Does Judaism Allow You to Take Ozempic and Other Weight Loss Drugs?

Dear Jew in the City,

Ozempic and similar treatments are trending like crazy. Is there any Jewish law against using them? Or is it a good thing to take care of your body in this way?

Best,

Barbara

Dear Barbara,

Thanks for your question. My answer, perhaps surprisingly, starts in the book of Bereishis. In Genesis 26:5, God tells us that “Avraham hearkened to My voice and kept My charge, My mitzvos, My statutes and My Torahs.” From this, our Sages derive that Avraham intuited the contents of the Torah before it was given and kept the mitzvos (Mishna Kiddushin 4:14, et al.).

There’s one very obvious question: If Avraham was able to intuit God’s will and perform it before being commanded, why didn’t he circumcise himself before God told him to do so?

The answer is very simple: Avraham kept the mitzvos and one of the mitzvos is not to injure ourselves (Deut. 14:1). Avraham may have figured out that circumcision is a mitzvah, but not cutting ourselves is also a mitzvah. Accordingly, he couldn’t circumcise himself until he was commanded to do so. Hold that thought. https://outorah.org/p/6279/

Now let us turn to Deuteronomy 4:15. There, the Torah tells us to zealously guard ourselves, which is understood as an obligation to protect our lives and our health. Like Avraham’s dilemma, we may occasionally have an apparent tension between not injuring ourselves and protecting our health. This is because medical procedures sometimes require inflicting minor injuries (such as incisions) in order to achieve more significant health benefits.

Accordingly, while cutting your stomach for no reason may be prohibited, having a doctor open you up to remove your gall bladder – assuming that doing so is medically necessary – would be permitted. (Those who have a psychological compulsion to cut themselves are outside of our scope. Religious objections aside, people struggling with such issues should consult with qualified medical and/or mental health professionals.)

Now, I can’t say that cosmetic surgery is prohibited; such a call is far beyond my pay grade (though there are such opinions), but I’m personally not a fan. We tend to think of such procedures as low risk – and they are – but they’re not risk-free. People do face serious complications from cosmetic surgery, including death. So, if your doctor advises you to have your appendix removed, I would recommend that you listen to him. But that doesn’t mean that you should get a gluteal augmentation (AKA, a “butt lift”).

Now we get to Ozempic. Ozempic and similar medications are not without risk. According to the Ozempic website, side effects may include pancreatitis, hypoglycemia, kidney problems, allergic reactions, food or liquid getting into the lungs during surgery, thyroid tumors including cancer, and more. This doesn’t mean that one shouldn’t take it, but it does mean that one shouldn’t take it unnecessarily.

Obesity is definitely a health risk. If, in consultation with your doctor, you determine that a semaglutide injection is the appropriate course of action for you, then go for it. But, while no official figures exist, it’s believed that perhaps a third of those taking semaglutides for weight loss are doing so strictly for aesthetic rather than medical reasons. That’s harder to justify.

So, bottom line, ask your doctor. If he advises you to take a semaglutide, you may wish to follow his advice. However, if you want to take a semaglutide but don’t need to, I’d advise you to speak to both your doctor and your rabbi!

Sincerely yours,

Rabbi Jack Abramowitz, JITC Educational Correspondent

Educational Correspondent
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