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Jewish food lovers guidebook
- 1. THE TORAH: A JEWISH FOOD LOVERS’ GUIDEBOOK Cheryl Kollin
- 4. “God took the [first human], and put him into the garden of Eden to till it (le’ovadah) and to tend it (leshomra)” Genesis 2:15
- 6. Pe’ah, gleening corners Bal Tashchit, do not waste Shmita, sabbatical year of the land and debts released The Torah: A Jewish Food Lover’s Guidebook
- 7. "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not completely reap the corners of the field, and do not gather the gleanings of the harvest; you shall leave them behind for the poor and the stranger…Leviticus 19:9-10). Pe’ah or “corner”
- 9. Do those who are hungry have the right to eat healthy food?
- 13. “When you besiege a city for many days to wage war against it to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them, for you may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down.….” --Deuteronomy 20:19-20 Bal Tashchit- “do not waste”
- 15. www.farmtofreezer.wordpress.com Preserving local, fresh produce to nourish the hungry
- 19. For six years sow your fields, prune your vineyards and gather your crops…But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest… Leviticus 25: 1-7 and debts released (Deuteronomy 15:1-11) Shmita- “rest and release”
- 20. Gleening Do Not Waste Sabbatical Year To Till & To Tend
- 21. THE TORAH: A JEWISH FOOD LOVERS’ GUIDEBOOK
Editor's Notes
- What is it about Jews and food? Just as we use different ‘nusach’ or melody to distinguish our weekday liturgy from Shabbat and holidays, so it is with food.
- When we eat challah, it must be Shabbat. When we eat apples and honey it must be ________________________. Potato Latkas, it must be _________________. And Hammantashen it must be________________.
- Listen to Rachel Greenberg at a workshop I gave, talk about her holiday rituals as she makes Gefilte fish.
- Even though these foods are not cited in the Torah—Our agricultural roots go all the way back to Genesis, “God took the [first human], and put him into the garden of Eden to till it (le’ovadah) and to tend it (leshomra)”. Genesis 2:15.
- Although few of us today make our living off the land…
- The Torah is a Jewish Food Lover’s Guidebook—telling us how to grow food and steward the land, how to prepare Kosher food, even how to bless and eat food. I want to share threecommandments that have guided me in my Jewish and professional journeys: Pe’ah, BalTashchit, and Shmita.
- When you reap the harvest of your land, do not completely reap the corners of the field, and do not gather the gleanings of the harvest, you shall leave them behind for the poor and the stranger…Leviticus 19:9-10).This beautiful commandment is called peah, which means "corner."
- Rabbi Neal J. Loevinger, a contemporary Rabbi from New York challenges our assumptions aboutto whom the food belongs in the first place.He says, “Food is not a privilege to be handed out according to the mood of the wealthy, but a right, regardless of social standing or status. The needy have a "prior claim" to a certain level of sustenance”.This 1857 painting entitled "The Gleaners," by Jean-Francois Millet captured the grim reality of survival by gleaning.
- Today, the poor glean at Food Banks. Unfortunately, much of the food donated to Food banks, is overly processed and unhealthy. So to update Peah, I wonder, “Do those who are hungryhave the right to eat healthy food?
- Our Mishnah Garden is a good example of Pe’ah in social action today. Here’s a clip of a video created by our own Alexis Epstein, a high school student.
- The Mishnah garden, now in its fourth growing season, produced more than 200 lbs. last year; we have three goals: Teach children and adults how to grow foodTaste a freshly picked tomato or cucumber at OnegsDonate most of our vegetables to Manna
- Manna actually gleans thousands of pounds of surplus produce every week from farm markets and grocery stores in summer. But in winter—they receive few healthy vegetables for their clients.
- At the same time, a recent report by the Natural Resources Defense Council reveals that Americans wastean astounding forty percent of the food grown in this country—40 percent.The Torah commandment, BalTashchit comes from Deuteronomy. “When you besiege a city for many days to wage war against it to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them, for you may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down.….” --Deuteronomy 20:19-20
- Maimonides, a medieval Jewish philosopher tells us that baltashchit, “do not destroy” extends beyond fruit trees to include wasting anything that can be used for the benefit of mankind. He writes: “It is not only forbidden to destroy fruit-bearing trees but whoever breaks vessels, tears clothes, demolishes a building, stops up a fountain or wastes food, in a destructive way, offends against the law of ‘thou shalt not destroy.’”Today, six billion pounds of fresh produce go unharvested or unsold in the U.S. each year.
- My own Jewish journey with food, combines Pe’ah (gleening) with BalTashchit (do not waste). I started Farm to Freezeras a social enterprise to solve the twin problems of surplus fresh local produce from farm markets that would otherwise go to waste and providing more nutritious food to serve those who are hungry.
- Every weekend throughout the summer and fall we glean surplus fresh food from farmers’ market and freeze it. I’m delighted that our YesodotHalimud class selected Farm to Freezer as one of two TikkunOlam projects. My classmates will join me in the kitchen on a Sunday.
- In addition,Susan Wexler and I represent Adat Shalom as Ruth Fellows, finishing up 6 months of study with 8 other area synagogues. We’ve studied the connections between Judaism, food, and social action. Through the Ruth Fellowship We will offer the Adat Shalom community—adults and teens the opportunity to participate in Farm to Freezer as well. Every Sunday throughout the summer and fall volunteers will be in the kitchen washing , chopping ,
- cooking and freezing tomato sauce and vegetables—and providing healthier food for Manna’s Clients.
- My third Torah food reference,Shmitacomes from a combination of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. The Lord said to Moses at Mount Sinai, For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops…But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest. Leviticus 25: 1-7and debts released (Deuteronomy 15:1-11).Shmita is the Biblically mandated ‘Sabbatical Year’ of rest and release, when agriculture and commerce were simultaneously re-adjusted to enable a more equitable, just and healthy society, economy and environment.
- The next Shmita Year begins on Rosh Hashanah, 2014. I love how Shmita ties together manyJewish land and food ethics with social action. What does it mean in 2014 to us to let the land rest for an entire year? How might we observe this commandment today? What new food rituals might we adopt?
- This is the next chapter of my Jewish Journey—how might we—at Adat Shalom, as Reconstructionists, as the Jewish Global Community use the Torah as our guide as we answer these questions in the 21st Century?