Health Minister Yitzchak Litzman is preparing for Chanukah and one step being taken is speaking out about overindulging in sufganiyot (jelly donuts), which are popular in Israel.
Speaking at a health conference taking place in Ashkelon on Monday 12 Kislev, the minister, who created a storm when he spoke out against junk food, now states “One does not have to ingest a mountain of sufganiyot”. He calls on “Educating the younger generation to eat as few as possible”.
He clarified “I am not saying it should be prohibited as they are eaten, but one shouldn’t eat a mountain of them but eat one on Chanukah and that’s it”.
When pointed out to him that eating jelly donuts is a mitzvah, Litzman responded there are far more important mitzvos that must be fulfilled and one should not be too concerned regarding the donuts.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
I know that u’shartem al nafshoseichem is a mitzva, but who brings down eating donuts as a mitzva?
This rabbi actually means it, and not for publicity sake, either.
While I don’t know the doughnut-gorging habits of the Israeli public, I have seen many many cases of obesity in heimishe neighborhoods in the USA.
Ask any cardiologist or gastroenterologist working in the NYC area about frum eating patterns.
“When pointed out to Litzman that eating jelly donuts is a mitzvah – Litzman responded there are far more important mitzvos that must be fulfilled…”
I just checked several online listings of taryag mitzvos and NONE of my sources listed “v’achalta sufganiyot” as a mitzvas aseh. However, I did find, “u’shamartem es nafshoseichem” as a legitimate mitzvah. As a public health minister, and supposedly a learned yid with knowledge of daas torah, why would Litzman legitimize the consumption of junk food. There is already too much consumption of fatty meats, starchy kugels, salty fish etc. in the typical “heimeshe” diet and somehow that is justified on the basis of it being a mitzvah to eat the same junkfood as our grandparents ate int the alte heim. Litzman properly cautions “moderation” but perhaps a more aggressive healthy eating campaign by EY’s most senior public health official would do more to be mekayem the mitzvah of u’shamartem es nafshoseichem”.