Chillin' with Chullin 131

Okay, sometimes I skim it. That daily read of the Talmud sometimes is just a little too much and I find myself just, you know, skimming. When the Rabbis get deep into animal parts and esoteric what-ifs about birds. But I read it every day, knowing that in about seven-and-a-half years or so I'll start over and maybe have another go at understanding.

But every once in a while you hit on something that just moves you. Like more than just moves you, it inspires you. You pull out your bible and read the commentary, you find and cross-reference the parts and pieces. You look at the commentary and you find yourself smiling that you're here in this space of study.

Today was one of those days. Chullin 131. It's a sidebar from the days and days of animal sacrifice and what we can eat to talk about providing for the poor.

This is why I'm Jewish. Social Justice, the pursuit of peace, the betterment of the world around us is fundamentally centered in the Torah. Doing our part to support those who are in need is not just a dream, it's commanded of us. Its not hidden in the text, it's explicit.

The Torah tells us that if we receive gifts of the vine, of a field, fruit from a tree we must reserve some for those who are not granted such bounty. In all three cases we are asked to leave the corners of the fields uncollected (Pe'ah), and in most cases we are told the poor are entitled to collect the unharvested items, the incomplete bunches of grapes, the fallen or forgotten fruits. More importantly, we are told that we are to give of our harvested items as well.

It's a social safety net. Its thousands of years of saying "we got you" when people are in need. It's the idea that those around us should not go hungry, regardless of their circumstance. It's a people that acts in community. It's a people who express care because that is what we are called to do.

Today, in this day and age, so many people seem to hold it all close to the vest. "I need to take care of me and my family first" and "they're just lazy" rather than "how do we provide what is needed to protect human life and dignity." And it gets to me, honestly, the net result is a stewing of hate, a growing sense of isolation and an othering of creatures also made in the image of God. The net result is something that feels dark and deeply un-human. This is why when I cross paths with these reminders that my soul connects with deeply I am filled with hope and joy and love. Compassion is the calling. Kindness is the guiding principle.

***

Years ago, when I was traveling a lot more as a consultant, I found myself feeling pretty bad about the amount of food we could not eat during our late night dinners out. Long hours and the need to unwind often resulted in too many bottles of wine which led to eyes far bigger than our stomachs. It didn't help that often I found myself in states like Texas and cities like Chicago where part of the schtick was to "go big or go home." Reasonable portion sizes were non-existent, and frankly, on an expense account ordering a 72-oz ribeye and you can't forget the sides was the norm. So yeah, the table looked like service for twelve and only five sat down.

I took to boxing up what was left, asking for disposable silverware and napkins, and dropping the food off with those in need in my walks back to the hotels. I wasn't even sure they were indeed eating the food, but it made me feel better that there was a chance. Afterall, the food in the garbage bags in the back of a restaurant were only going to a landfill to rot. Every once in a while I'd stop and chat with the folks, just to provide a little humanity at the end of the night. I was going back to a warm hotel room with a comfortable bed, the least I could do was say hello.

One evening I packaged all the food and told the team I would be walking back to the hotel rather than catching an uber. Some of my colleagues on that project were European, and asked to join me. Of course I accepted, but I had to let them in on what I was going to do on the way back to the hotel. They seemed eager to join that as well. "In Europe, we have social programs paid with our taxes. We simply don't think of this" -- and as we walked and dropped off steak and potatoes and creamed spinach and the like, we chatted about the ways our various countries addressed the needs of the poor. It was a lively conversation, and one that has stuck with me for some time. In all cases the problem was known, but in all cases it had work that was left to be done to ensure safety of the unhomed population.

I took to grabbing those little shampoos and soaps from the hotel on my trips and dropping them off at shelters. That lasted until the majority of hotels switched to refillable bottles. And I generally tried to find ways to turn the excess that is a business career and give some back.

It never felt like enough, but it was something.

***

I wonder about the people out there, the ones who don't seem to care, and who hold on to everything too tightly. Is it fear? Is it the fact that so many are only a paycheck away from disaster themselves and they must hold on to it all to give them enough confidence that they are going to be okay? For some perhaps. Others, however, seem to be very focused on the idea of happiness through stuff. New dishes. New clothes. A New Couch. Another Car. Most of the time when I chat with these folks it becomes a bit of a show-and-tell and better-than-thou moment. The look-what-I-got often isn't a community based item, rather, it's a status symbol.

Look at all the mouths we could have fed.

I'm imperfect. I too have means and have used it to take vacations and pay for my kids education. I don't live in a house people would describe as modest. I don't hesitate to buy something that pleases me. So I can't claim any amount of moral high-ground here. It's more an observation, and a reminder to me of the ethics I believe in my heart and the call to action that I need to ensure doesn't leave my mind. It's a reminder that the answers are actually there, in the Torah.

I think as I go through my days I will continue to seek these kinds of passages, this kind of ancient wisdom, because it is as powerfully present and necessary today as it was when the words were penned, when the laws were given, when the guidance was provided. We need this now just as much as always. We need to treat each other as humans, and when we have the means, we need to provide without reservation.

We will also remain imperfect. This is why, in seven-and-a-half years time I will find this passage again, and I hope then, as now, I can find the motivation that I can help heal the world, if only a little bit. And do so while honoring God.