I am taking the Food Stamp Challenge
in the hope of plugging in to the radical core of tzedek, tzedek,
tirdof. We're not supposed to just work for social justice, we're
supposed to chase after it with everything we've got. But the great irony is
that most of the time, I'm too anesthetized by food and drink to engage at
that level. Just in preparing for this experience, I've learned of friends
and family members are now or have recently been reliant on public assistance.
If that's how close food insecurity has gotten to me without my learning
first-hand what it feels like, day in and day out, what kind of justice-chaser
can I really be?
I am also taking the Food Stamp Challenge as a spiritual
practice. Over and over, Jewish liturgy reminds us of truths I am usually too
comfortable -- and too satisfied with wholesome food -- to take in.
We are not in control. We don't know what's
going to happen tomorrow or even an hour from now. We don't really have any of
the things we might think we have at any given moment -- security, comfort,
prosperity. It can all be taken away from us in an instant.
Na'aseh v'nishma,
as Exodus tells us. We will do, then we will understand.
No comments:
Post a Comment