Send a Care Package for Yom Kippur
Every year, my High Holiday preparations begin in much the same way. I decide where to attend services and extend invitations for Rosh Hashanah meals. But this year, I added something new. Through A Mitzvah to Eat, I donated a care package to an anonymous recipient who is unable to safely fast on Yom Kippur. I also ordered a package for myself.
Fasting on Yom Kippur is a mitzvah for those who are safely able to do so. But Jewish tradition is clear that when fasting is unsafe, it is a mitzvah to eat. That messaging is often missing when we speak or teach about Yom Kippur. Sending packages containing items that say “A Mitzvah to Eat” and “When fasting is unsafe, it is a mitzvah to eat” provides crucial support to people who could potentially endanger their lives, health, and safety if they don’t eat on Yom Kippur.
You may be wondering why people who are unable to safely fast would need support. It is understandable to assume that eating on Yom Kippur would be easier than fasting for 25 hours.
It wasn’t for me. When fasting on Yom Kippur became unsafe for me some years ago, I struggled to eat. I know that life takes precedence in Judaism, but eating on Yom Kippur felt wrong.
Fasting on Yom Kippur had felt holy. But eating? It felt like a gaping hole of nothingness, devoid of Jewish meaning.
Fasting was unsafe for me, but eating was almost impossible. For years, I ended up fasting for the majority of Yom Kippur. That day, and in the days afterward, I would feel the impact of fasting, with lingering significant health impacts and potential for danger. Unfortunately, I simply didn’t have the support that I needed in order to eat on Yom Kippur.
It turns out that my experience is not uncommon. According to a combined dataset of 25 Jewish community studies from Brandeis University Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, an estimated 10% of Jewish adults in the United States said that they could not fast for medical reasons.
A survey from A Mitzvah to Eat about the experience of those unable to safely fast showed that:
85% of respondents have felt shame on Jewish ritual fast days
86% have felt alone
70% have still tried to fast
Like me, many people who are unable to safely fast on Yom Kippur have found it almost or completely impossible to eat. In their own words, here are some reasons that survey respondents fasted:
“I felt so alone in eating.”
“Fasting has been so ingrained in growing up Jewish that it felt wrong not to.”
“I felt like my observance wasn’t enough without fasting.”
For me, the shift away from fasting came when I found prayers that brought holiness to eating on Yom Kippur, connected with others who needed to eat, and asked a friend to write me a supportive card.
It was transformative. After feeling alone and isolated, I now felt connected to the Jewish community and to Jewish tradition. Having a card, a prayer, and peer support enabled me to stop sacrificing my health and safety, potentially endangering my life, in order to feel more connected to Yom Kippur. I was finally able to embrace my mitzvah to eat.
In 2021, I founded A Mitzvah to Eat, a nonprofit, to support people like me. A Mitzvah to Eat empowers Jews needing ritual accommodations to safely connect to sacred Jewish practice and community. An area of focus is supporting those unable to safely fast. In a survey, our community members shared over 40 reasons that they were unable to safely fast, including mental and physical health conditions, disabilities, trauma, and more.
This year, we are excited to offer the Jewish community the opportunity to send care packages to those who are unable to fast on Yom Kippur without risking their lives, safety, and health. These care packages provide magnets and stickers that read “when fasting is unsafe, it is a mitzvah to eat”, cards with a supportive message, and prayers to say while eating.
You can order community care packages to support those unable to safely fast in places such as college campuses, synagogues, and healthcare facilities. You can order individual packages for yourself or for friends, relatives, or community members who are unable to safely fast. You may also choose to support an anonymous recipient using the instructions on the donation page. We will match you with someone who has requested a care package to support them in their mitzvah to eat.
For many of us, plans for attending services and spending time with family and friends are an important part of our High Holiday preparations. But this year, you have an opportunity to do something extraordinary. Send a Yom Kippur care package to someone who is unable to safely fast. Then, enter this Jewish holiday season knowing that you have made a meaningful, transformative, and potentially life-saving difference.
Please order care packages here.
*Through September 17th, order care packages at the $40 (individual) and $54 (community) donation levels. Beginning on September 18th, we will add an additional $10 to the donation levels, covering expedited shipping to ensure that packages arrive prior to Yom Kippur. The order form will close on Thursday, September 25 at 2 pm ET (United States). This year, we are only able to ship packages within the United States.
**If you would like to request a package because the donation level is inaccessible or you need the support of someone else giving you a package, please fill out this form. We are looking for donors to support you, but cannot guarantee that a donated package will be available.
