Main Menu

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and everything on the menu looked so good that you had a hard time choosing? Often, descriptions sound so intriguing, you just can’t decide. At least I can’t. I keep trying to figure out what I will enjoy more. I wonder how big the portions will be and what flavors they will introduce. I think menus should come with pictures. Of course, you’d still be guessing.

Sometimes I agonize over the menu for so long that I simply don’t enjoy the experience. Then I tell myself I’m being silly, and I pick something. Sometimes it’s good and I’ll remember that for the future, and sometimes it’s not and I usually won’t remember until I order it again in the future because it sounds good again.

Now, if you’re lucky, there will be a list of specials. Those are things that the chef recommends and they’re often a good value. Why? Because it’s something they need to get rid of quickly before it goes bad, or that wasn’t popular in some other form. They spice it up and make it yummier to sell fast.

Another way to aid your decision is to ask others who’ve been to the restaurant before. If you don’t know anyone to ask, you can look for people who post reviews (being careful to avoid Lashon Hara, of course, I’m sure) and gain insight from their experiences. Pay special attention to people who seem to be experts in the matter, and who have gone to the place multiple times.

Of course, the times that I am most satisfied with the decisions I’ve made is when choices are limited. “Would you like the chicken or the beef?” is a great question. I can decide what I’m more in the mood of that evening. You still might want to inquire about the method of preparation, as a fried cutlet is quite different than a stuffed capon or a roasted ¼ chicken, but it makes the choice easier.

I’d have to say my favorite choice was the time I was given the choice of grilled chicken breast, rib steak, or salmon filet. My decision took all of .00001 seconds. And that’s what started this article off.

Life is a smorgasbord of choices. We are faced with decisions all the time. Not just what to eat or what to wear, but what to say, what to think, and what to do. We have to try to think like chess grandmasters and imagine the results of those choices fifteen moves in advance or else face the unpleasant consequences our choices might bring down upon us.

That’s when we go for the tricks. Looking at someone else’s plate may not help us, as we can’t tell exactly what choices they made to get where they are or if the final dish served to us will look anything like it.

So instead we turn to the Chef’s recommendations. He actually has a whole book of them. It’s called the Torah and unlike a restaurant, these aren’t mitzvos or guidelines that will be out of style or no longer fresh anytime soon. Rather, these are things He really suggests we do. Not because if we don’t listen to Him we’ll be punished, but because He knows what we will like or, conversely, what will leave a bad taste in our mouths.

The Chef also recommends that we ask others for recommendations. Those are our Chachomim who are experts in the Torah and the world. They are the grandmasters who think many steps ahead and can see the dangers of certain decisions. That’s why they enacted safeguards to help us. They made gezeiros on certain things not to “take away all my fun,” but to prevent us from getting hurt on the slippery slope that all too often doesn’t seem so dangerous when we first happen upon it.

The result, when we listen to the Torah and our Chachomim, is that the bad choices, the overcooked foods or the ones which will make us sick or just feel gross, are removed from the menu. Our slimmed-down options put us in a better position to enjoy the party which is life.

While some will say that life is about experiencing different things, and not being able to experience them diminishes life, they’re probably not thinking about experiencing kidney stones or chemotherapy. The things that seem attractive may end up being worse than either.

Fortunately for us, by following the main menu of preferred choices and options, life will be a constant feast of epic proportions and exquisite delicacies.

Jonathan Gewirtz is an inspirational writer and speaker whose work has appeared in publications around the world. You can find him at www.facebook.com/RabbiGewirtz, and follow him on Instagram @RabbiGewirtz or Twitter @RabbiJGewirtz. He also operates JewishSpeechWriter.com, where you can order a custom-made speech for your next special occasion. Sign up for the Migdal Ohr, his weekly PDF Dvar Torah in English. E-mail info@JewishSpeechWriter.com and put Subscribe in the subject.