place at a Shabbat dinner table as the framework for a Friday night meal. The meal will take place as usual, but key moments will provide learning opportunities for students. The lesson is designed split into three parts: mindfulness, moderation, and gratitude. Before blessing the Challah, students will read the texts about mindfulness. Students will discuss what it means for bread to be “brought forth” from the earth. Students will then eat the Challah as slowly and mindfully as possible. Then, students will learn about moderation and eating until “satisfied” in Jewish texts. The students will then eat the Shabbat meal. If possible, the host will cook excess food so students can see the difference between eating in moderation versus excess. Finally, before the grace after meals, students will learn about gratitude and broader environmental frameworks regarding mindfulness with food.

Introduction:

Mindfulness, moderation, and gratitude are key elements of Jewish thought and prayer. In the Friday night Shabbat meal, we have ample opportunities to reflect on these themes and bring more meaning to our experience. Yet often, we arrive at a Friday night meal hungry and tired, ready to get through rituals in order to eat a tasty, filling meal. We often eat to excess, losing all sense of the intention of food and the meal even as we are outwardly sanctifying Shabbat and the meal. Through this source sheet, you will be able to think more critically about rituals around meals and how they can add more meaning and holiness to your every day experiences. You will also see the mindfulness is a key element of environmentalism, and our relationship with food and the earth can inform our relationship with the environment and the earth.

Questions to consider before beginning:

-What does your typical experience of eating look like? What do you usually eat? Do you know where your food comes from? Can you name the ingredients in your food? How much food do you usually waste?

-Do you ever find yourself distracted or preoccupied when eating? Maybe you scroll your instagram? Maybe you have a conversation? Maybe you watch TV?

-What has been your experience regarding food in Jewish spaces? Do you find that Jewish spaces often have excess food or waste food? Do you ever feel pressured to eat more or less than you would like in Jewish spaces?

Part 1: mindfulness - HaMotzi

HaMotzi - the blessing over bread - is a central element of any Jewish meal. Before eating bread and beginning our meal, we must ritually wash our hands, preparing ourselves physically and spiritually for the meal we are about to eat. After washing, we bless the bread and take a bite. Once the "HaMotzi" blessing is said on bread, no further food blessings need to be said, other than for wine and dessert. The blessing over bread in a meal provides us with an opportunity for mindfulness, giving us a moment to reflect on where our food came from and how we are going to eat it.

Before looking at the hamotzi blessing specifically, we are going to examine the tradition of brachot (blessings) more generally.

This text shows the purpose of making blessings. If we partake in something without blessing it, we are not acknowledging it's ownership. According to the Torah and Talmud, this ownership is Divine. Without a blessing, we are essentially stealing from the divine.

Note: even if you don't believe in God, you could think of this text as follows: how can you be more mindful about how your food got to you? Could you give a blessing or moment of gratitude for the packagers, farmers, truckers, and preparers? Take a moment to reflect on all the steps that occurred between wheat/flour and the challah before you.

Questions for Hevrutah (collaborative study in pairs):

-What would it mean for us to think about food as a "consecrated" object?

-Do you think the remedy provided by this passage - going to a sage in his youth - is ample? Does it resolve the issue at hand of failing to bless a divine object?

HaMotzi: now that we understand the origins of the requirement to bless food, let's look at the HaMotzi blessing:

Questions for Hevrutah:

-What does it mean for God to "bring forth bread from the earth? Bread does not grow in the earth. Rather, wheat and flour come from the earth, and it becomes bread through dozens of steps done by humans. Is God personally bringing bread from the earth?

-The end of this text says "from הָאָרֶץ," the earth. A more fitting word would likely be "adamah," from "the land." What is the significance of this word? Does bread come from the earth or the land?

Comments:

In Judaism, humans are called "bzelem elokim," made in God's image. Maybe God personally does not bring bread from the earth, but God's conduits (humans) play a significant role in bringing bread from the earth.

This text also reminds us that the food we are about to eat is not truly ours, it is God's and it comes from God. This way of thinking requires a high amount of mindfulness and humility. Even if you personally cooked a challah, the bread if not truly yours. How can you use this bracha to take a moment to acknowledge divine ownership?

Action:

Take a pause to reflect on all the steps that occur from planting a seed in the ground to bringing forth bread to your plate. Can you count those blessings? Are you aware of the ingredients in your challah? Maybe take a moment to thank the person who bought/cooked the challah or the person who put it on your plate. They are a divine conduit as well.

The HaMotzi can be a powerful moment for mindfulness, reminding us that we are not true owners of food.

Rabbinic interpretation of bread:

In the text from Rashi - a medieval french rabbi - we learn that bread has a special purpose in Judaism. Bread "sustains the heart." As you read, reflect on how this text relates to "hamotzi" and adds a deeper level of meaning to the idea of "bringing forth" bread.

Questions for Hevrutah:

-What does it mean for bread to sustain your heart? What emotions does this text convey?

-What does this text teach us about the connection between the physical and divine parts of ourselves?

Action

Now that you have learned more about HaMotzi, say the blessing together.

Slowly eat the Challah.

Notice how it makes you feel. Do you feel more full or satisfied? Do you feel sustained? Do you feel more ready to enjoy the rest of the meal?

Share these thoughts with your neighbor.

Bringing it all together:

Now that you have learned about brachot, blessed the challah, and eaten the challah, reflect on the mindfulness of this experience. You could have done the blessing and eating in about 30 seconds, but instead you took a moment to stop, reflect, and learn.

What can you do now with a heart that is more "sustained?" How can you translate this mindfulness framework into environmentalism?

By thinking more about the divine conduits that brought the bread to your plate, you will be more aware of the food chain and food processing system. You may become more interested in how flower is made? Or olive oil? Or eggs? By cultivating awareness, you can be more aware of your actions and purchasing, ultimately cultivating more proximity to everything that comes מִן הָאָרֶץ, from the earth.

Introduction: Now that we have blessed and eaten the Challah, we are ready to enjoy the festive Shabbat meal. At this point, you are probably quite hungry and excited to eat. Exactly in this moment, when your bodily needs are speaking louder than your mind, it's important to reflect on moderation and mindfulness.

This next set of texts will help you think more critically about the food you are about to eat and what it means to eat until "satisfied." By being more aware of your body and of how much you take, you will start to learn the value of moderation and of limits. Learning about moderation helps us to reduce food waste, overconsumption, and ungratefulness (all of which are very normal human experiences).

Having an abundance of food and the option to overeat is a blessing not afforded to most people (and may not be available to you in this moment as well). In addition to thinking about how you will choose moderation in this exercise, take an extra moment to reflect on the bounty you do or do not have access to. Find extra space for gratitude and thanks. And if you are not in a place with bounty or excess right now, think about how you can still find moments of gratitude and meaning within the food choices you do have before you.

Action: while you are looking at the food but do not yet have it on your plate, read the following text from Deuteronomy.

Questions for hevrutah:

-How does this text relate to what you read above about the purpose of brachot (not misusing a consecrated object)? What is the purpose of giving thanks in this context?

-What character values is this text encouraging?

-Do you think this text could convey an underlying message about moderation and mindful eating?

-Why do you think this text discourages us from taking "credit" for our own work and wealth?

Comments:

This text reminds us that even when we are sitting in great wealth and plenty, we must still be humble and acknowledge that the food we are about to eat is provided by a blessing. This food is God's, not ours. We are vessels who have the opportunity to partake in the blessing of eating, but we must not become ungrateful or excessive in the process.

This text acknowledges that natural human instincts for greed and desire have existed throughout all time. The question becomes how we channel our desires. What do we have in mind while eating? How do we remain humble amidst plenty?

A closer look: וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ וְשָׂבָ֑עְתָּ וּבֵֽרַכְתָּ֙

The core ideas of this text hinge on these three words: "when you've eaten," "when you're full/satisfied/satieted," and "when you have blessed." But what does it mean to be full/satisfied? This word is especially important in the context of moderation. How do we know when we are full? How do we know when to stop eating?

Let's look at a text from Rambam's Mishneh Torah to learn more:

(context: Mishneh Torah is a 12th century code of Rabbinic Jewish law authored by Maimonides (Rabmam). Maimonides was a physician, and he wrote extensively about the human body in relation to Judaism and jewish law).

Rambam uses the word "מִשָּׂבְעָתוֹ" to describe being full satisfied. This word comes from the same root as " וְשָׂבָ֑עְתָּ" in Deut 8:10. Therefore, according to this text, full satisfaction would mean being more than 3/4 full. Instead of being fully satisfied, one should stop at 3/4 consumption.

Questions for Hevrutah:

-Why do you think Rambam recommends stopping at 3/4 satisfaction? Do you think one needs to eat to 100% to be fully satisfied/full?

-How could this framework of "satisfaction" change our perception of mindful eating and moderation?

-Do you think we would consume less if we didn't eat until 100% satisfaction?

Interesting note:

Rambam was writing in the 12th century, but this advice holds up in more modern contexts as well.

The Japanese have a similar concept called "Hara hachi bu" meaning “Eat until you’re 80% full.”

"It originated in the city of Okinawa, where people use this advice as a way to control their eating habits. Interestingly, they have one of the lowest rates of illness from heart disease, cancer and stroke, and a fairly long life expectancy.

Psychologist Susan Albers, PsyD, says this approach is helpful because it instructs you to stop eating when you feel only slightly full" (Cleveland Clinic).

Additionally, not eating until fullness can have medical benefits:

"Overeating causes your stomach to push against other organs in an already crowded abdominal area, making you feel uncomfortable, gassy, and sluggish (via MD Anderson Cancer Center). In addition, your body ends up needing to make extra hormones and enzymes to digest the food. The hydrochloric acid produced in your stomach to break down the food may back up into your esophagus, causing acid reflux and heartburn. As your heart rate goes up, you may feel hot or dizzy as more blood is sent to your gut to help digest the food."

Read More: https://www.healthdigest.com/1102092/when-you-always-eat-until-youre-full-this-is-what-happens-to-your-body/

One step further:

With regard to Manna in Egypt (God's blessed food that fell from the sky to save the Israelites), the Torah and Rabbis use similar language to "וְשָׂבָ֑עְתָּ" in Deut 8:10. When Moses tells the Israelites that God will provide Manna for them in Exodus 16:8, he does not use language of "satisfaction." Rashi says the following about this absence:

This texts brings in a "rule of conduct" not mentioned before - "do not each meat to satiety." The Israelites could have reasonable expectations to be fed bread to keep them alive (and obstensibly to "sustain their hearts" like we read before). But amidst being satisfied, the Israelites' "hearts had grown haughty" like God warned about in Deut 8:14. God punished the Israelites for their haughtiness and excess, demonstrating that moderation is an important value in the Torah. Rambam and Rashi teach us that moderation is a vital element of Judaism, and one must not eat to full satisfaction or eat food for a gluttonous purpose.

Questions:

-Why do you think meat is in a different category from bread?

-What can Rashi's text teach us about moderation and mindfulness?

-How does this text relate to the texts you studied before about HaMotzi? What is the symbolic significance of bread in this text?

Bringing it all together:

Deut 8:10, Rambam, and Rashi teach us that moderation is a key part of Jewish eating. We are not meant to eat until complete fulness. Rather, we are meant to be aware of how much we eat and avoid overconsumption.

Moderation is important for the environment as well as for our health. When we are more aware of our stomachs and how much we put on our plates, we are less likely to overconsume or waste food. America generates 1,000 pounds of food waste per person per year (PIRG). Additionally, food waste in the US is equivalent to the greenhouse emissions of 37 million cars (earth.org). With more moderation, we will waste less food, feel physically better, and reduce greenhouse gases.

Thinking about moderation can also help us fight hunger. By being more mindful of food, we will be aware of the amount we have in front of us and think about sharing that food with others. If you eat until you are 3/4 full, maybe consider donating the other 1/4 or the amount of money that's equivalent to 1/4 of your food.

Consider donating to Mazon, a jewish organization that helps fight hunger: https://mazon.org/

Action:

Now put food on your plate and enjoy your meal!

But eat slowly and intentionally. Try to stop eating at 3/4 full (of course being aware of your own bodily needs and relationship with food). See how you feel. Notice what it feels like to be full or satisfied. How can eating become a more meaningful, mindful, and thoughtful process? Try to reflect on how you can bring more moderation and awareness into the meal experience.

Part 3: gratitude - the grace after meals

Introduction:
Now that we have finished eating to a point in which are you satisfied, but not full, Judaism reminds us to have gratitude. Jewish law mandates that a blessing be said at the conclusion of a meal where bread was eaten called the "birkat hamazon." Remember that according to Jewish law, a meal is officially counted as a meal when bread is eaten (see HaMotzi texts for reference). The Birkat can be said sitting at the table where the meal was eaten or in view of the table where the meal was eaten. Often, it is said communally after a Shabbat meal.

The Birkat is composed of 4 blessings: (1) praising God for sustaining all life and providing food, (2) thanking God for nourishing the Jewish people with food and Torah, (3) a plea to speadily rebuild Jerusalem, and (4) praising the relationship between the Jewish people and God.

The Birkat conveys the fact that everything you just ate was not yours, it was Gods. You are not the full owner or creator of food, and food is a blessing, not a right or guarantee. The Birkat directly connects to the texts you studied before and during the meal, reminding us to be grateful for the food before us and mindful of the way that it got to us.

There is a great deal to learn and study regarding Birkat HaMazon. Theologically, psychologically, and historically, this prayer has deep layers and nuanced. For the purposes of this meal, we are going to focus on the Birkat as a method for learning gratitude and mindfulness.

Source: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/birkat-hamazon/

First, let's see where the obligation to say the Birkat comes from:

The obligation to say the Birkat comes dirctly from the text we just read, Deut 8:10!

Questions for Hevrutah:

-Why do you think the Rabbis determined that Deut 8:10 constitutes an obligation to say grace after meals? When you first read Deut 8:10, did you think it conveyed any sense of obligation?

-What is the connection between eating, beating satisfied, and blessing God? Is it possible for all three actions to be holy and full of priase?

-How do you think the process of saying Birkat after meals instills gratitude in us? Is the idea of saying a blessing after a meal inherently a gratitude practice?

Let's look at another text that dives deeper into the obligation to say Birkat:

From this text, it becomes clear that one is obligated to say Birkat even if they just eat a small piece of bread. The bar for being required to say a blessing is quite low according to the Rabbis. This standard is different from the one in the Torah in which blessings were required based on one's level of satisfaction and fullness. Under Rabbinic law, one is not just required to say a blessing when they eat from a table of bounty with steak, wine, and dessert. Rather, one is required to say a blessing for the smallest piece of bread (note from earlier: bread is the key element that constitutes a meal).

Questions for Hevrutah:

-Does this text surprise you at all? Why do you think the Rabbis set a lower bar for having to say the Birkat than the Torah?

-Note that the Rabbis set a uniform standard (size of an olive) for Birkat while the Torah set a subjective standard (amount of fullness). What do you think was the intention of this choice?

Commentary and conclusions:

This text serves as a radical message of gratitude that is applicable to anyone regardless of their socio-economic status or access to food. The most wealthy and the most poor person would likely eat an olive sized amount of bread during a festive meal, especially since bread is a fairly basic food in comparison to meat or wine (remember Rashi's commentary: asking for meat in the desert was seen as a gluttonous luxury, though asking for bread was seen as a basic necessity). In essense, everyone must say the Birkat after a meal regardless of the amount of food provided or the quality of that food.

In today's society, people with the most often tend to be the least grateful. When people have endless money, they are often tempted to seek more and be unsatisfied with what they have. In contrast, people without money are often keenly aware of what they have and cannot have. Without money, people cannot continuously seek more and better, so they are more likely to be satisfied with what they have. True gratitude often comes from a place of fullness and satisfaction with what one has, regardless of what that actual quantity looks like.

The Birkat teaches us to have a high level of gratitude, mindfulness, and empathy regardless of our circumstances. This type of gratitude is counter-cultural because it crosses between lines of wealth, power, and status. At the conclusion of a meal, everyone is equal in their obligation to be grateful.

Everyone is also reminded that their situation is not in their control, even if they feel tempted to take credit and say "כֹּחִי֙ וְעֹ֣צֶם יָדִ֔י עָ֥שָׂה לִ֖י אֶת־הַחַ֥יִל הַזֶּֽה ( “My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me," Deut 8:10). The Birkat (and most other blessings in Judaism) remind us to have gratitude for our blessings and remember that ultimately they come from God or God's conduits (other people).

Action:

Now take a moment to say the Birkat Hamazon, paying special attention to messages of gratitude. Additionally, notice on how the text focuses on the idea of God's ownership of the food. Use this moment as a reflection on gratitude and all of the blessings of the meal you just shared.

Here you can find some key texts from the Birkat that highlight gratitude, mindfulness, and God's ownership over food and land:

Summary, conclusions, and moving forward:

You have now concluded your Shabbat meal focused on mindfulness, moderation, and gratitude. I hope this experience has brought a new level of meaning and intention to traditional ritual experiences. This lesson has highlighted that Judaism has a great deal to offer in the realm of mindfulness and meaning, and our texts and Rabbis teach us how to frame our actions to elevate their holiness.

Remember that mindfulness, moderation, and gratitude are intimately connected. We say grace after meals when we eat bread to elevate the meal and remember God's role in it. We bless our bread in order to avoid misuse of food as a divine object. We eat bread and wash our hands to mark that a meal is truly a meal. Bread "satisfies our hearts," giving us the opportunity to live a life of meaning and blessing. We eat in moderation to be grateful for the fact that God has provided for you. We eat in moderation to sanctify our own bodies and remember that we are part of God's holy creation.

Judaism teaches us how to intertwine mindfulness, moderation, and gratitude, giving us opportunities to elevate our lives and live more environmentally consciously.

This lesson has taught us the following lessons about the intersection between environmentalism and mindfulness:

1) HaMotzi helps us think about food chains and food processing systems. By being aware of how bread arrives on our plates, we will be more conscious about how we buy and what we buy. Overall, this awareness will help us reduce overprocessing and excessive consumption.

2) The texts about moderation teach us to be mindful and avoid eating to excess or complete fulness. Moderation in eating will help us reduce food waste and excessive consumption. By reducing food waste, we will help lower carbon emissions, an important step in the fight against climate change. Furthermore, by being more aware of our own bodies while eating, we will be more reflective on issues of hunger and compelled to ensure that others have enough to eat.

3) The birkat hamazon teaches a radical, counter-cultural lesson in gratitude. Regardless of our socio-economic status or access to food, we have an obligation to bless the smallest morsel of bread on our plate. By being grateful regardless of our external conditions, we will be less likely to waste, overconsume, and needlessly spend. We will be more "satisfied" with what we already have, leading us to be happier, more mindful, and more intentional overall.

I hope you take these lessons to future meals and future moments of eating in all types of communities. Always take moments to make the mundane holy and build gratitude practices into your life.

וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ וְשָׂבָ֑עְתָּ וּבֵֽרַכְתָּ֙ - eat, be satisfied, and bless