Monday, July 31, 2017

food - If Bal Tashchis and Achila Gasa would get in a fight, who would win?


There is a prohibition not to be wasteful. There is also a prohibition not to overeat. If a person was full, and the rest of the food was going to go to waste, is it better to discard perfectly good food, or better to overeat in order to not waste?


In order that no one attempt to avoid the underlying issue by finding a way not to waste the food, let's assume that the subject is stranded on a desert island with no other forms of life to which he could feed this food or use it for any constructive purpose.



Answer



The gemara in Shabbos says (140b)



בל תשחית דגופא עדיף

Damaging (lit. בל תשחית [lit. destruction]) of one's body is more important [than בל תשחית of food]



(translation mine)


Seems pretty simple that if overeating is harmful to a person's body (which it is), it should be avoided even at the cost of wasting food.


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