A message from an Ezer Mizion cooking corps volunteer to her fellow volunteers
Beloved friends, dear sisters, who give of your time, money, and energy to the community,
It is just hours to Shabbat and I can picture all of your activity from the side — without excuses, without looking for outs… charitable acts performed with your own hands. I want to share with you some of the feelings in my aching, weeping heart.
Two days ago, I lost a sister… a dear sister whom I never met to this day, a sister who shares common parents with us — Ezer Mizion…
So sadly, my journey of a year and a half with this dear, beloved “sister,” mother of 9 children, has come to an end. After a year and a half of suffering, she returned her pure, unsullied soul to her Father in Shamayim (heaven). We both tended to those children over the last year and a half; she continued to love and miss and worry about them, though she could not really raise them. And we were zocheh (merited) to accompany her family for the last year and a half with rice, chicken, meat, soup, schnitzel, desserts, nosh, etc.
I was so sure that I’d end my task by giving her a big hug and returning the cooking scepter to her kitchen kingdom. But Hashem (G-d) wanted her at his side, pure and glowing. And I, apparently, will continue escorting the pained orphan children for a while longer.
I am telling you this because I was at the funeral. I cried so hard that I felt real physical pain. A five-year-old boy said Kaddish (prayer for the deceased)… A three-year-old girl looked for Mommy… I felt that I had no more strength to cook, that it was very hard for me, that I, too, am in mourning. Who will comfort me? I so wanted to meet her.
Today, when I came to be comfort the mourners hurting, broken, and sad — I emerged stronger and, above all, with the energy to continue. And this is what I want to bring to you.
It was seeing with my own eyes the little children, the pure mouths that never sinned, eating what we brought; feeling that I love them like my own children; that they are flesh of my flesh; that what my children ate, they ate, too, nourished by what my children were nourished. (Our children knew that we always buy a double amount of nosh, half for us and half for them…)
I heard from the aunts how the children spoke about the delicious food and how the deceased was such a fine person and was always there for everyone; how she loved her children and felt so bad that she could not do things for them; and how calming it was for her that they had food, and how much she blessed me…
But what was most chilling for me was what I heard from her mother, an amazing, righteous woman who took care of her daughter for the last year and a half with endless devotion. She said again and again: “Your hands should be blessed… your hands should be blessed! You can raise them to Shamayim (heaven) and ask Hashem (G-d) to fill them with all good things!”
I want to pass her words on to you and to say, “Your hands should be blessed… your hands should be blessed!” One of the highest level of charity is to actually feed the needy, and that is exactly what you do. Thanks to you, children grow and develop, physically. Their new son-in-law (married a half year) told me — and I’m passing this on to you, too: “You should know that the food you prepared for the family was a matter of real hatzalat nefashot (saving souls)!!! Without this food that you prepare during people’s difficult times, they would not have the strength to get through this period.”
“Your hands should be blessed… Your hands should be blessed… Your hands should be blessed!” Now, while you are cooking, lift your holy hands up to Hashem and ask Him for all good things! May Hashem give you the strength to continue more and more to give, to cook, to do… May He fulfill your heart’s desires for the good and for a blessing. May we hear of no more tragedies in our midst. And may we all merit much joy.
One more thing that my husband said to the father of the family : “In an army, there are the fighters, and there are those who make sure they have what to eat. You are the fighters, who went through such a difficult nisayon (test), and we are the quartermasters.”
May these words and the chizuk (strength) they engender be l’iluy nishmat (for the elevation of the soul of) Chaya Beruriah bat Menashe.
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