The fellows arrived at Sherith Israel by 11:30, and after some initial chatting, made their way to the kitchen to start working. We sanitized, put on aprons, and split into task forces before confronting our mission for the day - food preparation.
I was in the group responsible for slicing and dicing, and we followed Gabe and Gabi's lead as we cut our way through various vegetables, and eventually, a ball of turkey. The cutting process was completed without any injuries or mishaps, although the onions left some of us feeling very emotional. The food was then prepared and cooked, and fellows who found themselves with free time set about cleaning up. Once the food was ready, it was time to package everything for distribution.
Soup had to be ladled, chickens were placed, and oniony side dishes were allocated appropriately. While making food may not seem overly extraordinary at first glance, our experience was eye-opening in a very comforting way. Not only did we have the opportunity to give food to people in need, we got to see for ourselves that at least in this synagogue, those involved with this process make a powerful effort to produce healthy, delicious food and seem to find real value in what they are doing. Furthermore, we as a group were able to do good anonymously, which was considered by Maimonides to be one of the highest form of mitzvot.
-Jay Varhula
No comments:
Post a Comment