Pesach and Hunger

Parshat Vayikra: Leviticus 1:1-5:26
Haftorah: Isaiah 43:21-44:23

Rabbi Mark Diamond
Executive Vice President
Board of Rabbis of Southern CaliforniaWarning! Twelve days to go until Passover! The alarm bell has been sounded, striking panic and dread in the hearts and souls of many Jews. The extensive preparations we undertake for Pesah can be overwhelming at times. Then the magic hour arrives when we sit together with family, friends and guests at the Passover seder. At that moment, the reward for our work and toil becomes clear. We move center stage into a colorful, centuries-old pageant of prayers and rituals, stories and songs.

The narrative of the Passover seder opens with a famous exhortation:

"This is the bread of poverty that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.
Let all who are hungry, come and eat.
Let all who are in need, come and share the Pesah meal."

It is striking that we recall our obligation to feed the hungry at the very moment when we sit down to begin our holiday feast. Our celebration is incomplete and insincere when we fail to provide for the needy in our midst. The renowned philosopher and legalist Rambam (Maimonides) codified this view in his Mishneh Torah:

"When a person eats and drinks at the festive meal he is obligated to provide food for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, along with the rest of the poor and despondent. But whoever locks the doors of the courtyard, and eats and drinks with his wife and children, and does not provide food and drink for poor or suffering people, this is not a 'mitzvah celebration' (simhat mitzvah), but rather a 'celebration of the belly' (simhat krayso)...and this type of celebration is a disgrace." (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Festivals 6:18)

Feeding the hungry is an ancient Jewish mandate. And it was the theme of this week's Hunger Summit co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation, Mazon, the Board of Rabbis and other partners. The 120 participants included rabbis, synagogue leaders, and community activists from across the Jewish religious and organizational spectrum. We learned about the blight of hunger in the Jewish community and in greater Los Angeles. We shared best practices of how our congregations and institutions are responding to hunger in our city. We were inspired by the insights of keynote speaker Dr. Leonard Fein and the rabbis and other teachers who led breakout sessions. And we left more determined than ever to feed the hungry.

This week's Haftarah bears the Divine promise:

"As I pour water on thirsty soil,
And streams on dry ground.
So will I pour My spirit on your descendants,
My blessing upon your offspring." (Isaiah 44:3)

Ours is the awesome task to harness God's blessings here on earth. To that end, I share excerpts of my message at the Hunger Summit with the hope and prayer that we can and will work together to finally put an end to hunger in our midst:

Devar Torah � Hunger Summit
Rabbi Mark S. Diamond
March 24, 2009

I have an unusual charge this afternoon - to recite Hamotzi at a hunger summit. This is an odd task to say the least. It reminds me that at least one colleague responded to our email invitation by writing, "I certainly hope you're not going to serve lunch at that program!" We are serving lunch, since this is a Jewish gathering. In a moment, we will give thanks for our food by saying Hamotzitogether. 

Before we do that, I'd like us to focus our hearts, minds and stomachs on hunger. More than 2000 years ago the prophet Isaiah did just that. In a stirring passage we chant each year on Yom Kippur, Isaiah proclaimed:

This is the fast I have chosen 
It is to share your bread with the hungry,
And to take the wretched into your home,
When you offer your compassion to the hungry
And satisfy the hungry creature -
Then shall your light shine in the darkness
And your gloom shall be like noonday. (Is 58:6-8)

We are not fasting today. Even when we do fast-on Yom Kippur, Tisha B'Av, or before a medical test- we experience hunger for a brief time. That is very different from the painful, involuntary fast thousands of Angelinos, millions of Americans and tens of millions around the world experience each day. Unlike a traditional Jewish fast day, their fast does not end at sundown. Their hunger is not sated at a nutritious lunch or dinner with family, friends and colleagues. 

In a lovely little book called Faxes to God, Heather, age 11, writes:
"Dear God - If I could ask You just one thing, it wouldn't be for world peace or for a perfect world because I know that those things are difficult to accomplish. But I do ask to stop world hunger. It is amazing to me how people in this world can watch the hunger go on and watch people die without feeling compassion. I would really like to see some of the wealthy people in this world who don't help with this issue experience what the poor and hungry people go though each and every day in their lives."

We live in the City of Angels. We live in a community, state and nation with great wealth and enormous human and natural resources. We can put an end to hunger in Los Angeles. We can put an end to hunger in America. We can put an end to hunger around the world. As we join together in thanking God for this food, may we join together in resolving to finally put an end to the involuntary fasts of our neighbors and all of God's children.