“...most of us can and will handle 25 hours without food and drink just fine. We’ve been doing this for the last 2,000 years, ladies...”
I really appreciated all the helpful ideas for pre-fast recipes. They were practical and doable and also not over-the-top fancy, which made them very appropriate for this tekufah. What I did not appreciate was the undertone of anxiety and self-care. It’s really sad that we’ve become so wrapped up in our bubbles of optimal nutritional balance and self-care that we can’t even approach our national day of very justified mourning without worrying about electrolyte levels.
Baruch Hashem, most of us are strong, productive women who juggle a lot and do it well. There may be some readers who are genuinely fragile and who need specialized guidance to get through the fast. But most of us can and will handle 25 hours without food and drink just fine. We’ve been doing this for the last 2,000 years, ladies, and guess what? We’re all loading our washing machines the next day right on schedule.
There’s no need to be so anxious. Before the fast, drink extra and have some watermelon if you wish. Then take a day to focus on the Big Problems of the Jewish people — not your electrolyte levels and whether your pre-fast intake had the optimal mix of nutrients and proteins. If you don’t feel your best during the long, hot fast, if you even feel some distress and discomfort, then guess what? That’s the point.
Name Withheld
Thank you, Esther Shemtov, for your humorous piece on the challenge single women face in shidduchim. I’ve never felt so heard in such a comedic way before! Was your article based on my dating journal?! The number of “hats” I’ve dated just because they have a pulse (who weren’t even 5’7” in heels) is clearly nothing short of ordinary. It was really validating that other girls have been treading water in this vast ocean looking for a single mensch fish! (No red fish, blue fish, or herring fish.)
Create a free account to keep reading.
