I recall my experiences as a teenager working waiting tables in various restaurants. There was a high-paced energy that was difficult to maintain, but the greatest challenge was constantly being hungry while serving others food. Today, many have it much worse than anything I experienced, because they work long shifts with no breaks at all to eat.
The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (42:14) ruled that we must ensure that the food server also eats from the food being served. The Biur Halachah (169:1) went further, arguing that this rule requires the cook to be fed as well. The Gemara on which these rulings are based (Ketubot 61a) actually went even further than these legal authorities, stating that one must give food to anyone who can smell the food being prepared or served.
We have not lived up to these just rulings. One-fifth of all Americans work in the food sector, from planting and harvesting crops to selling food directly to consumers in fast-food establishments and restaurants, but these ” target=”_blank”>students who eat breakfast perform better than those who do not, especially in terms of attention span, the ability to concentrate, and IQ scores. For the adult workforce, companies such as ” target=”_blank”>Uri L'Tzedek, the Senior Rabbi at Kehilath Israel, and is the author of “” target=”_blank”>one of the top 50 rabbis in America.”
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