Breakfast in the times of the Talmud
I have heard some people say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and we should be eating a large breakfast. We believe that breakfast is like any other meal. In fact, in the book, I mention reasons why breakfast should be your lightest meal of the day. That is your choice but we do not subscribe to the belief that breakfast is more important than any other meal.
Some people argue: ‘I need to eat a large breakfast such as eggs, toast and even flesh protein because the Talmud writes that eating breakfast prevents illnesses’.
I will show you that in the times of the Talmud, breakfast was not considered one of the main meals. When it was eaten, it was a very simple particular type of snack. Let us take a look.
Main Meals
In the Talmud it says:
R’ Eliezer says: A person is obligated to eat fourteen meals in the succah. One during the day and one during the night [of each of the seven days of Succos]…
What is the reason? ‘Reside in the succah in the manner that you reside [in your homes the rest of the year]’. Just as during the year, [you eat] one [meal] during the day and one during the night, so too in the succah, [you should eat] one meal during the day and one during the night…
Meiri explains that R’Eliezer only includes meals which are eaten as part of one’s usual eating habits, i.e. one meal in the day and another in the night, but not meals like the third Shabbas meal which is eaten because of a separate requirement.
Clearly, in Talmudic times, people used to eat only two main meals a day – one during the day and one at night.
You may ask: Maybe the first of the two meals was eaten in the morning and breakfast was in fact one of the main meals?
The Talmud* says explicitly that the first meal was eaten at lunch time. The Tur and Shulchan Oruch* repeat this advice verbatim: When the fourth hour of the day arrives one should eat his meal. A Torah scholar who is engaged in his studies may wait until the sixth hour. Delaying lunch further is like throwing a stone into a flask*, if one did not taste anything in the morning.
Clearly, the first main meal was eaten at lunch time and the second main meal was eaten at dinner time. Nevertheless, the Talmud* does say of someone who eats bread in the morning: There are 83 kinds of diseases which are dependent on the gall bladder. Bread in salt and a jug of water in the morning eliminates them.
This would indicate a third breakfast meal was eaten every day?
The Breakfast Snack
The solution lies in the amount of bread that was eaten! This is a real eye opener.
The Talmud says*: One may eat lightly out the succah. (One is obligated to be in the Succah as he would in his house. Therefore, meals must be eaten in the succah but certain snacks may be eaten out the succah.)
The Talmud asks: How much is considered light eating?
Rav Yosef said: The volume of two or three eggs.
Abeye said to Rav Yosef: But that would constitute a regular meal. Rather, it is the same as the amount a Torah student tastes before going to the lecture.
Rashi* explains that a student quickly eats one mouthful and drinks something in case the lecture will be drawn out. (One mouthful is equivalent to an egg’s volume.* Therefore, this amount of food may be eaten out the succah.)
This Talmudic passage is the source for how they used to eat breakfast in Talmudic times, as the Tur* writes: One may eat a ‘bread breakfast’ before going to the Beis Midrash* if he is accustomed to it, as it says ‘a Torah student tastes before going to the lecture’. This is a good habit as it says, ‘there are 83 kinds of diseases which are dependent on the gall bladder. Bread in salt and a jug of water in the morning eliminates them.’
Mishneh Berurah* also quotes this statement in the Talmud as the source for how they used to eat breakfast in Talmudic times.
We see that in Talmudic times only a very small amount of bread was eaten in the morning - one mouthful, which is the size of one egg’s volume. Let me remind you that this is the equivalent of ¾ of a machine slice of bread, ½ a pita, 1/5 of a bagel OR ¼ of a Challah role.
Maharshah* writes that it seems from the Talmud that specifically a very simple meal consisting of water and bread are intended.* The Mishneh often stresses that water and bread are simple inexpensive forms of sustenance. Furthermore, water and bread improve the intellect whereas other foods and drinks may confuse the mind. Moreover, tastier foods may increase desire and the intent was to start the day on a simple note…
It is also interesting to note that not everyone ate this morning snack. The Be’er Heitav* quotes the Mordechai that if one eats this Talmudic breakfast, it must be eaten everyday and therefore the Sages did not eat this breakfast.
This is also implied from the Talmudic statement mentioned above which says that delaying lunch later than the sixth hour is like throwing a stone into a flask, if one did not taste anything in the morning.
So if anyone is going to follow the prescribed breakfast of the Talmud, one cannot eat a large breakfast consisting of starches and protein and base it on the Talmud! The ‘Talmudic breakfast’ is in fact a very simple small snack like breakfast.
In Summary:
In our system there are two main meals like in the times of the Talmud and Rambam. The difference lies in the third light meal:
Breakfast in Talmudic times:
- Breakfast was not a main meal and it was not eaten by everyone
- One mouthful of plain bread and some water
- It was specifically this simple snack alone that was eaten in the morning
Breakfast on the LT Diet:
You could eat bread for breakfast if you make this meal a Light One CF meal or Mixed Meal. However, if you make breakfast a HWC meal, you would eat a fruit meal. We do not advocate the eating of a mouthful of bread and some water as your HWC meal. Firstly, Rambam makes no mention of eating bread in the morning for breakfast. Secondly, we feel that a HWC is a much more filling third lighter meal and many people also find it hard to limit the quantity eaten to ¾’s of a machine slice of bread and some water for breakfast.
However, if you feel very strongly about following the Talmudic bread breakfast, make sure to follow their guidelines! Eat a mouthful of bread and some water. If this is not your Light One CF meal or Mixed Meal, I suggest that this be done after the Phases or after you are at goal weight. But if you feel very strongly about it and you cannot make this meal a Light One CF meal or Mixed Meal, you could eat the Talmudic ‘breakfast snack’ in the morning instead of a HWC meal.
SOURCES
1 Pesachim 12b; Shabbas 10a.
2 Orach Chaim 157.
3 Mishneh Berurah explains that one will not gain any strength from food he eats so late. (Ibid.:4)
4 Bava Kamma 92b.
5 Succah 26a.
6 Rashi (Ke’detoim Bar), Succah 26a.
7 See Tos (Tarti oi Tlas), Succah 26a.
8 Orach Chaim 155: 1.
9 After praying in the Beis Kenesses
10 M.B, Volume 2, 157: 5. See also Biur Halachah who writes that it is implied from the Tur that only a little was eaten for breakfast (M.B, Volume 2, 155: 2).
11 Vekitun, Bava Metzia 107b.
12 I have heard some say that one can fulfill this Talmudic dictum with fruit. Perhaps this is implied by Rashi who stresses that the benefits which result from eating bread and water are because when one eats it ‘relaxes the mind’ (yishuv ha’daas). In other words, it is hunger in general which may have negative consequences. In addition, Rashi (ibid) says that water is drunk if one does not have wine. However, Maharshah is surprised at Rashi because of the reasons mentioned above.
13 M.B, Volume 2, 155: 2.
