Deborah Jacobi on the Rambam, hunger, and why eating is a mitzvah. | Parasha Eikev
"You will eat, and be satisfied, and bless." One verse in Parashat Ekev, and an hour on the most ordinary thing any of us does.Before anything else: our guest Deborah Jacobi has just launched her own podcast, Jewish Political Watch. One tap to back her: https://www.youtube.com/@JewishPoliticalWatch770Shlomo is joined by Deborah Jacobi, author of The Intimate Act of Eating and The Moral Act of Eating, for a conversation about food, the body, and the idea that we have never once eaten a meal in private. Deborah brings the Rambam's medicine of 800 years ago into a world he would barely recognize: eat when you are hungry, drink when you are thirsty, stop at three quarters full, move your body every day. Alongside it runs a Chassidic claim that most of us quietly do not believe, which is that the body is no less holy than the soul, and that how we treat it is not preparation for a mitzvah but the mitzvah itself.This episode is dedicated to a refuah shleimah for Pesya bat Chana and for Malka Ester bat Sarah Leah.CHAPTERS00:00 Parashat Ekev, the verse, and the dedications01:31 Why Deborah wrote the books, and the Rebbe who kept asking02:59 The body is no less holy than the soul06:17 What the Rambam understood 800 years ago09:18 Overeating, inflammation, and the case for bitter foods11:29 Do cells have likes and dislikes14:30 Why the Arizal and Rebbe Nachman put the evil inclination at the table17:55 A four part summary, and where it needs correcting20:30 Moderation as the Rambam's entire philosophy22:39 When to eat, and the truth about drinking water26:11 What eating with consciousness actually means30:33 Chewing, the tongue, and 32 pathways of wisdom35:22 Does it matter where you eat39:53 What horses teach about simplicity42:18 Eating in the land of Israel48:17 Fermented foods, bitter foods, and parasites53:08 Elevating the mundane, and a baby's first act of giving56:07 Deborah's mission57:56 Where to find DeborahONE TAP FOR DEBORAHDeborah recorded this from London, where she is looking after her mother. She has also just started a new podcast, Jewish Political Watch, and a new show lives or dies on its first few hundred subscribers.If this hour was worth something to you, this is the easiest way to say so. It takes one tap and it costs nothing.Jewish Political Watch Podcast:https://www.youtube.com/@JewishPoliticalWatch770Let's show her what this audience is like.MORE FROM DEBORAHWebsitehttps://[email protected] Intimate Act of Eatinghttps://www.amazon.com/Intimate-Act-Eating/dp/1568717008The Moral Act of Eatinghttps://www.amazon.com/Moral-Act-Eating/dp/1568717016THE OASIS IS 50% OFF FOR A FEW MORE DAYSThe Oasis is our membership community: live learning, the full lesson library, and people who are actually studying alongside you. The half price window closes in a couple of days.https://alshechacademy.org/oasisABOUTAlshech Academy is a nonprofit Torah and Kabbalah academy in Tsfat. Depth without the jargon, and no background required.Become Unshakable.
