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May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting
May 13, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation

David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church

Emily Alpert: Recession dragged down birth rates for less-educated women
Morgan Housel: The deep downside of home ownership

Peter Teffer: Will Dutch police soon be stalking cybercriminals on your computer?

Heidi McIndoo, M.S., R.D.: Meatless 'meat' can have its own set of problems

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Celebrate! This must-try appetizer is delicate yet has depth of flavor: Corn-Leek Cakes with Caviar, Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

May 10, 2013

Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be

Caroline B. Glick: The dirty little secret about Israel's Arabs

Mona Charen: Hawking's Moral Calculus: The man and the movement he embraces
Morgan Housel: The biggest retirement myth ever told

Sandi Doughton: Eyes may provide new insight into brain problems

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : The Great Gatsby's Jewish Ties; Jews in the "Time 100 list" List; People's Most Beautiful Women

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A sweet-hot meal: Pear salsa spices up salmon

May 8, 2013

Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate

Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
Amanda Paulson: Study reveals sad truths about community colleges

Harvard Health Letters: Evidence weak that zinc, echinacea are beneficial

The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility

May 6, 2013

Edmund Sanders and Patrick J. McDonnell: Think Israel's objective in Syria is to weaken Assad or embolden the rebels? Think again

Brian Bennett: Israeli airstrikes may show weakness in Syrian defense

Michael Ollove: Millions of ex-felons, parolees and those on probation are about to be entitled to tax-payer paid health coverage
Karen Kaplan: Most men can skip PSA test for prostate cancer, urologists say

Kimberly Lankford: How to track down a lost life insurance policy

Dream of Mars exploration achievable, experts say

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan M. Selasky: EGGPLANT WRAPS are an easy, sumptuous and scrumptious meal

May 3, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text

Steven Emerson: Attorney General Fights CAIR in Court, Lauds it in Public

Mediterranean diet helps beat dementia: study
Harvard Health Letters: When to be screened for a hearing problem

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Iron Man's Jewish Connections; Marc Maron's New TV Show; Martin Landau Grows Up with Israel; Shalom, Allan Arbus

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: A sweet surprise for Mother's Day dessert

May 1, 2013

Jonathan Rosenblum: An Improbable Journey to Orthodoxy

Jonathan Tobin: Blame Obama, Not Israel for Syria Push

Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Halena M. Gazelka, M.D.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: What you need to know about implanted pain relief devices

Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine

Jessica Shugart: When it comes to math, MRIs may be better than IQs

The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The celebrated chef on how high-maintenance ASPARAGUS RISOTTO need not be

April 29, 2013

Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust

Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?

Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Morgan Housel: He's rich, smart and old: Listen to him

Thomas Salinas, D.D.S.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: The safety of amalgam fillings

Harvard Health Letters: Tomatoes and stroke protection

Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Swing into spring with lemon cream pie

April 26, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The world is a mirror

Caroline B. Glick: Time to confront Obama

Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Kimberly Lankford: New strategies ease pain of paying for long-term care insurance

Howard LeWine, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Too much ibuprofen?

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Major Leaguers, 2013; New Movies and Comedy Show; Shalom, 'Lumpy' (Leave it to Beaver)

The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Ho : A bright and cheerful salad to herald the warmer months ahead

April 24, 2013

Steven Emerson: Boston Bomber Exposes Islamist Secret

Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
Harvard Health Letters: Can you get headaches from headache medication?

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to easily get more Omega-3s in your diet

Melissa Healy: Pot in a pill: All the pain relief without the smoke

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Chipotle Chili Butternut Squash Soup is bold, zesty, hot

April 22, 2013

Ken Dilanian: Counterterrorism's future is unclear

US man departing country arrested on terror charges
Barbara Williams: An unorthodox but growing treatment in a 9-year-old's battle against cancer

P.J. Skerrett, M.D.: How to recognize a good whole grain product

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Teen actor Jonah Bobo in New Flick: Hunky James Wolk on Mad Men; Erich Segal's Daughter Writes Prize-Winning Jewish Novel


Jewish World Review Jan. 30, 2006 / 30 Teves, 5766

Girth vs. worth

By Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir


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Yes Judaism believes in cultivating health and well-being, but the most important kind of health is the spiritual kind


http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | I received a number of questions and objections about my recent column where I wrote that moderate overeating is not unethical . I feel that this is a very important ethical topic, and so in response to the cogent questions I received I want to further explain my position.


First of all, I wonder if the claim that overweight is an ethical failing is clearly thought out. Most Americans, after all, are overweight; should we conclude that most are unethical individuals?


Let's go a little further. The site or newspaper carrying my column also treats you to inspiring pieces by a wide array of individuals of outstanding ethical stature. As your character is strengthened by learning from these gifted individuals, do you ever wonder about their girth?


I doubt that you do, and I certainly don't believe that you should.


Many readers objected that being overweight shortens life. This claim has some ethical weight, but it is limited. Taken to extremes, it would dictate a life dedicated to increasing longevity, mortgaging our quality of life to its mere quantity. A severe "calorie reduction" diet seems to increase life expectancy even for thin people, but I don't think the average thin person is thereby unethical. Many (not all) people find that such a diet involves significant discomfort or loss of functioning, just as many overweight people find dieting unbearable. Studies show that getting more sleep increases life expectancy, but the number of waking hours is diminished. Is it unethical to get the most out of life by managing on five hours of sleep a night?


But the most important objection I have is spiritual. Of course Judaism believes in cultivating health and well-being. Maimonides the rabbi devotes an entire chapter of his authoritative legal work to giving us the benefit of the medical knowledge of Maimonides the world-famous physician. The chapter begins: "Since having a healthy and whole body is among the ways of G-d — for it is impossible for a person to understand or know anything of the knowledge of the Creator when he is sick — therefore a person is required to distance himself from anything which damages the body, and to conduct himself according to those things which invigorate and cure." The chapter goes on to detail the importance of a healthy and moderate diet, regular exercise, and adequate sleep.


But the most important kind of health and well-being is the spiritual kind. We can find a profound metaphor for this in Oscar Wilde's famous book, The Picture of Dorian Gray. In the book, a handsome young man named Dorian Gray becomes obsessed with maintaining his youthful appearance, and wishes that his portrait should age while he should remain youthful. His wish is granted, and his life of sin and dissipation make his portrait uglier and more repulsive from day to day while his own appearance is unaffected. At his death, the picture suddenly reverts to its original youthful appearance and the actual Dorian Gray dies an ugly old man.


Many Jewish sources describe a similar process, whereby our earthly deeds affect our supernal or spiritual selves. A common way of describing this process is to state that each of the 613 commandments of the Torah corresponds to one organ of this idealized human body.


A life of corruption degrades this self, as experienced by Dorian Gray. Some of the classic moralistic works try to concretize our understanding of sin by an imaging exercise, whereby we imagine ourselves missing some vital limb or organ as a result of transgression.


But a life of virtue has the opposite effect. Even as our external appearance inevitably deteriorates and our health declines with age, our unique spiritual "portrait" gains strength and beauty from year to year, even from minute to minute. While the materialistic culture surrounding us perceives a shriveled and frail old person, our inner vision may enable us to see a man or woman of striking beauty, which cannot be matched by any young person. As our days on earth reach their end, we continue our likeness to Dorian Gray; we change places with our portrait and enter the World of Truth with the traits we have cultivated with our deeds during our life.


The difference is that according to Judaism, we can continue to develop even after death. The Talmud tells us that the righteous go "from strength to strength" even in the world to come, for their good deeds do not end with their passing but continue to have an impact for years or even generations.


I know many individuals who waddle or wheeze their way to the bus stop, but run like gazelles to help others. While physical fitness is definitely praiseworthy and desirable, the most important key to a good and long life is our ethical fitness.

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JWR contributor Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, formerly of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Reagan administration, is Research Director of the Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem, Jerusalem College of Technology. To comment or pose a question, please click here.


Previously:

Is it proper to tax bequests?
Ethics of Being Overweight
Penalized for working swiftly
When is it a bluff?
'Rate and switch'
My paycheck is late!
Should schools cater to an elite?
All's fair in love?
Comfort and Competition
Do I need the caller's permission to put a call on the speakerphone?
Overtime for lost time
Is it unethical to play suppliers against each other to get the lowest bid possible?
Do family members have precedence in charity allotments?
What the world of business can teach us about our annual process of repentance and renewal
Are religious leaders subject to criticism?
Vindictive Vendor: How can I punish an abusive competitor?
Blogging Ethics: Is the blogger responsible for defamatory posts?







© 2005, The Jewish Ethicist is produced by the JCT Center for Business Ethics