Before a fast day, people wish each other "an easy fast." I
have often wondered what that really means.
Probably, it is supposed to be a blessing that the fast
should not be a hardship. In that case, we are in luck. I
would venture to guess that there has never been a generation
of Jews -- or any other people -- who have been better
equipped to get through twenty-five food-free hours.
We are better fed than our ancestors ever were. We have
vitamins and minerals added to every slice of bread and bowl
of cereal. Our general health is better, longevity much
higher, infant mortality much lower. We have well-trained
physicians and miracle drugs to prevent and/or cure illnesses
that used to be deadly.
We can get nutrients from natural sources. We have a wide
variety of grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables "in season"
most of the year, locally grown or imported, from fields and
hothouses.
My grandmother once told me that in Eastern Europe where she
grew up, they used to say that when a poor man ate a chicken,
it meant that one of the two wasn't well. Most of the people
she knew in those days were quite poor.
Today, chicken isn't that much of a luxury. You say you
aren't much of a chicken fan? No need to worry. Affordable
kosher meat from South America is frozen and shipped all over
the world. In addition, we have soy protein substitutes for
meat as well.
There was a time when only people who lived near a river or
the sea could eat fish. The average household today has a few
cans of tuna or sardines on hand at any given time, not to
mention jars of gefilte fish flavored to appeal to every
taste.
Yes, we certainly eat well. Sometimes, too well. Witness the
proliferation of diet foods, exercise clubs and support
groups for the overweight.
If our ancestors who subsisted on little more than bread and
rice or potatoes (with a few beets or a head of cabbage now
and then) could get through a fast day and live to tell the
story, then why should we think of a fast as a
hardship?
Maybe we have a collective attitude problem.
When I was in my early twenties, I worked for a branch of the
American government. On the first day of my new job, one of
my co-workers was assigned to tell me all of the `perks' that
government workers receive, from regular salary increases
through sick leave and on to retirement benefits.
Workers received two weeks of paid vacation, which we could
spread out over the year and thereby take all of the yomim
tovim off at government expense. In addition, we got
eight more paid holidays, whether they were our holidays or
not. The government also paid part of our health insurance
premiums. These `entitlements' were amazing!
Did that make U.S. government workers the happiest people on
earth? Of course not. It just made them early members of a
growing club: the people with the "It's coming to me"
attitude. Unfortunately, that mindset has now spread far and
wide.
We have trouble fasting because we think that food is one of
our many constant entitlements. If we go into the city center
to shop, there are stands selling cold drinks on every block.
In that way, if we consume the entire bottle of water or iced
tea that we brought with us from home, we won't, G-d forbid,
die of thirst in the thirty minutes it takes to get back to
our residence where our refrigerator will be stocked with
more cold water and lots of other beverages.
Sit down on the bus next to a seasoned rider between the ages
of 6 and 120, and unless she is busy saying Tehillim, she
will discreetly pop a seed, nut or candy into her mouth at
regular intervals of a minute or less. When we moved to
Israel, it was commonplace to see piles of seed shells on the
floor of the bus.
Today's riders thoughtfully bring along a bag to hold the
empty shells, but buses are still used for eating. I have
seen riders consume everything from tiny seeds to large paper-
wrapped pita-falafel sandwiches.
Today, eating isn't something we do to survive. It is
a full-blown hobby. In the workplace, there are regularly
scheduled coffee breaks, and of course, every classroom shuts
down for the ten a.m. `meal.' Yesterday, I walked about a
hundred yards along a busy Jerusalem street. I passed two
bakeries, one that specialized in bread and rolls, and one
devoted to cake, cookies and bourekas. In between was a
minimarket, a greengrocer and a nuts-and-seed
[garinim] store.
Historically, man ate to live. Is it possible that modern man
lives to eat?
Is it any wonder that we wish each other an easy fast?
Getting away from our all day eat-a-thon isn't easy at
all.
I read about the Maharil Diskin ztzv'kl, I believe,
who was not in the habit of eating more than one meal a day,
and never snacked. However, in order to fulfill the
mitzva of eating plentifully on Erev Yom Kippur, he
would place a handful of raisins in his pocket in the morning
and remind himself to take a raisin or two a few times
throughout the day.
This great man really knew all of Shas. Think of what
we could accomplish if we didn't spend so much of our
time eating. In between the two or three very short meals
that we actually need to fuel our bodies, and the brief time
it takes to get dressed and groomed properly, we can
completely remove ourselves from material concerns such as
food, clothing and the like.
Then we will have more energy for the spiritual values that
often take a back seat in our society. We will have more
hours to learn and to teach. We can do more chessed.
We will have time to relate to our families in a meaningful
manner.
Modern advertising makes consumer products look and seem so
appealing that they are hard to resist. If you are walking to
the grocery store for your morning purchase of bread and
milk, and there is a large truck parked outside with a
beautiful color picture of a frosty bottle of cola or
sweetened juice drink, there is a good chance that you will
buy that product even though it wasn't on your shopping list
and you did not have an intention to buy such items when you
left your hosue.
We have to change our attitudes. Food is necessary,
but not in the quantities that we are used to consuming and
not all day ever day. People who are elderly or in poor
health should speak to their rav about their ability to fast.
Most of us, however, can rest assured that we will get
through the fast of Yom Kippur without adverse physical
effects, and that by refraining from food and other creature
comforts we will reach great spiritual heights.
That thought alone, besides being food for thought, should
make for an easy fast.
