Food and Fast

Ugh! 3:30 on Yom Kippur. Stomach is rumbling like an Earthquake. When does Neilah even start? Soon I hope. Food. I miss food. Why do I even have to be put up to this horrid fast? My stomach hurts, I miss water oh so much, and my breath is so foul from not brushing me teeth. Oh yeah, respecting God. I am atoning for my "sins". What sins? I was perfect this year! I miss not being below Bar Mitzvah age. Looking forward to when I get old or I can not fast for health reasons, maybe then I'll be able to atone my sins. Gosh, you know what I miss more? Food!

A tale of an atoning Jew. Food's the only thing crossing the mind as we are in denial of our sins. We try to flush out why we fast, why we are Jewish. Jewish holidays have become we nearly died, we lived, we eat. No more meaning. High Holy Days have become: we were bad, now we are better, bring on the food. No more meaning. With each generation, it gets worse. Modern world distractions are more "important".

Why is food so great anyways? Humans die without food, but die from too much. Food makes us feel fat and unattractive. Hey, America is having such a problem of obesity, thanks to food. Food can intoxicate us with poison or drugs. Most of the foods we love are made from chemicals. Of all the things in the Torah, you know what has the most laws, food! In general, food is a menace.

Then again, I have a love/hate relationship with food. Of all things my all-time favorite food is ice cream. Once I think about food, I smile. After that, I reminisce. I reminisce how every night at dinner I want more than I should have and I have to run just to make up for the food I consumed. It just tastes so good.

Here's some food for thought. Clever I know. We all make our own choices. Perhaps we choose whether or not to eat too much or too little. Americans everywhere have brains that are much smarter than their stomachs. Humans intoxicate food and fill it with drugs. God creates the fruits of the gardens, but humans fill them with chemicals. Does not sound to me like food is a burden at all. It is humans that are the nuisance.

Humans? God created us, why did the Lord make us with so many flaws? We kill, we destroy, we betray, and worst of all we hate one another. On Yom Kippur, we constantly ask to be inscribed in the Book of Life. Do Jews even know what that means anymore? God handed us a rulebook. You know just that litte, unknown thing called the Torah! All the rules are there. Most of us just do not bother to read them. God created us with flaws as a test. Anything in life requires listening. If we listen and obey the laws of the Torah, even to our own degree, we will actually be able to say, "I have sinned just a speck on this year." If we even take the time to understand the laws of the Torah, hopefully just like I have found I hope you find meaning in life and finally understand why food is just not so bad.