Back

Let All Who Are Hungry Come and Eat

Although these texts are ancient, we still find relevance in them today.  See how the words of Rabbi Natan 7 on Genesis 21:33 inspire positive action in response to Passover’s call: let all who are hungry come and eat.

By Nigel Savage and Anna Stevenson
Reprinted with permission from Hazon. This originally appeared in Food For Thought: Hazon’s Sourcebook on Jews, Food, & Contemporary Life.

Many of us are active in helping our communities in many ways—but feeding people is not always the first thing that we think of when we want to work to make the world a better place. Jewish tradition has a commitment to social justice in general, and feeding the hungry in particular. Every year on Passover, we open our doors to share our table and our food with people less fortunate than us. Our celebration of freedom reminds us of those who are less free than we are. But if our tradition teaches “let all who are hungry come and eat,” how in practice do we fulfill that injunction?

How much is enough?

When the great calamity befell Job, he pleaded with the Holy One. “Master of the Universe, did I not feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, as it is written, “Have I eaten bread alone, and orphans not eaten from it?” (Job 31:16).

And did I not clothe the naked, as it is written, “Was he not warmed by the fleece of my sheep?” (Job 31:20).

However, the Holy One answered Job, “Job, you have not yet reached half the measure [of hospitality] extended by Abraham. You sat in your house waiting for guests to come to you. To him who was accustomed to eat wheat bread, you gave wheat bread; to him who was accustomed to eat meat, you gave meat; and to him who was accustomed to drink wine, you gave wine.

But Abraham did not act this way. He went out, getting about in the world.

When he met prospective guests, he brought them to his home. Even to him who was not accustomed to eat wheat bread, he gave wheat bread; to him who was not accustomed to eat meat, he gave meat; and to him who was not accustomed to drink wine, he gave wine. Not only that, but he got busy and built spacious mansions along the highways, and stocked them with food and drink, so that whoever entered ate, drank, and blessed Heaven.

Therefore, unusual satisfaction was given to Abraham, and whatever any person requested was to be found in his house, as it is written “And he planted a tamarisk tree (“eshel”) in Be’er Sheva.

– Avot de Rabbi Natan 7 on Genesis 21:33

The actions of Abraham outlined here are only examples of the many ways that we can “let all who are hungry come and eat.”  We encourage you to take a moment to think of how Passover calls us to serve the hungry in our communities.