Two weeks ago was the annual Bike4Chai ride—a fundraiser for Camp Simcha, a camp for children suffering from severe illnesses. The riders rode 160 miles in two days! Bike4Chai has multiple stations along the route with food and refreshments. The riders typically train for a few months before the big ride.
The biggest ride I’ve ever done was at age 19, when I traveled to Teveria with two friends and we biked around the Kinneret. We ate some wafers and yogurt for breakfast, threw a couple of snacks and two large bottles of water into our knapsacks, and started to ride. We figured we could find a falafel or grocery store along the circuit to purchase lunch and replenish our water. However, after Teveria, the rest of the route alongside the Kinneret was not populated and did not have any stores. After a few hours, we were really hungry and needed food for lunch. We finally found a falafel stand halfway up a steep side road, but could not eat any of the food since the stand had no hechsher (kosher supervision).
We pushed onward and saw a sign for a kosher hotel along the Kinneret; relief was finally in sight! But to our dismay, the receptionist told us she could not sell us any meals since lunch was over and dinner was not served until 6 pm.! “Please, we desperately need food. We have been biking for over four hours and are famished. Please help us,” we pleaded. She went to the kitchen and came back with a package of angel food cake and a few apples, which she offered to us for free. We were so thankful. We finished the cake and fruit in about a minute. This provided us enough energy to continue riding until we reached a gas station, where the only kosher item was ice cream. We each ate three ice cream bars and were energized for the rest of the trip back to Teveria.
A valuable lesson we learned on this trip was how important it is to provide food for those who are hungry. In Parshas Ki Seitzei, the Torah prohibits a Jewish woman from marrying a male convert from the nations of Ammon and Moav, since they did not provide food and drink to Bnei Yisrael when they passed by their lands after leaving Egypt, and they hired Bilam to curse the Jewish nation.
Ammon and Moav were descendants of Lot, whom Avraham had risked his life to save when Lot was captured in war. Additionally, Lot and his family were saved from the destruction of Sodom in the merit of Avraham. Instead of repaying the kindness to Bnei Yisrael in their time of need, Ammon and Moav attempted to inflict harm on them. Ammon refused to provide food and drink to Bnei Yisrael, even for money, and Moav hired Bilam to curse Bnei Yisrael. But what is so egregious about not providing food or drink that it led to the nation of Ammon being prohibited from marrying a Jewish woman?
The Gemara says that the Torah is teaching us the importance of providing food and drink to those in need. Sefer HaChinuch adds that the qualities of kindness and benevolence are exhibited in providing food for people who are hungry. In not providing food, Ammon exhibited an evil quality which is not compatible with Bnei Yisrael, a nation which is identified by its good character traits of benevolence and compassion.
Rav Moshe Wolfson provides a deeper insight into the act of providing food to another person, beyond the aspect of nutritional need. Providing food creates a bond between the giver and the receiver. This is evidenced by a comparison of the quorums that are required for prayer with a minyan and Zimun for communal Bircas HaMazon after a meal. While a minyan for prayer requires a minimum of ten men, only three men are needed to recite Zimun, since food creates a strong bond and unites people more than other mediums.
Ammon refused to even sell the food to Bnei Yisrael, because they didn’t want to create any kind of relationship or bond with the Jewish nation. As a result, they aren’t allowed to marry into the Jewish nation.
The kindness of providing food is inborn in the Jewish people. Jews know that if they are traveling and run out of food, they can be fairly certain that if they find other Jewish travelers, those travelers will offer them some food.
The Alter from Kelm suggests that a way to increase one’s merit for the judgment of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is to unite with other Jews. Hashem guarantees that the future of the Jewish nation as a unit is safe. Elul is a time when we can connect to other Jews, be it through food, prayer or Torah. Creating bonds with other Jews is what ensures the safety of ourselves and our brethren as a Jewish nation.
Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim is the associate rosh yeshiva of Passaic Torah Institute (PTI)/Yeshiva Ner Boruch. Rabbi Bodenheim can be reached at [email protected]. For more info about PTI and its Torah classes, visit www.pti.shulcloud.com
