FEEDING THE BODY, NOURISHING THE SOUL
“Mmm-mm. Good food is good!”
Admittedly, this is not a catchy slogan. As far as I know it’s no one’s slogan, but I do think it often after enjoying, say, a hearty bowl of homemade soup in my kitchen at lunchtime. I love cooking and baking, I love eating what I make, and even more I love to feed folks.
Nourishment comes from and to us in many ways, and at many levels. There’s an evocative verse in the Psalms that begins: “Elohim, my God, I will seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body hungers for you [63:2].”
There’s a theory in developmental psychology crafted by Abraham Maslow known as the Hierarchy of Needs. The foundational needs are grounded in the physical – food, shelter, warmth, air, sleep, and so on. In other words, the lofty realms of spiritual attainment or, if you prefer, purposeful living can only be undertaken once basic needs are met.
While the entire pyramid, especially its “rising” nature as laid out by Maslow, is contested, it still serves as a reminder that human wholeness and integrity emerge from a cascade of intersecting internal and external forces.
Systemic scarcity, inequitable access to food and shelter, wartime deprivation – none of these can ever be described as nourishing. Our knowledge of these conditions should arouse our compassion and invite us to explore how we may be able to nourish others, according to our means and inclinations.
Giving tzedakah at key Jewish times in the year cycle, and at life cycle moments as well, was something I learned as a child. But that giving sometimes involved more than coins in the blue box on erev shabbat. A key childhood memory of my father, who died when I was young, took place at a Sunday morning gathering of his Bnai Brith lodge, packaging up food baskets between Purim and Passover.
To fill out the memory a bit more, I also associated that morning somehow with my first taste of bagel. While that may not be 100% accurate, if I close my eyes, I can picture the room and recall the delight of the cream cheese on my tongue.
Food is life. That is a slogan I do come across. At these High Holidays, when we know how many are struggling to live, struggling to eat – in our backyards and across the globe – we can nourish ourselves with purpose by reaching out to feed others, near and far:
Back to our Psalm, the next verse offers: “There in the sanctuary I behold you, and see your strength and your glory [63:3].”
When we gather this Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and through the next series of festivals commemorating the harvest and celebrating Torah, we can nourish our experiences, expand our hearts, taste what is glorious.
May our sacred space hold out the possibility for you to meet your spiritual needs this new year, and in the year ahead. Shana tova umetuka – may 5787 be a year of great sweetness for you and your dear ones.
– Rabbi Liz
