Facebook Post by Rabbi Perlin in the Time of Coronavirus (4/13/2020)
Monday Post 4/13/20: Eggs
by Rabbi Amy R. Perlin, D.D.
I didn’t have an egg for breakfast today. We are running low on eggs and we need to save them for other things. We eat more eggs during Passover than any other time. The first year that we made Passover with Jacob in Los Angeles, the kosher store offered us a case of wine or 13 dozen eggs, for free, with our $700 dollar order. Gary immediately took the eggs, and we used an awful lot of them (and gave a lot away, too!). Between Easter and Passover, Gary has fond memories of selling eggs as a high school fundraiser in the days leading up to the holidays. We are big on eggs, and counting them out is a new phenomenon.
Food insecurity exists all over America, in every town and city. Like Covid-19, it does not know borders and it is a global pandemic. The shortages of food and water plague our planet. I wrote a prayer, years ago, that talked about the fact that we have enough food on this planet — our problem is one of distribution. Like the medicines and supplies, so desperately needed, we must have long memories when we finally return to normal. We must recall what it was like to fear for eggs or toilet paper, medicines or fresh vegetables. I gave Jonah a bag of our last potatoes yesterday. It was like living in the shtetl – Savta offers potatoes, so the children will have what to eat. I also gave him the rest of our wine, as being a professor AND a pre-school teacher presents a lot of challenges that might only be mitigated with a little spirit from time to time. We go between sharing and feeling vulnerable in our need. And I am thankful that before all of this, we made feeding the hungry a personal and congregational priority in our lives.
Having grown up in a sometimes food insecure household, I have been preparing for a pandemic my entire adult life. People have joked about my pantries and my fear of shortages, but I feel somewhat redeemed right now. Jacob was able to go to our LA house this week and shop from our pantry there. As he climbed on a ladder to get the stock of Passover stuff, he jokingly remarked that there would be Jews on Pico (in the LA religious neighborhood) who would have looked at my pantry and said, “Score!”
As much as I will continue to keep all of our houses stocked, and probably make sure we have more eggs than we need in the future, I don’t think I will ever forget what it has been like to open the refrigerator and take out the last cucumber, or to decide when to eat the last tomato.
“God, grant me the ability to turn my temporary scarcity into a renewed effort to fight hunger and food insecurity wherever and whenever I can. And may those who can make a difference find the resources, and establish the safety nets, for those who live hungry and vulnerable each day.” To paraphrase the prophet Amos: “And then all shall sit under their vines and their fig trees, and none shall every go hungry or be vulnerable again.” Amen.