Putting Pesach Into Practice - "Let All Who Are Hungry Come and Eat"
(http://www.uscj.org/TPI_9_Putting_Pesach6132.html)
At the very beginning of the Pesach Seder we recite the “Ha-Lahma Anya," which is both an invitation to the hungry and homeless to join with us in our festive meal and a hope that in the future such poverty and despair will disappear. Often the invitation is only a formula as we do little on Pesach to realize the ideals embodied in it. Yet, Pesach offers us many opportunities to reach out to those less fortunate and to realize, at least in a small way, "Let all who are hungry come and eat."
Mitzvah of Hametz
One of the central mitzvot connected with Pesach is the obligation to rid our houses of all hametz - (grain products). This is usually achieved in several ways. The hametz is eaten, thrown out, or sold. The last of these, the selling of the hametz , usually involves a legal fiction where the hametz is rabbinically sold. It remains in the house of the original owner, with a proviso that the non-Jewish owner will pay the full price and pick up the hametz following the holiday. The sale is canceled before the collection date on the contract.
Enhancing The Mitzvah
People are disturbed by the realization of wasting food when people are starving. This year, in addition to the usual means of disposing of hametz , encourage congregants to donate to the hungry and homeless within the community.
Are you cleaning your pantries for Passover? Temple Chayai Shalom is here to help! Bring your unopened nonperishable hametz items to TCS by Thursday, April 2 for donation to local food pantries!
A double mitzvah mitzvah – ridding your home of hametz and providing food for the hungry!
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We are committed to contributing designated food items to individuals and families in need.
Please drop off jars of peanut butter in the basket found in the Temple lobby.
- The collected food is taken monthly to the drop off site in Brookline. Additionally, once a year Chayai Shalom Temple members deliver food to families in need.
- Co-Chairs:
- This program is coordinated through Jewish Family & Children Services of Boston. For more information, see: www.jfcsboston.org/
In addition, we participate in an annual Chanukah Gift giving program to children in need.
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MainSpring House is located in Brockton and serves the needs of homeless individuals and families.
- In conjunction with religious school classes, monthly contributions of cookies and other baked goods are delivered to the MainSpring House.
- During the winter months, blankets are also being collected and donated.
- For more information about the MainSpring House, see their website at: www.msh.homestead.com
- Toiletries can be dropped off in the marked basket found in the Temple lobby.
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Do you have 2 hours once a year to party?
The Social Action Committee is working with the Birthday Wishes to bring the magic of a birthday party to homeless children. Temple Chayai Shalom has adopted The Conway House in Middleboro. We are currently looking for volunteers to help with a variety of simple tasks in order to bring a birthday party to Middleboro once a month. Your time commitment would be approximately 2-3 hours once or twice a year.
Contacts:
Amy Abrams at 508-316-0218 (abrams96@comcast.net)
Jodi Emerson at 508-947-8537 (jemer414@verizon.net)
www.birthdaywishes.org
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The following is a really interesting article from the monthly Union of Reform Judaism magazine:
http://reformjudaismmag.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=1452
Think about the quote, 'Instead of asking, "what can we do to help?", we ask "who has the power to change the situation?"'
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