Rabbi Janine's Messages

Dear Community, 

Shabbat and tzedakah go hand-in-hand. 

Tzedakah, from the Hebrew word “tzedek” or “justice” is more than just charity. Tzedakah is a matter of social justice and an obligation. We don’t give tzedakah because it’s the “nice thing to do” or “because we felt like it.” We give tzedakah because as Jews we are commanded to support those in need. 

Historically, Jews would carry coins with them to shul before Shabbat and deposit their coins into the synagogue’s tzedakah box, or pushke in Yiddish. This way they could complete the mitzvah of giving tzedakah before Shabbat.

Why before Shabbat in particular? Shabbat is the time we take stock of our lives and all that we have. On Shabbat we stop working, stop earning, stop creating, and rest. In the story of creation Gd declares all that Gd had made of creation is "good." On Shabbat, we are invited to look around our own lives and realize that all is good for us as well.

But it doesn't stop there. Not only do we appreciate what we have on Shabbat, but we enact the idea of “plenty” by giving tzedakah. On Shabbat, we are brimming with gratitude, and so we make sure to give what we can to those who could use more help. 

Starting tomorrow, Americans will lose access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. SNAP is a crucial food assistance program for tens of millions of Americans. I invite you to join me in giving tzedakah before Shabbat to a local food bank to help them cover needs for this next month. You can donate money, food, and other items they request.

If you would like to donate through the synagogue, please make your donation through our website, mark it for the Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund, and add the note “Food Bank Support.” I will be giving any donations marked for “Food Bank Support” to our local pantry Fisherman’s Mark in Lambertville. 

It helps to have a deadline. We can always want to give tzedakah, but our ancestors understood they couldn't wait. They rushed to give before the sunset on Friday and Shabbat began. Join me in fulfilling this mitzvah today. 

Shabbat Shalom, 

Rabbi Janine Jankovitz
She/Her