A Mitzvah to Eat

We are in a period on the Jewish calendar known as “the nine days” – the first days of the month of Av. Whereas we look to increase our joy in the month of Adar leading up to Purim, during these first days of Av, Judaism offers us practices that prepare our spirits to sit with grief. We maintain the essentials of our normal routines – working, eating, sleeping, bathing – but with a more somber sensibility. Maybe no long hot showers or delightful perfume, maybe avoiding meat and wine.

All of this will culminate on Sunday with Tisha B’Av, the most mournful day on the Jewish calendar, when we remember the destruction of the ancient Temples and their system for bringing God’s presence into our midst. As the mourning practices come to a head, we traditionally abstain from most anything we might do to bring our bodies comfort or pleasure. Most famously, we fast. 

 But some Jews - perhaps more than you might think - are actually religiously required not to fast because of the harm it could cause to them. There are many reasons that fasting could be medically inappropriate, ranging from generally publicly-known, temporary, joyful reasons (e.g. pregnancy) to not so public, temporary, or joyful (e.g. any number of chronic illnesses, eating disorders, or medications). It may sound like a “get out of jail free card” to be told you cannot fast, but for Jews who cannot fast for medical reasons, these days can feel isolating and demoralizing, leaving them cut off from one of the most famous communal observances on the Jewish calendar. Some might even try to fast against medical advice.

 How can we as a community support both our fasting members and those who are unable to fast? This year, we’ll take one small step: on Yom Kippur afternoon, we will designate a classroom where those who need to be able to eat can do so – eat and then join us for learning, or for a walk, or for neilah. There needn’t be hiding or sneaking around, and nobody will ask you for your reasons – if you need to eat, we will have a space for you, because caring for your body is your mitzvah this year, just as much as fasting may be someone else’s. 

 If you are unsure whether you should fast this year, whether for Tisha B’Av or for Yom Kippur, please reach out to Rabbi Lauren to talk it through; you can find some wonderful learning resources to start with here: https://www.amitzvahtoeat.org/. If you wonder how else you might mark these days in meaningful ways, you’ll find some wonderful ideas here: https://exploringjudaism.org/holidays/tisha-bav/what-if-i-cant-or-dont-want-to-fast-on-tisha-bav/. And if this is a year when you should not fast, please know you are not alone. 

Wishing you a meaningful Tisha B’Av,

Amy