What do you do when you read advice that goes against the teachings of Judaism?
I recently came across an article in Time Magazine where it states that the world’s oldest woman begins her day with... oy vey... bacon! Four strips, every morning, along with eggs and potato grits. What’s more, she swears by her diet, and even has a sign in her kitchen that reads, “Bacon makes everything better.”
Who's going to argue with her? She's 116 years old and still going strong. Susannah Mushatt Jones also credits her longevity to getting 10 hours of sleep at night and a diligent daytime nap schedule.
All this got me thinking about how we balance our values with our desires; Jewish Law and tradition with the customs and norms of the secular society in which we live.
Do we eat bacon, or not?
Do we try to observe Shabbat,
or do we treat it just like any other day?
Which set of values do we follow?
What are your thoughts?
How do you balance your principles with your wants, and which seems to dominate the other?
Food for thought.
#
P.S.: Want to receive these posts in your inbox? Email me here to sign up!
I recently came across an article in Time Magazine where it states that the world’s oldest woman begins her day with... oy vey... bacon! Four strips, every morning, along with eggs and potato grits. What’s more, she swears by her diet, and even has a sign in her kitchen that reads, “Bacon makes everything better.”
Who's going to argue with her? She's 116 years old and still going strong. Susannah Mushatt Jones also credits her longevity to getting 10 hours of sleep at night and a diligent daytime nap schedule.
All this got me thinking about how we balance our values with our desires; Jewish Law and tradition with the customs and norms of the secular society in which we live.
Do we eat bacon, or not?
Do we try to observe Shabbat, or do we treat it just like any other day?
Which set of values do we follow?
What are your thoughts?
How do you balance your principles with your wants, and which seems to dominate the other?
Food for thought.
#
P.S.: Want to receive these posts in your inbox? Email me here to sign up!
That's a very interesting question. Being basically a conservatively principled person, which I attribute to be the result of being raised as an Orthodox Jew, I generally follow my principles ahead of my desires. That having been said, I find it difficult to ignore the realities of our secular world. For example, Shabbat ...my observance resembles that most commonly found in Israel. I'm into the spirit of the day rather than the religious observance of the day.
ReplyDelete