9 Cheshvan 5786
Dear Friend,
The proposed cuts to SNAP benefits-a vital lifeline that provides basic sustenance-presents a profound moral challenge to our society. For our Jewish community, this challenge is an immediate and absolute religious obligation.
Our tradition is unequivocal: feeding the hungry is not merely charity, but an act of justice—tzedakah. The Torah commands us, "If there is among you a poor person... you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him, and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be” (Deuteronomy 15:7-8).
From the corners of the field, which we were commanded to leave for the poor and the stranger (Leviticus 19:9-10), to the teachings that state providing for the poor "weighs as heavily as all the other commandments of the Torah combined," the urgency of this mitzvah is clear. The Talmud teaches that in the World to Come, when asked of our life's work, the answer, "I fed the hungry," is the key to entry.
When government provisions—like SNAP, which represents a communal effort to prevent mass suffering—are reduced, the spiritual burden shifts immediately and dramatically onto us as individuals and as a community. We cannot stand idly by while our neighbors, the vulnerable, and the children among us go without food.
- Perhaps you didn’t know that in Springfield, almost half of our population receives SNAP benefits (47.4%);
- Perhaps you didn’t know that the primary recipients of SNAP are households with children, elderly individuals, and people with disabilities;
- Perhaps you didn’t know that a significant number of SNAP recipients are part of the working poor.
The moment it became apparent that the government was going to allow this appropriation to lapse, our partners, Rachel's Table and Jewish Family Service jumped in to action by bringing the Lower Valley together for a Food Drive.
They made it easy by creating an Amazon List.
They made it easy by creating a shopping list of the most needed items for you to take to the supermarket
They made it easy to drop off at multiple locations.
What they didn’t do is ask for money. Maybe they didn’t want to lose focus on the fundamental need for food and supplies, but I can do it for them. No one can do it better than Rachel’s Table and JFS:
they know the needs;
they can efficiently purchase in bulk;
they have the infrastructure to meet the need;
they can direct the money to purchase what is needed most.
In times of need we often have to create the agencies and initiatives to address the challenges. In our case, we have two great agencies with a long history, ready to rise to the occasion. Your generous support helps those you know and those you don’t.
Shabbat Shalom
Adam Solender