Hunger & Food Access
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Honeycomb Changemakers Curriculum

GUIDING INVESTIGATIONS

  • What do the sources tell us about the role of dignity in food access?
  • How does hospitality relate to feeding the hungry in our sources?
  • What reward to we receive for feeding the hungry?

CORE SOURCES

ויקרא י״ט:ט׳-י׳
(ט) וּֽבְקֻצְרְכֶם֙ אֶת־קְצִ֣יר אַרְצְכֶ֔ם לֹ֧א תְכַלֶּ֛ה פְּאַ֥ת שָׂדְךָ֖ לִקְצֹ֑ר וְלֶ֥קֶט קְצִֽירְךָ֖ לֹ֥א תְלַקֵּֽט׃ (י) וְכַרְמְךָ֙ לֹ֣א תְעוֹלֵ֔ל וּפֶ֥רֶט כַּרְמְךָ֖ לֹ֣א תְלַקֵּ֑ט לֶֽעָנִ֤י וְלַגֵּר֙ תַּעֲזֹ֣ב אֹתָ֔ם אֲנִ֖י ה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶֽם׃
Leviticus 19:9-10
(9) When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. (10) You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I the LORD am your God.

Comprehension:

  • What does it mean to leave the “gleaning” behind?
  • What is the goal of commanding a farmer to leave behind items that they could profit from?
  • How does this action help resolve issues of food access?

Challenges to Grapple With:

  • If a farmer is struggling financially, do you think they should be bound by this commandment to feed others? Why or why not?
הגדה של פסח, מגיד, הא לחמא עניא

מַגִּיד

הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִּי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם. כָּל דִכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכֹל, כָּל דִצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח. הָשַּׁתָּא הָכָא, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל. הָשַּׁתָּא עַבְדֵי, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין.

Pesach Haggadah, Magid, Ha Lachma Anya

This is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Anyone who is famished should come and eat, anyone who is in need should come and partake of the Pesach sacrifice. Now we are here, next year we will be in the land of Israel; this year we are slaves, next year we will be free people.

Comprehension:

  • What does “bread of affliction” (matzah) have to do with the hungry? Literally and as a metaphor?
  • Why do you think Passover is a specific time we are supposed to invite the hungry to our tables?
  • How might slavery and freedom be a metaphor for hunger?
תענית כ׳ ב:ט״ו-כ״א א:א׳
כי הוה כרך ריפתא הוה פתח לבביה ואמר כל מאן דצריך ליתי וליכול אמר רבא כולהו מצינא מקיימנא לבר מהא דלא מצינא למיעבד משום דנפישי בני חילא דמחוזא
Taanit 20b:15-21a:1
The Gemara further relates: When Rav Huna would eat bread, he would open the doors to his house, saying: Whoever needs, let him come in and eat. Rava said: I can fulfill all these customs of Rav Huna, except for this one, which I cannot do, due to the fact that there are many soldiers in the city of Meḥoza, and if I let them all eat, they will take all the food I own.

Comprehension:

  • Why is opening a door a specific action to feeding the hungry?
  • Why does Rava reject this practice?
  • Who do you think we should be emulating - Rav Huna or Rava?
דרך ארץ זוטא ט׳:א׳

והוי שמח על שולחנך בשעה שהרעבים נהנים ממנה כדי שתאריך ימים בעולם הזה ובעולם הבא.

Derech Eretz Zuta 9:1

Always be happy when you are sitting at your table and those who are hungry are enjoying your hospitality, in order to lengthen your days in this world and the World to Come

Comprehension:

  • This source starts with the guide to first be happy when you are sitting at your table. Why might this be important to remember when we are considering our obligation to feed the hungry?
  • According to this text, what is the reward for feeding the hungry?

Challenges to Grapple With:

  • Do you think it is realistic in our society to open our door to strangers and invite them to the table? Why or why not?
  • What are some ways that we can fulfill this concept without physically inviting hungry people to our table?

מדרש תהלים (בובר) מזמור קיח, יט

לעולם הבא אמרו לו לאדם מה היה מלאכתך, והוא אומר מאכיל רעבים הייתי, והם יאמרו לו זה השער לה' מאכיל רעבים הכנס בו

Midrash Tehillim (Buber) 118:19

When you are asked in the world to come, “What was your work?” and you answer, “I fed the hungry,” you will be told, “This is the gate of Adonai, enter into it, you who have fed the hungry.”

Comprehension:

  • What is taking place at this “gate of Adonai (God)”?
  • Why might the act of feeding the hungry be an immediate access pass to the “World to Come”

Challenges to Grapple With:

  • Consider someone who has been incredibly unethical in business dealings but always gives food to the poor on the street or gives donations to food pantries – should this person have direct access to the “World to Come”? Why or why not?

מדרש תנאים לדברים פרק טו פסוק ט

וכך אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא לישראל בני כל זמן שאתם מפרנסין את העניים מעלה אני עליכם כאלו לי אתם מפרנסין שנאמר (במדבר כח ב) את קרבני לחמי לאשי וכי יש לפניו אכילה ושתיה אלא כל זמן שאתם מפרנסין את העניים מעלה אני עליכם כאלו לי אתם מפרנסין

Midrash Tanaim on Deuteronomy, 15:9

God says to Israel, “My children, whenever you give sustenance to the poor, I impute it to you as though you gave sustenance to Me.” Does God then eat and drink? No, but whenever you give food to the poor, God accounts it to you as if you gave food to God.

Comprehension:

  • In the second text of this source, it says that giving sustenance to the poor (feeding the hungry) is as though you gave sustenance to God – in what way are we metaphorically sustaining God in this act?
  • Consider the precept that each of us is made in the image of God – how do we look for the godliness in a hungry person? and sustain them?
ספרי דברים קי״ח:ג׳

(ג) [לאחיך לעניך ולאביונך]. למה נאמרו כולם? מגיד הכתוב - הראוי לתת לו פת נותנים לו פת, הראוי לתת לו עסה נותנים לו עסה, הראוי לתת לו מעה נותנים לו מעה, הראוי להאכילו בתוך פיו מאכילים אותו בתוך פיו.

Sifrei Devarim 118:3

(3) "to your brother, your poor one, and your pauper in your land.": Why are all of these mentioned? Scripture apprises us: One whom it befits to give a loaf, give a loaf; one whom it befits to give dough, give dough; one whom it befits to give money, give money; one whom it befits to be fed, feed him.

Comprehension:

  • Why might some hungry people benefit from getting money while others benefit from getting dough (ingredients to cook for themselves), while others may benefit from getting a prepared meal (bread)? How might we determine which is suitable in what situation?

Challenges to Grapple With:

  • If we are unable to determine which level of need someone has – how should we go about fulfilling this obligation? Which would you do? Why?

The text from Rashi below explains the relevance of the text from Genesis for this discussion

בראשית כ״ח:כ׳-כ״א
(כ) וַיִּדַּ֥ר יַעֲקֹ֖ב נֶ֣דֶר לֵאמֹ֑ר אִם־יִהְיֶ֨ה אֱלֹקִ֜ים עִמָּדִ֗י וּשְׁמָרַ֙נִי֙ בַּדֶּ֤רֶךְ הַזֶּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָנֹכִ֣י הוֹלֵ֔ךְ וְנָֽתַן־לִ֥י לֶ֛חֶם לֶאֱכֹ֖ל וּבֶ֥גֶד לִלְבֹּֽשׁ׃ (כא) וְשַׁבְתִּ֥י בְשָׁל֖וֹם אֶל־בֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑י וְהָיָ֧ה ה' לִ֖י לֵאלֹקִֽים׃
Genesis 28:20-21
(20) Jacob then made a vow, saying, “If God remains with me, if He protects me on this journey that I am making, and gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear, (21) and if I return safe to my father’s house—the LORD shall be my God.
רש"י על בראשית כ״ח:כ׳:ג׳

(ג) ונתן לי לחם לאכל... וְהַמְבַקֵּשׁ לֶחֶם הוּא קָרוּי נֶעֱזָב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְלֹא רָאִיתִי צַדִּיק נֶעֱזָב וְזַרְעוֹ מְבַקֶּשׁ לָחֶם (תהילים ל"ז):

Rashi on Genesis 28:20:3

(3) ונתן לי לחם לאכול AND IF HE WILL GIVE ME BREAD TO EAT... for one who has to beg his bread is called “forsaken”, as it is said (Psalms 37:25) “I have not seen the righteous forsaken and his seed begging bread”.

Comprehension:

  • What deal is Jacob making in this source? What three things is he asking for?
  • The Rashi on this text equates the hungry with one who is forsaken (abandoned). Do you agree that the hungry are abandoned?

Challenges to Grapple With:

  • Many people struggle with the excerpt from Psalm 37:25 (which is also found as a line in Birkat HaMazon – the blessing after meals). The phrase states that righteous people don’t go hungry or, as this source states it, aren’t abandoned. Their descendants are also cared for. How might this phrase be true? How might it be false? If you recite Birkat HaMazon, do you refrain from reciting this line? Why or why not?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

1. Further Jewish texts

רד"ק על בראשית כ״א:ל״ג

(א) ויטע אשל, נטע שם נטיעה סמוך לבאר שהיה לו לעדות כי נשארה הבאר לו בלא מחלוקת... ורז"ל דרשו נוטריקון אכילה שתיה לויה, ר"ל שהנהיג אנשי באר שבע להכניס אורחים ושחייב אדם לעשות לאורח הבא עליו שלשה דברים, אכילה שתייה לויה.

Radak on Genesis 21:33

He [Abraham] planted some saplings (eshel) there to serve as proof that the well nearby was now his undisputed property... Our Sages understand the word eshel (אשל) as an acronym for “eating (אכילה), drinking (שתייה) and staying overnight (לינה).” In other words, Avraham established a shelter there to serve people passing that region. He taught the people around Be'er Sheva to practice the art of hosting strangers. In order to fulfill that virtue one must provide the three ingredients represented by the three letters in the word eshel (אשל).

ויקרא רבה ג׳:א׳

טוֹב מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ גִּנָּה וּמְזַבְּלָהּ וּמְעַדְרָהּ וּמִתְפַּרְנֵס מִמֶּנָּהּ מִמִּי שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֵל גִּנּוֹת שֶׁל אֲחֵרִים בְּמֶחֱצָה, בְּמַתְלָא אָמְרִין דַּאֲגַר גִּנָּה אָכֵל צִפֳּרִין, דַּאֲגַר גִּנִּין צִפֳּרִין אָכְלִין לֵיהּ

Vayikra Rabbah 3:1

A person with a vegetable garden and fertilizes it and hoes it and sustains himself from it is better off than a person who rents as a sharecropper. As the proverb says: ‘Who rents one patch eats birds; who rents many patches – birds eat him.’

בבא בתרא ח׳ א:ז׳

הכל לכריא פתיא אפילו מרבנן

Bava Batra 8a:7

All of the city’s residents must contribute to the digging of cisterns, and for this purpose money is collected even from the Sages, since they too need water.

2. Multimedia

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger Mission Statement, Mazon.org

Inspired by Jewish values and ideals, Mazon is a national advocacy organization working to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel.

VIDEO (segment starts at 12:24 and runs to 14:38): https://vimeo.com/252967836