By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin in Pikesville, Maryland
Many people in many cultures feel it is good to change their behavior at the beginning of a new year, to make it a better year for themselves and their families. This makes sense. The problem is that they do not know how to make the change. As a result, most of these people usually abandon their resolve in a short time. I will explain how this sensible idea should be implemented, how to ensure the new behavior will not be abandoned, and propose a new resolution for people to adopt.
God, or if you prefer, nature, gave humans intelligence and a realization that to be human, people need to use that intelligence before doing anything. Our intelligence urges us to strive daily to improve ourselves and society by learning about the world, so that we and the world can get better. And it makes sense to improve our behavior at the start of the new year.
Since I was a child, when I began reading my dad’s books in his vast library, I decided to be a man like the brilliant Jewish thinker, Maimonides (1138-1204). He was a man who, tradition states, was as great as the Lawgiver Moses. His name was Moses, son of Maimon. The name Maimonides is the Greek version of his name and means “son of Maimon.” Tradition states there was no one as great as Moses, from Moses the lawgiver to Moses, son of Maimon.
Maimonides mastered both Jewish and secular studies. He was a brilliant author of books on Jewish law and philosophy as well as volumes on medicine and proper behavior. He devoted his life to helping people of all religions. He was the medical doctor of the Arab leader in Egypt and helped people at all levels of intelligence improve in every way.
I wanted, like Maimonides, to learn as much as I can about Judaism and the world. I became a rabbi not to lead synagogues but to know Judaism. (Although I did take jobs as a synagogue rabbi, I spent much of my time teaching.)
I did the same by studying the world. I joined the army, which considered me to be intelligent and paid for my many degrees, including a law degree. I ultimately became a professor at the Army Chaplain’s school, then worked in the Pentagon for eight years, where I became a general. Among other things at the Pentagon, I worked on legal matters involving law and religion, including papers for President Reagan.
I helped defend the military when lawyers tried to declare the chaplaincy a violation of the First Amendment, which bars the government from engaging in religion.
Besides the law degree, the Army paid for my Master’s degree in Psychology, my Master’s degree in Literature, and my PhD in Aramaic literature. They also paid for my book about handling the constitutional court case. Altogether, I wrote 67 books.
Judaism offers many occasions to persuade people to improve themselves and society, including the emphasis on this goal on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. People mistake the holy days and the statements in the prayer books for these days as ways to change behavior. An example is the statement in the Jewish prayer book that “Repentance, Prayer, and Charity” avert the harsh decree in the powerful High Holiday prayer U’Netaneh Tokef, recited on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
This promise originates in Talmudic sources, such as Tractate Ta’anit, which emphasize these actions as ways to alter divine judgment for the better. Neither saying, “I repent,” nor praying nor giving charity changes behavior. They only encourage people to take actions that do so.
Maimonides describes the three steps that lead to behavioral change. First, recognize that what you are doing is wrong. Second, decide to change the behavior to a proper one. Third, begin practicing the new practice and make it a habit that you continue.
I will now tell you a new resolution that the brilliant doctor advised, one still recognized by scientists over 800 years after his death. Over 70 percent of people in the US are grossly overweight and are killing themselves by retaining it.
People often think they should eat until they feel “full.” This is a terrible mistake. The body does not recognize that it is “full.” By continuing to eat until the eater feels “full,” the body is filled with food it does not need, which adds weight that balloons the body and damages internal organs.
Maimonides and scientists today tell us we should stop eating while we are still hungry, after consuming only about three-quarters of what we thought we needed. We will find that in half an hour, we will feel satisfied.
I have always done this and always felt good. I was never overweight. I even enjoyed the half hour when I did not feel “full.”
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Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin is a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps. He is the author of 67 books.