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December 2003
"Esa einai, el he-harim, me’ayin ya’avo ezri .
. . I lift up my eyes to the hills, from where will come my aid..."
This beautiful psalm, and the lovely melody accompanying it, came
to mind this afternoon as I took my daughter for a walk. Ella was
cooing in her stroller, and those beautiful hills were all purple
and green, with the light slanting just so... you know how it is.
But underneath the exaltation of the pale winter light and crisp
air was a sadness and concern. In our community people are in need
of aid, and it can’t come from the hills, lovely as they are.
It has to come from us.
The Drop-In Center’s food shelf program is currently in great
need. Need for the center’s services has increased three fold,
while its funding has been cut. We were able to collect some 80
bags of food for the center over the High Holy Days, which was greatly
appreciated, but the shelves are now nearly bare again. We have
to do more.
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Rachel Prabhakar, BAJC President, with her daughter, Ella
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As a congregation, let’s see if we can integrate our tzedakah
more closely into our day-to- day lives, instead of thinking about
it only sporadically throughout the year. The food drive at the
High Holy Days is certainly important, but why can’t we collect
food every Shabbat. Perhaps after lighting the candles, each member
of our families can put aside a can of soup, a jar of peanut butter,
a box of crackers. Let’s see if we can bring in a box full
of Shabbat donations once a month. If you like, bring your donations
to Hebrew School or services, and we’ll make sure they get
to the food shelf. (For other drop-boxes, see the Feed
the Thousands project's website.)
The psalm continues, "Ezri me’im Adonai, oseh shamayim
ve aretz. My aid comes from Adonai, creator of earth and sky."
The doctrine of tikkun olam teaches that each human being is a partner
in God’s creation. We need to use our hearts to serve as God’s
hands, to provide the aid that is needed by God’s creatures.
B’shalom,
Rachel
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