November 21, 2008
23 Cheshvan, 5769

The mitzvah of feeding the hungry is one which most of us have taken upon ourselves in one way or another.  Even as our awareness of increasing poverty grows, we struggle with imagining that anyone living in the Jewish homeland would ever go hungry.   Unfortunately, this is not the case.  On December 9, 2008, 7:30-9:00 PM, in response to the growing poverty among the poor in Israel, Congregation B’nai Torah is hosting Abraham Israel for a free community wide program.  B’nai Torah is located at 2789 Oak Street, Highland Park. For further information, please feel free to contact Rabbi Feinberg or Shana Hampton at 847-433-7100.

Rabbi Robert Feinberg is a spiritual leader of Congregation Bnai Torah in Highland Park. He is a retired Navy chaplain, and a member of the steering committee of JCC of Chicago’s volunteer chaplaincy program, serving the Great Lakes Recruit Training Center.

Hayei Sara

The Torah contains passages depicting some very powerful ironies. One of them appears in this week’s portion. We read that God blessed Abraham “BAKOL—with all things” (Gen 24:1). This blessing comes at a poignant moment: Sarah has died and Abraham has buried her in a foreign land. This blessing “BAKOL—with all things” also strikes a chord of irony in view of the many trials and tribulations that Abraham was required to endure throughout his long and faithful life. There were many instances in which the Holy One might have bestowed such a blessing upon him, but did not.

One episode occurs earlier in the Torah, involving hunger: “There was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there” (Gen 12:10). And, as we continue to read Sefer Bereshit, we see that our other Patriarchs and their clans are also stricken with hunger. “There was a famine in the land, and Isaac went to Abimelech, King of the Philistines in Gerar” (Gen 26:1). Also, at a fateful moment in the history of our ancestors, Jacob said to his sons: “Go down and procure rations for us in the land of Egypt, that we may live and not die” (Gen 42: 2).

At moments like these, when our Patriarchs and Matriarchs experienced vulnerability and hunger, why did the Holy One not provide them with a “B’RACHA BAKOL—a blessing with all things? The answer is of interest to us, the Jews of America, and in our connection to Israel. In her sixty years of life, Israel’s achievements in fields as diverse as high technology, agriculture, and medicine are far too numerous to count. Many of us have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our Israeli brothers and sisters in realizing their myriad accomplishments.

However, in a country that has accomplished so much, the fact remains that 1.65 million citizens live below the poverty line. This includes 35.9% of Israel’s children and 23.5% of the elderly, many of whom are survivors of the Holocaust. Each day, Israel’s poor must make the painful choice of purchasing food or medicine, ironically the areas in which Israel has made such strides.

We are familiar with the patriarch Abraham, and his passion for feeding the hungry who came his way.  There is another Abraham in our day, an amazing man named Abraham Israel who started Hazon Yeshaya in 1997. He began by feeding hot meals to three needy families—seventeen people—on a daily basis, personally cooking on a small stove in rented space in Jerusalem. Today, Hazon Yeshaya is a nationwide network, serving more than 400,000 kosher hot meals, 365 days a year, at over sixty locations. The recipients come from all backgrounds, including formerly middle class people who cannot find employment in today’s economy. This is why Hazon Yeshaya also provides job training for people who need a fresh start. More importantly, Abraham Israel, his small staff, and devoted volunteers serve to bolster the self-esteem of the less fortunate, to preserve their dignity as citizens of the Jewish State, and to give them a sense of optimism for a brighter future. There are few greater responsibilities for us as American Jews than to ensure that no one in ERETZ YISRAEL goes hungry and that all its citizens view their country as a Land of Promise.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Bob Feinberg