Hineynu Blog

A Menu Of Bikur Cholim Services...Just To Get You Thinking

Hillel used to say:
"If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
And if I am only for myself, what am I?
And if not now, when?"
Pirke Avot 1:14

The Talmud teaches that each visitor removes 1/60th of another's pain. The act of bikur cholim (be-core kho-leem), narrowly translated as "visiting the sick," is a commandment incumbent on each Jew. And happily it is so broadly defined as to help each of us find a unique and valuable contribution to our community. The list below is compiled from the activities of many, many synagogues around the country, and emphasizes "out of the box" ideas that might occur to you, but may jump-start your planning. I hope it will be useful as a tool to initiate or expand the efforts of your community, and that you’ll share your new ideas as well!

Click Here For The List Of Ideas In The Hineynu Library

posted Friday October 28, 2005 3:48 AM by Lori Marx-Rubiner, Los Angeles CA Discuss This Topic Email This To A Friend

Forming a Caring Community

People love to be invited. We've learned over time that putting out a call for volunteers for a particular project is never as successful as also calling those we think have a particular interest and/or a set of skills that would be particularly relevant to the work at hand. Just saying, "We think you have something to offer …" immensely cheers the person getting the call. Even if not everyone accepts our invitation to join in the project, we've found that the goodwill engendered is huge and has a positive impact far beyond the life of the project itself.

This also applies to forming the Hineynu committee itself. We sorted out of our temple database a list of congregants professionally active in the social services. Of all we called, half agreed to brainstorm with us about both our needs as a congregation and how we could address them. Many stayed on to form the core of our committee. And from the half who could not join us at the beginning, many volunteered to be available on an ad hoc basis for future projects or to act as an advisory council to help find the right outside agencies to turn to, when our congregational resources are insufficient to meet a particular need. All said: "Thank you for calling. I'm really glad that you asked."

posted Thursday August 18, 2005 10:47 PM by Corey Friedlander, Yonkers NY Discuss This Topic Email This To A Friend

Welcome to the Hineynu Blog!

Thank you for visiting the Hineynu Blog. I hope that this becomes a valuable resource for you and your synagogue caring community. Please feel free to contribute your own stories and advice or discuss these topics too!

posted Wednesday August 17, 2005 7:42 PM by Mark Fox, San Diego CA Discuss This Topic Email This To A Friend

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