People take their food very seriously. We are blessed to live in a society of plenty, and we expect our plenty to tantalize our taste buds exactly how we like it. Who isn’t a food critic these days? Debates about which restaurant is better or what is the best dish in a particular eatery can be surprisingly passionate.

In the United States, one of our national pastime foods is the hotdog. It’s estimated that Americans consume about seven billion hotdogs each summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day. (As no one is counting, anyone can make up whatever number he wants. The bottom line is Americans eat a lot of hotdogs.) Various places have different practices about which toppings they like on their hotdogs.

Chicagoans’ classic hotdog has mustard, neon-green relish, raw onions, a full pickle, tomatoes, a bit of celery salt on a poppy seed bun. But there’s one thing you won’t find anywhere near a Chicago hotdog: ketchup! Former President Obama once quipped that it’s not acceptable to put ketchup on a hotdog once a person is older than eight years old. There are many hotdog vendors in Chicago who won’t even carry ketchup and will become annoyed if a customer dares to ask for ketchup for his hotdog. In fact, there is even a book entitled, “Never put ketchup on a hotdog.”

Why the ketchup hate? And why is it okay for children?

Ketchup is sweet, and kids like when their food is sweet. To appreciate the taste of meat, one must have some modicum of culinary sophistication. Even a hotdog, the basest of meats, has a distinct meaty taste. Children like to douse their food in ketchup to make it sweet. But not every food is meant to be sweet.

It’s been said (by me) that if someone is dousing steak in ketchup, it may be a better idea to just eat a candy. He’s anyway not appreciating the taste of the steak and it’s a lot cheaper.

Ketchup may be okay with french fries, because they don’t have much taste anyway and are more eaten for their texture. But food that has “culinary depth” is wasted when its taste is overwhelmed with the taste of ketchup.

For a young child who prioritizes sweet over all other tastes, we can give him a ketchup pass. But for someone who should have more of an appreciation, ketchup obscures the taste of the hotdog and is insulting to the meat.

Chumash BaMidbar begins with great anticipation. The nation of former slaves was elevated to greatness when they accepted the Torah at Sinai. They began to travel through the desert in regal formation preparing for imminent entry into the Holy Land.

But then disaster struck. And then disaster struck again, and again, and again.

It’s not pleasant to read about the nation’s repeated foibles. The people who had so recently been compared to angels was soon complaining about the lack of pickles. Then they denigrated the Holy Land, joined the rebellion of Korach, and caused Moshe to strike the rock, etc.

In the writings of other religions, their saints are portrayed as perfect and infallible. Why does the Torah include these unflattering stories?

The Torah is the book of life and ultimate truth. Therefore, by definition, it must teach us about dealing with struggles and failures in that they are an integral part of the human experience. Nothing is whitewashed in the Torah and no one, even our greatest leaders, gets a free pass.

In our lives, we make mistakes, both on a personal and a national level. Instead of erasing the past, our mistakes and our sins can become “Torah” If we learn from them. They then become transformed into steppingstones towards growth.

Perhaps that is why the Torah relates about the lashon ha’ra that Miriam said about her brother Moshe. I’ve often wondered why the Torah telling us about that ordeal isn’t itself lashon ha’ra about Miriam?

Very often, successful people relate times of struggle early on in their career. They share how they grew from a foolish mistake, an embarrassing moment, feelings of inadequacy, or the like. Now that the experience has become part of their growth and path to success, it is no longer embarrassing for them to share it. In fact, it becomes a dramatic part of their story and subsequent success.

Miriam undoubtedly internalized the message of her exacting punishment. What greater honor could she have then to have the Jewish people eternally learn from her mishap!

The Torah doesn’t sugarcoat challenges, struggles, or foibles. That is a lesson for us on a personal level, as well. If we can grow from our mistakes they can become “delicious” in their own right, but it requires a level of sophistication to appreciate its taste.

And they don’t need ketchup to taint their elite taste.


Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW, a rebbe at Heichal HaTorah in Teaneck, New Jersey, is a parenting consultant and maintains a private practice for adolescents and adults. He is also a member of the administration of Camp Dora Golding for over two decades. Rabbi Staum was a community rabbi for ten years, and has been involved in education as a principal, guidance counselor, and teacher in various yeshivos. Rabbi Staum is a noted author and sought-after lecturer, with hundreds of lectures posted on torahanytime.com. He has published articles and books about education, parenting, and Torah living in contemporary society. Rabbi Staum can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. His website containing archives of his writings is www.stamTorah.info.