Rabbi Stiefel's Monthly Article

A Brief Dialogue about Food, Hunger, and Spirituality Across time: a “conversation” between Rabbi Israel Salanter z”l and Michael Harrington z”l, 

Guest Columnist:  Rabbi Dr. Jeffrey Schein

SNAP your fingers (pun intended) and imagine this dialogue across time between author Michael Harrington, noted 20th-century author, and Rabbi Israel Salanter, founder of the 19th-century Musar Movement:

Michael Harrington: In 1962, I published The Other America. The metaphor that opened the book was that Americans blocked poverty and hunger from their view by constructing freeways that bypassed these areas of poverty and hunger. We had physical and psychic ways of distancing ourselves from the acute pain of hunger and poverty. I believe we are more aware of the issue of hunger today. 1 of 7 Americans live in one kind of food desert or another. Hunger cuts across class, color, and ethnicity.  Given this greater awareness, I am both anguished and puzzled at how we can imagine cutting so deeply the SNAP programs that seem to have so successfully ameliorated the worst of these circumstances.

Rabbi Israel Salanter: Michael, let me see if I can help by pointing out that the problem is much more spiritual than political. Of the various legends about me I like this one the best:

My impending death coincided with the approach of Passover. My disciples huddled around me for some final Pesach instructions. They were expecting some instruction about the importance of keeping our Matzah factory clear of even the slightest bit of hametz (leaven).I am rumored to have upbraided my disciples and said the most important thing to remember is to make sure you have paid the wages of the non-Jewish workers of the factory before the onset of Pesach.

I have also opined that we should worry less about the souls of our fellow human beings and more about their bodies. Our spiritual work is connected to their physical wellbeing.

Michaell Harrington: Rabbi this is so very helpful. I am gaining a fuller understanding of something I once said to a gathering of policy planners.

The problem with our social policy is that whatever our espoused theories might be our theories in use amount to this.  Rugged individualism for the poor and state-sponsored Socialism for the rich.

Rabbi Salanter: Yes, yes Michael thank you for that. It inspires a new slogan for me :No Sinai without SNAP. By which I mean to build on the famous theory of Abraham Maslow.  If there is a hierarchy of needs (survival, competence, spirituality and creativity) built into the way we are wired we can never reach the heights symbolically implied by our revelatory moments of receiving Torah if we are trapped in hunger all our waking and sleeping hours.

As Rabbi Heschel was to suggest many years after my death, we ought to pray with our legs and march up to our congressional and other government representatives and demand that the SNAP program be improved yes, but also restored and expanded.

Michael Harrington: Amen Rabbi Salanter

PS:  Rabbi Schein:  Please support the work of Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger