Why I will not be fasting on Shabbat but will resume on Sunday.

I take vows and promises seriously, even as I am careful not to invoke God’s name when I make a promise. So while I’ve committed to fast until SNAP benefits are restored to one out of every eight Americans, I’m also committed to my observance of Shabbat. And I don’t give up my Shabbat for anything, no matter how important, unless my violation of Shabbat directly saves someone’s life.

I don’t travel on Shabbat. I walk to synagogue on Shabbat, no matter the weather. I don’t drive to rallies on Shabbat, no matter how much I support the cause. I don’t go to weddings, no matter how much I love the couple getting married. In my life, Shabbat comes first. One of the mitzvot of Shabbat is to eat three meals – Friday evening, Shabbat afternoon, and a third meal, literally named se’udah shelisheet, third meal, before the end of Shabbat Saturday evening. A biblical fast like Yom Kippur supersedes Shabbat, while other fast days, like Tisha B’Av, are delayed until Sunday. Some fasts, like the fast of the firstborn before the Seder or the fast of Esther before Purim, are observed on Thursday so they not only don’t fall on Shabbat, but also so their observance doesn’t even infringe on the opening minutes of Shabbat Friday evening.

Therefore, my commitment to the voluntary fast for SNAP does not supersede my obligation to eat Shabbat meals. I’ll refrain from eating at Kiddush, but following services on Shabbat morning, I’ll go home and eat lunch. And then, if necessary, if our government is still closed and if full SNAP benefits are still unfunded, I’ll resume my fast on Sunday.

Please join my and sign up at FastforSNAP.com.

Mazon StopHunger

Can I fast for SNAP without fasting?

If you are not able to fast for medical or other reasons, we still invite you to sign the Fast for SNAP pledge. This more people who publicly add their names at FastforSNAP.com, the greater the chance that our fast will catch the attention of our leaders in DC and remind them of their obligation to take bipartisan action to reopen the government.

You can donate to Mazon, Feeding American West Michigan, or your local food pantry. You can donate to Ahavas Israel’s Project Isaiah fund, an annual collection beginning on Yom Kippur in response to the reading from Isaiah reminding us that fasting without also feeding the hungry is an empty fast. I have sent money from this fund and my discretionary fund both to an organization supporting hunger relief and to specific individuals in the Jewish community who are in need.

Please join my and sign up at FastforSNAP.com.

Mazon StopHunger

Why are you still fasting? Haven’t the courts ordered the government to restore SNAP benefits?

My understanding of the emergency SNAP funds that the court ordered the government to begin distributing is that the original intent of those funds, which were authorized at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, were to be used for people who lost jobs or income because of widespread economic disruption. Apparently, the court believes that the disruption caused by a lengthy government shutdown is also a legitimate reason to use those funds.

However, the emergency funds only meet about 50% of the expected need. Some states, like Michigan, have been able to allocate money towards SNAP benefits. But even in Michigan, which has allocated enough to meet about 1/3 of the expected need, recipients will fall about 17% short of the full benefit.

SNAP is intended to supplement low income families, who may be spending a high proportion of their income on rent, heat, and transportation to get to work, so they can also afford better and more nutritious food. The maximum benefit is $298 for one person and $218 for each additional person (to a maximum of eight people). That is less than $10 a day. How much do you spend on food per day? For people who are working and barely making it through the month, relying on support from food pantries and other sources, every dollar counts.

The recipients of SNAP funds are our friends and neighbors. The vast majority are not freeloaders and criminals, taking advantage of our tax dollars instead of going out and getting a job. They are hardworking people barely scraping by. For some, the government shutdown is an inconvenience. For others, it is life-threatening.

Among the priorities of the Democrats is a desire to make sure that the Affordable Care Act remains affordable and low income people can afford insurance. And among the priorities of the Republicans is a desire to lower taxes and encourage investment in businesses which will provide employment. I am fasting until the leadership of both parties sit down together and figure out a way for each side to get some of what they want and reopen the government. This is a bipartisan fast. I’m calling on people from both sides of the aisle to join me in this daily sunrise to sunset fast, along with making donations to organizations that address hunger, to pressure the majority and minority leadership of the Senate and the President to come to the table and find a solution.

#Mazon StopHunger

Add your name to the growing number of people fasting at FastforSNAP.com.

I’m not a big fan of fasting, but I’m doing it because the Isaiah verses I mentioned yesterday really spoke to me, connecting fasting with taking action. Let me address a couple of responses I got yesterday.

Why are you doing a useless fast rather than donating food or money to actually feed the hungry? A great comment! In fact, I am doing both. Action is not an either/or proposition. I’m hoping that the idea of fasting to remind ourselves of our obligations to take corrective action ourselves gains traction around and outside of Michigan, such as donating to to Feeding West Michigan or local food pantries. And I’m hoping the Fast for SNAP, especially if it goes viral, will be an effective way to catch the attention of our leadership in DC and prod them to take substantial action.

And speaking of our leadership … why not call on our Senators to change their votes and end the government shutdown? I’m calling on the leadership of the Senate, both majority and minority, and ideally the president as well, to sit down and negotiate an end to the shutdown in which everyone both gives up and gets a little bit of what they want.

And finally, why am I spending time focused on SNAP when we as a Jewish community have our own serious concerns, like antisemitism, that we should address first? Hunger is our concern it’s not just someone else’s problem. There is food need in the Jewish community. This is both our concern and that of every ethnic and religious group in the country.

Please, join me in Fasting for SNAP. Or give to organization working to address the problem of hunger. Or both.

#Mazon StopHunger

FastforSNAP.com