Our Jewish wisdom is full of different reasons for why we might perform mitzvot, or sacred commandments. They might be to do with our notions of, or relationship with God, meaning we might do them because God has instructed us as Jews to do so, or has promised some kind of reward or punishment if we don’t. They might be to do with our own ethical imperatives, as stated by Torah – not bribing, or stealing, or placing a stumbling block in front of the blind, for example, since it “confounds the words of the righteous” (Exodus 23:8). There may even be utilitarian reasons, as per Maimonides, who stated that we might not know all the purposes behind each mitzvah, but that they led to the best possible outcome, for the greatest number of fellow people. Sometimes, we even do them lishma, for their own sake.
This is a way of saying that I am in awe each day of the mitzvot performed here at Holy Blossom, and all the many ways that they happen. Today, I want to take the chance to uplift just a few that occur, sometimes quietly, sometimes more explicitly, under my department of Kehila Kedosha.
The first is our Kugel Kindness initiative. Did you know that we have a dedicated cadre of volunteers who bake and deliver the comforting meal of a kugel to those in our congregation who are at times of significant life transition (bereavement, major illness,o r a new baby)? You may have been on the receiving end of one, you may have helped with the baking or delivering, but it is always heartwarming to know when they are appreciated as an aspect of bringing our community closer. We are grateful to our sister congregation at Bet Shalom in Minnesota for allowing us to learn from them and get this idea off the ground!
The second is related, which is our Bikkur Cholim program. Whether it’s a phone/Zoom match for someone who is isolated, a card when you’re ill, or handwritten notes and Jewish programming at retirement facilities around Shabbat and holidays, they are the ones who help our members feel seen and cared for at their most vulnerable.
Bereishit Rabbah teaches us that the mitzvot were given “solely to refine humanity”. It is these amazing people who carry them out, that give me great hope for the capacity of humanity to do good, to make a difference in the lives of others, and who not only talk the talk, but walk the walk, of our Reform Jewish values and congregational ethos – all with humility, warmth, and compassion.
If you would like to get involved in this important work, or to find out more, drop me (Rabbi McCarroll – [email protected]) a line, and I’d love to hear from you!
We were contacted by a student who was participating in the 2024 Vimy Pilgrimage, a federally sponsored program for high school students who visit Canadian war memorials and the graves of Canadian war veterans in Europe. The student had chosen to honour a Jewish soldier, Lt. Myer Tutzer Cohen, who died in 1917 at the battle of Passchendaele. We provided information about Lt. Cohen who was a Holy Blossom member and whose grandfather in 1892 was elected President of the synagogue. The student corresponded with us before and after the pilgrimage and sent us a biography and appreciation of Lt. Cohen which they wrote, a link to a blog published by the students while they were in Europe, photographs from the trip and a rubbing from Lt. Cohen’s headstone. 
