Mastering Your Impulses: A Guide to Mindful Eating

One of the biggest battles in life is against our yetzer hara, or evil inclination. Each day presents us with numerous choices that test our resilience: should we turn right or left? Lash out in anger or respond calmly? Compare ourselves to others or be content with what we have? Reach for those tempting snacks or opt for a vibrant salad?

Towards the end of this week's Torah portion, we're warned about a major conflict, which the Ohr HaChaim explains is our personal battle against the yetzer hara, attempting to lure us into indulgence.

In our modern world, the temptation to overindulge in food is relentless. Advertisements use sophisticated tactics to seduce us, as seen in one ad depicting a long arm reaching for a snack, with the tagline, "It's natural to lose control". Such marketing strategies, echoing the voice of our yetzer, successfully trap many in a cycle of unhealthy eating.

Has the battle already been lost to the yetzer hara? Certainly not. The Torah doesn't leave us defenseless. From the very beginning of creation, it teaches us the foundation for overcoming our impulses: "Sin crouches at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it". Rashi writes: "The yetzer hara is always eager to trip you up, but you will master him, if you choose to".

It's true; defeating the yetzer hara is no easy task!

However, don't worry. Hashem said to Israel, "My children, I created the yetzer hara, and I also created the Torah as its antidote" (Kiddushin 30b). The key to victory is studying Torah, especially the ethical teachings on eating that have been passed down through generations.

A powerful example is the Ramchal's straightforward view on the "pleasures of food" in "The Path of the Just, Chapter on Abstinence": "The pleasure of food is the most tangible and sensory. Is there anything more fleeting? It lasts only as long as it stays in the throat; once swallowed and digested, it's as if it never existed... especially when considering the many illnesses that overeating may cause." He concludes, "Surely a person who knows these truths won't desire excessive pleasures, as their benefits are trivial, and their consequences severe." Ultimately, the Ramchal offers a "golden promise": "With continuous reflection on this truth, one will gradually free oneself from the prison of ignorance, whose material darkness binds them, and won't be swayed by false temptations, instead finding value in only what's necessary."

So next time you're faced with a suspicious snack or sweet, fortify yourself with the teachings of our sages on mindful eating.

Nir Cohen is a dietitian at Meuhedet Clinics and a nutritional consultant for the Orthodox community at the Ministry of Health.