Big Gulp?

Shabbat Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld

Dec 26-27, 2025 • 7 Teves 5786 • Vayigash (Gen 44-47).

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Someone asked me a question this week that I get asked nearly every week lately:

What do you think of Ozempic?

The question was motivated, I believe, by the perception that many people are taking these drugs for cosmetic - not medical - reasons.

I told him, there are certain topics that I have an opinion about that I won't state in public because I'm guaranteed to offend someone. This is one such topic.

Perhaps I can safely say that I'm certainly happy that the "skinny shots" (or now, the "skinny pill") are possibly saving some people's lives.

Perhaps I can also safely say that I'm concerned about side-effects, including: 

Nausea and Vomiting: The most frequent complaint.

Diarrhea or Constipation: Caused by the slowing of the digestive tract.

Stomach Pain and Bloating: Often described as a feeling of "extreme fullness."

Fatigue and Dizziness: Sometimes related to decreased caloric intake or dehydration.

Perhaps I can say that I'm concerned about rare but serious risks, including:

Gastroparesis (Stomach Paralysis): A condition where the stomach empties too slowly or stops moving food entirely. This can lead to severe, persistent vomiting and malnutrition.

Pancreatitis: Inflammation of the pancreas, which causes severe abdominal pain that often radiates to the back.

Gallbladder Problems: An increased risk of gallstones or cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder).

Kidney Injury: Often a secondary result of severe dehydration from vomiting or diarrhea.

Vision Changes: Specifically, it may worsen diabetic retinopathy. Recent studies have also looked into a potential (though very rare) link to NAION, a condition that can cause sudden vision loss.

Perhaps I won't offend anyone to say that I'm also concerned about:

The "Ozempic Rebound" (Weight Regain).

Hormonal Snapback: When you stop the medication, the "food noise" and hunger return—often more intensely than before.

Statistical Regain: Clinical studies have shown that users who stop the medication tend to regain about two-thirds of the weight they lost within one year.

Psychological and Emotional Changes

Loss of "Food Joy": Many users report a "flatness" or "anhedonia" regarding food. While the goal is to stop overeating, some find that food no longer tastes good or that they lose the social pleasure of dining out, which can feel isolating.

Mood Fluctuations: There are ongoing investigations by the FDA and EMA into reports of increased anxiety, depression, or suicidal ideation. For some, the rapid shift in metabolic hormones can impact emotional regulation.

"Food Noise" Replacement: While the mental obsession with food often disappears, some users report a "transfer" of habits or a feeling of being mentally disconnected from their body's natural cues.

Financial Burden

Cost: Without insurance, these drugs can cost between $900 and $1,300 per month. Even with recent price drops in late 2025 for cash-pay patients (sometimes as low as $349), it remains a significant monthly bill.

Insurance Barriers: Most insurance companies cover these drugs for Type 2 Diabetes (Ozempic/Mounjaro) but frequently deny coverage for weight loss (Wegovy/Zepbound), leading to long "prior authorization" battles.

Muscle Loss (Sarcopenia): 20-25% of the weight lost can be lean muscle mass rather than fat. This can lead to physical weakness and a lower metabolic rate, making it even harder to stay thin if you ever stop the medication.

​Now, for someone for whom a GLP-1 agonist is a life-saver, saving a life is the highest priority.

But for someone who wants to use it merely for cosmetic reasons ... ???

Question for your table: What do you think of Ozempic?

Shabbat Shalom

Can There Be Chanukah Joy This Year?

 

 

Shabbat Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld

Dec 19-20, 2025 • 29 Kislev 5786 • Mikeitz (Gen 41-44).

Try asking this at your table: Is there any silver lining in the Bondi Beach Massacre?

Certainly for the victims and their families, it's hard to even ask this question.

But I would like to suggest we don't lose sight of two facts that matter utterly.

1. The killers and their handlers (likely Iran) want to destroy Judaism and the Jewish People.

2. They cannot destroy Judaism and the Jewish People.

3. Every such massacre actually strengthens Judaism and the Jewish People.

The victims who died did not die in vain. Their death has made us all a little bit stronger. 

Let's hang on to that strength, gaze at the candles and think: how lucky we are to be not only on the good side, but also on the winning side.

As Churchill said, "So you've made some enemies? Good for you - that means you stood for something."

Question for your table: Is there any greater joy than knowing that your life has a purpose?

That said, actions speak louder than words. Please support the family of R' Yaakov Levitan here and other victims/families here.


Happy Chanukah and

Shabbat Shalom

PS - to learn more about this remarkable tzaddik and his family, click the image above.

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Make Chanukah Fruitful Again?

 

 

Shabbat Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld

Dec 12-13, 2025 • 22 Kislev 5786 • Vayeshev (Gen 37-40).

Someone online asked:

My menorah just broke. It’s replaceable, but Hanukkah is on Sunday and I can’t find any place that ships them before then. I don’t have Amazon Prime, and there aren’t many Jews where I live so there are no places to buy one locally. My hot glue is drying before I can get the pieces to stick together, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to fix the one I have. Anyone know where online I can get one in time?

One reply was, "If you’re near a college with a Hillel you can call them and they may be able to help." Similarly, someone wrote, "Chabad will give you one for free. Do you have one in driving distance?" Someone else: "In Google Maps, Google “Menorah near me” and see if anything comes up within driving distance."

Question for your table - What would you advise this person?

The worst answer, in my judgment: "You can get Amazon Prime then immediately cancel so it doesn't renew."

The best answers were in the DIY category:

You don't need a menorah. You just need the right number of candles. Get tea lights and set them up in a row every night

Do you have ten nuts? You can go old school and make one like when we were kids

I once saw someone make a menorah out of a long sweet potato. As long as the shamash is higher than the others, you should be fine

But, but, but... isn't a menorah supposed to be beautiful?

The truth is, the basic mitzvah of Chanukah is lighting just one candle each night. The additional candles are in the category of "beautifying the mitzvah."

So here's a contrarian question for your table - Why, then, does anyone bother with fancy silver, brass, or glass menorahs?

(FYI, this week I gave a class on this subject which can be watched/heard/downloaded here.)


Shabbat Shalom and

Happy Chanukah


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How full is your cup...?

Shabbat Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld

Dec 5-6, 2025 • 15 Kislev 5786 • Vayishlach (Gen 32-36).

We're counting down the days until Hannukah ... find our curated Channukah books and gift suggestions on BestJewishBooks.com (or uncurated @ Amazon). 

Greetings from Toronto!

The flight path yesterday took us over beautiful Lake Ontario. 

That name is actually a funny redundancy - "Ontario" literally means "beautiful lake."


But I suppose if you don't speak Huron or Wendat or Wyandat then it's just a name.

In classical Hebrew, there's no such thing as "just a name." Your Hebrew name is connected to your soul and its mission in this world. 

In other words, if you know your Hebrew name, then you have the most important clue to your life mission.

We have a tradition that after a person leaves this world and goes before the Evaluation Committee to see how they did in this lifetime, the first question asked is, "What's your name?" 

Unfortunately, many people are unable to answer that very basic question, making their appearance in that Heavenly Court quite.... uncomfortable, shall we say.

Regardless of your name, there's are some universals that I can say we are all meant to achieve in our lifetime, including being "courteous, kind and forgiving" etc.

Regardless of your mission, there is a universal challenge that I call the "half-cup test." 

I refer to the cliche - an optimist sees a cup as half-full, a pessimist sees it as half-empty.

You can try this at your Shabbat table - fill a cup to fifty percent and ask everyone at the table, Do you see this cup as half full or half empty?
 
Now for the punchline: It's neither. The happiest people in the world look at such a cup and say, "It's full."

The good news is, if your gut reaction is "half full" or even "half empty", and you want to be a "It's full" type of person, you can change your thinking. It takes daily work - every time you are feeling hopeful about the future, or even feeling a lack, train yourself to pause and appreciate all that you have right now. Become a my-cup-is-full type of person.

Shabbat Shalom

PS - Here's my photo of Lake Beautiful Lake - what do you think? Aptly named?



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