Thanksgiving Mitzvot

I can’t smell the turkey yet; however I can hear the wild ones in my backyard at the end of a crisp fall day.  Yes, football games, family celebrations and Cyber Thursday are only three weeks away.  The headline in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer reads that there is, “A crisis in food and funding in area pantries”.  With the exception of canned corn, beans, grapefruit juice and fresh venison, the shelves are emptying out. However, there are 65% more hungry families seeking nourishment than 2 years ago.  The pantries in South Jersey report that they need 50,000 more turkeys for the holiday, plus gas money for their trucks.  Closer to home the kosher food pantry in Princeton is looking for a donation of 150 Shoprite scrip cards, which will enable local families to purchase all the trimmings at The Kosher Experience.  You may purchase scrip whenever the synagogue office is open from our Sisterhood, and we will make sure that the cards go to needy individuals through the offices of the Jewish Family and Children's Services.

In addition, you have an opportunity to help feed, clothe, inspire, and learn from the Jewish immigrants, seniors, and survivors at the Klein JCC (N.E. Philly) next Sunday the 13^th .  Please plan for a full day of mural painting, music, cooking, food sorting, classes, and service.  We will also tour the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center with the curator, Dr. Don W. This Jewish Heritage Tour and mitzvah project replaces our regularly scheduled youth and Adult Education.  The synagogue will be closed.  Please meet Scott and me at the Kohl’s parking lot in Yardley (by the bank) at 9:30am to carpool down.  RSVP to the office.   

In this week’s parsha, Lech Lecha, Abram and Sarai face a severe famine in the land of Canaan and they were forced to sojourn in the land of Egypt, which put them in mortal danger (Genesis 12:10).  The families of our community that are forced to cope with food insecurity on a monthly basis are also in peril.  In more prosperous times, Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 18:2-10) had the zechut, the merit, to be able to open their tent and offer their hospitality to passing strangers.  They received God’s blessing for their hospitality.  May God bless you for supporting last month’s Operation Isaiah (High Holiday) Food Drive and for partnering with others in our congregational family to continue to meet the growing hunger in our community.