Голод

The disease of the hungry - hunger - is suffering that arouses pity. The height of all human misfortunes is hunger: such an end is more painful than any death. In other dangers, either the edge of a sword inflicts quick death, or the swiftness of the fire instantly extinguishes life, or animals, having torn apart the main members of life with their teeth, prevent prolonged pain. But hunger is a slow evil, a prolonged torment; death lurking and lurking within, threatening every minute and still slowing down. For it depletes natural moisture, cools warmth, compresses bodily volume, and little by little drains strength. The flesh, like a web, adheres to the bones; the skin loses color because with the depletion of blood, the ruddy color disappears; there will be no whiteness, because the surface of the body darkens from exhaustion; the body turns blue because, as a result of suffering, the fused pallor and blackness produce a pitiful appearance; they do not hold their knees on themselves, but involuntarily bend; the voice becomes thin and weak; the eyes languish in their sockets, vainly inserted into the vagina, like dried kernels into a nut shell; the stomach is empty, sunken, has neither shape nor volume, nor natural elasticity in the insides, lying close to the spinal bones. What kind of punishment is worthy of someone who passes by a person with such an emaciated body? What else can be added to such cruelty? Isn’t he worth classifying him among the fierce beasts, recognizing him as a villain and murderer? Whoever has the opportunity to heal evil, but voluntarily and out of covetousness puts it aside, can, in fairness, be condemned on a par with murderers. The torment of hunger often forced many to transgress the limits of nature, it made a person touch the flesh of his fellow tribesmen, and that the mother of her son, whom she brought into the world from the womb, again took into the womb without mercy. Jewish history, written by the industrious Joseph 36, presents us with such deplorable events when terrible suffering befell the Jerusalemites, who suffered just punishments for their wickedness before the Lord. Look, our God Himself often left other sufferings without healing, but compassionately showed mercy on those who were hungry. For he says: I feel sorry for the people (Matthew 15:32). Therefore, at the final judgment, where the Lord calls the righteous to Himself, the generous one takes first place. The feeder of others takes precedence among those awarded honors, the one who gives bread is called before all, the obliging and gracious one is brought into life first before other righteous people. But the uncommunicative 37 and the stingy are given over to the fire before other sinners (see Matt. 25:34–46). Time itself calls you to the mother of commandments; take special care that this time of market and purchase does not go in vain for you; because time flows and does not wait for the slow; the days hurry and pass by the lazy. And just as it is impossible to stop the flow of a river, unless someone, having captured it at the first meeting and the first impulse, uses the water as it should, so it is impossible to hold back time, which is forced forward by non-stop rotations: and the past cannot be returned back, unless someone catches what is coming. Therefore, the commandment, like something running, keep and fulfill; take it from all sides and squeeze it in your arms. Give little and get much. Resolve the original sin by donating food. For just as Adam passed on sin to us through evil eating, so we will atone for this evil eating if we satisfy our brother’s need and hunger (1). Josephus Flavius ​​(37 - after 100), ancient Jewish historian, author of the works “The Jewish War” and “Jewish Antiquities.” You might be interested in: