What To Do With Leftovers

It is a very relevant question the morning after Thanksgiving: What should we do with leftovers? (Do you remember this commercial for Perdue’s over stuffer roaster?)

Some people love them, while some people hate them. For some, leftovers are welcome reminders of what remains from a delicious meal. For others, it is time to move on, and they won’t touch leftovers. When there is a lot of food, there are going to be leftovers. Thanksgiving or Shabbat or Yom Tov generates leftovers. What might we learn from leftovers?

Psychologist Alex Korb explains that some people get pleasure from finishing leftovers because of dopamine. The brain releases the neurotransmitter dopamine when we experience pleasure as well as when we finish a goal. For example, Pringles are so addictive because the dopamine that gets released when you eat a chip, drives you to eat another, and the anticipation of more keeps releasing more dopamine. When you finally finish the whole can, even more dopamine gets released. Thanksgiving leftovers are so delicious because dopamine gets released due to the goal of the meal being completed.

I am not sure this works for everyone.

Rabbi Berel Wein tackles leftovers from a Jewish perspective. According to Jewish law, one may only cook on a holiday what is needed for that day. However, one may cook extra food if one thinks guests may show up. The extra food isn’t viewed as potential leftovers; it is viewed as food that is necessary to fulfill the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim (welcoming guests). Implicit in this idea is the concept of friendship and familiarity that Jews should feel about casually visiting one another to share the joys of the holiday. What some may consider “leftovers” (or potential leftovers) are really the tools to create closeness.

The Torah provides another example of “positive leftovers” when the Jewish farmer harvests produce from the fields. Every Jewish field has a corner that is not harvested and left over for those in need. Sheaves of grain that have fallen to the ground during the harvesting process are left over for the poor, and rows of produce that somehow were forgotten in the tumult of harvesting the field are left behind for the needy. These leftovers are a testament to the fact we are not he exclusive owners of our own property. God is in charge, and we are commanded to be kind to those in need.

Another lesson of “holy leftovers” is our connection to the past. Each day in the ”Al HaTzadikkim” blessing of the Shemone Esrei, we pray for “the remnant of scholars” of previous generations. They are not merely part of the past. We gain so much when have living grandparents or great-grandparents to inspire us. Even when not physically present, their spiritual legacy is essential to who we are today. We strongly embrace “holy leftovers,” the people, teachings, and stories that continue to nourish us.

Leftovers may not taste the same as when first cooked, but they serve as a still-tasty reminder of how we must connect and support others while remaining connected to our past. As Rabbi Wein concludes, “So, the next time that you are privileged to partake of warmed-over Shabbat food on Tuesday, think of it as being a blessing and not merely a method of using up extra food.”

I think the same is true for Thanksgiving – or any other – leftovers.