As I write this article, most of my congregation is without
power or heat. By the time you receive
it, God willing, Hurricane Sandy will be but a recent memory for most of
us. At times like this, we all seek to
care for our loved ones, and do what is possible for our congregation,
community and region. We find ourselves
seeking – seeking comfort, gasoline, information and ideas. And we bump up against the unanticipated
situation or reaction. Nerves fray, and
people act out. Yet always we must let
our actions be driven by gemillut chesed:
genuine Kindness.
The most tragic stories of the Hurricane drive home the
point. There is the young mother on Staten Island who knocked on a door begging
for help, and was turned away, only to lose her two young children’s lives in
the flood outside. Chesed saves
lives. Anger fear and selfishness destroy lives.
Here at B’nai Shalom I am proud of our community. I am proud of those who responded through chesed.
Through a network of mobile phones, portable wifi cards and
laptops we were able to stay in touch with the community of “smart phones” on a
daily basis. We received multiple positive letters thanking us for being in
touch and affirming that no one was alone. And we used the auto-dialer to call
the congregation with offers of help and meals. Personal networks reached out
to the elderly and the homebound.
We held “flashlight minyanim”
for a couple of days. Then, we were
fortunate to get power on the evening of Day 3, so we immediately opened the
doors to the shul for warmth and weekday charging all day, every day until
power was restored. Volunteers kept the
doors open well into the evening. We scrambled, following a tip from members,
to offer a Friday night dinner from Reuben’s and we cooked for 175 to serve a Kiddush
lunch for our members on Shabbat as well.
Knowing the kids were out of school, but available and cold,
Rena Casser opened religious school on Shabbat and Sunday to return to normalcy
early and provide families a much needed break.
Multiple members of the congregation offered spare beds,
couches and in one case a paid hotel room for needy members. And certainly the vast majority of such acts
of kindness went unsung and unknown to all but those directly involved. My
family was among the many who slept on couches and floors in the homes of such chesed-filled families.
In the haftarah read on Shabbat Shuvah, the prophet Micah
tells us (7:20) “You [God] will grant truth for Jacob and chesed for Abraham, as you swore to our forefathers in days of
old.” As always, we are grateful for the gifts of both clarity and kindness in
trying times. If the shul can be of service to you and yours, please do not
hesitate to give us the opportunity to fulfill our mitzvah of chesed with
you.
Rabbi Robert L. Tobin