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The same portion that describes the wanderings of the Israelites delineates the boundaries of the Promised Land and establishes cities of refuge. Though the journey from slavery to freedom has been long, soon the Israelites will need to create a just society within a boundary. The cities of refuge described in Numbers 35:9-15 were created because of the prevalence of blood vengeance in the ancient world. The Torah teaches that a city without justice is no city. As Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in his letter from Birmingham Jail, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” If we could apply this consciousness to the injustice of hunger, it would mean that every time we eat, we would insist that the hungry people were fed. In Eastern Europe, a tradition emerged that during great simchas, before the festive meal was enjoyed, the hosts would be sure that the hungry people of the community were fed first. The Jewish tradition of offering a blessing before the meal makes us conscious of God who helped provide the food we enjoy. A further blessing after the meal (Birkat Hamazon) reminds us to give thanks when our bellies our full and our appetites satiated. In this tradition, next time you host friends at home or share in a public simcha, make a donation to MAZON, or pass a MAZON tzedakah box around the table.
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