STORIES ABOUT ACTS OF KINDNESS My brother was visiting me for Shabbos the week we had a huge snowstorm. Since he does not like taking public transportation, before he came, I told him that after Shabbos, I would drive him back to his apartment about a half-hour away. I had not anticipated, however, how big the snowstorm would be. After Shabbos, I was very nervous to drive him because on Friday, my car had slid on the road. My brother was very upset. I didn't know what to do and was feeling a lot of anxiety. My friend, without me asking, made phone calls and found my brother a ride with someone going that way. She completely solved our dilemma simply by taking the time to focus on others. It may seem like a small thing, but it really brought me a lot of relief, and it also brought peace between siblings. Passaic, New Jersey As I was walking one afternoon in Jerusalem, on Jaffa street, I passed by 2 beggars. One was sitting towards the top of the block- he was sleeping, and had very few coins in his hat. The other was sitting towards the bottom, playing an instrument of some sort, and had many coins in his hat. I went into a store, and when I came out some time later I wittnessed the most amazing thing: the beggar with many coins scooped up some of his earnings, walked over to the other beggar, and deposited them into that one's hat. Then he sat down by his friend and started talking with him... Efrat, Israel I work with someone who is having extreme financial difficulties and today she was short $2.00 to have her gas and electric turned back on. She asked if she could borrow $2.00. I gave the 2 but she forgot about the cost of the money order. At this point in time I am fortunate to have an extra money to lend her I gave her$12.00 to her so she had some extra cash until pay day. I have been in her position many times. I made me feel so good that I was able to help. West Orange, New Jersey Every Friday morning I make a cup of coffee for the lady who is employed by the Bal ha Bait ( caretaker) to clean the staircases and foyer of our building. It is so wonderful to see how much she enjoys that cup of coffee at 7.00 am in the morning. Shoham, Tel Aviv Israel In September I am going to have my bar mitzvah. And for my bar mitzvah I am choosing as a project "A Tradition of Kindness". So every week I will be telling all of you stories about people doing good deeds for others. And I will encourage other people to do acts of kindness. These are my first stories. When my grandpa and I were driving, we spotted a dead raccoon. The next day we saw that the carcass was still on the road. We were concerned about young children touching it and getting a disease. So we called the police and they removed it. My grandparents have a Jewish friend who isn't allowed to leave her house because of illness. So on Friday my grandparents brought a whole Friday night dinner for her. These are my first stories. When my grandpa and I were driving, we spotted a dead raccoon. The next day when we were driving we saw the same raccoon in the road again. We were concerned about young children touching it and getting a didease. So we called the police and told them that the animal was there. As a result of my call, the police moved the animl from out of the road. My grandparents have a friend who is confined to her house which means isn't aloud to go out of it because of illness. This lady that is sick is jewish. So on Friday night my grandparents brought a whole Friday night dinner for her. Libertyville, Illinois Since I have been reading your emails, I have not only been motivated to do more chesed, But I have also ha ve been on the look out to see all of the chasdim that others are constantly doing for me. This morning on the bus, on my way to work, there were two small children going to school, before they noticed, they missed there stop. They called out to the driver, who answered them : "don't worry, I'll take you to school, and he did! Right to the door! Everybody on the bus was very impressed and happy with the drivers chesed! ramat beit shemsh, Israel My wife is dedicated to being a stay-at-home mother for our three children (all under four years old). This past week a woman in our community with whom my wife is somewhat friendly gave birth to her second child. My wife gave her a call to see how she's doing, offer her help, etc. My wife asked if the woman was having her meals prepared (the woman is a member of a shul with an active chesed committee which provides meals for new mothers). It turns out that, somehow, arrangements hadn't been made for her meals. When my wife heard this, she offered to contact the shul's chesed committee. After a number of phonecalls, my wife was unsuccessful in reaching anyone responsible for the chesed committee of the woman's shul. My wife refused to forget the matter, and proceeded to call a number of mutual friends who agreed to provide meals for the new mother. Eventually the chesed committee was contacted and took over the responsibility. But no meals were missed thanks to my wife's selfless concern for her friend. Chesed doesn't only come from committees, it comes from anyone who refuses to leave a fellow Jew in need. Riverdale, NY A few days ago, I was on Central Avenue in Cedarhurst. I saw a man who was about 65-70 years old miss his bus. I gave him a sympathetic glance as I passed by, but then decided to do better. Although I still had errands to run, I turned back and followed the man and then asked him where he was headed. When he responded that he was on his way to Far Rockaway, I said that I lived there and that my car was not parked far. (I did not mention that I was not on my way home yet.) I walked the block to my car, drove to where I had left the man, picked him up and drove him to Far Rockaway. He asked me why I was being so nice. I shrugged, but later wished I had thought to say that I was doing it because I am a religious Jew who believes that acts of kindness are one of the pillars of the world. Far Rockaway, New York One of the members of our community lost one of their twins from SIDS. The pain of this is unimaginable to any parent. We can all feel their pain. On the first Yahrtzeit of the child's death, the women of our community dedicated their Shabbos Learning Class in the merit of the child. This gesture helped the parents know how much we all care about them and are sensitive to their pain. norfolk, va usa One of our close friends is from South Africa. When her mother became ill she went to be with her and to help her during her illness. Her husband was left to care for three young children, while working at his job. We helped him by having his children come to our home after school. This gave him the ability to stay at work and not worry about rushing home. It was good, too, to have a little "study hall" around our table after school everyday while the children did their homework. norfolk, va This past summer I worked at a Jewish day camp. In the lobby of the Jewish Center, where this camp was run, I noticed an exhibit on how we can help Israel. I was overjoyed, because I had always felt so helpless to the plight of the Israelis. The display listed a website where we can buy goods in Israel and help to stabilize Israel's failing economy: www.shopinisrael.com. After I found out about this website, I told my friends about it and asked them to tell their friends about it. I printed out flyers and set them out at the cash register of a deli. I vowed to buy one thing from Israel, once a month. Then my Rabbi got in on the action. During his Yom Kippur sermon he urged us all to support Israel and to buy at least one Chanukah gift from Israel. This message went into our county's Jewish newspaper, as well as into our Temple Bulletin. I hope that you readers can also help Israel and bring them out of recession. Canton, OH The other day in the rain and wind and coldness, my friend and I were in New York City from ealry afternoon until very late at night. We shopped, had dinner, and then enjoyed a wonderful Broadway show. When we arrived back to our local train station we were just too tired and cold to walk to my car which was parked a distance away. As such, we took a cab for the few blocks, and then I proceeded to drive my friend home. Upon getting home I realized that my wallet was missing! Immediately, I retraced my steps, checked my car, the garage, the driveway...you name it. My husband drove me back to the location where my car was originally parked to see if my wallet was on the ground there. No luck. We stopped at the Taxi stand to see if my wallet was turned in. Again...no luck. After several phone calls to the taxi stand (it was now about 3:30 am), I was starting to question a good ending to this story, however, and this is key...... Through this entire ordeal, I remembered that when I was a little girl, my mother found a wallet in a phone booth at Radio City Music Hall, which was filled with money, papers, etc. Being the virtuous woman that she always was, she brought the wallet home, called the person with the wonderful news, and then promptly mailed the wallet with its full contents to its rightful owner. During the entire time of frantically wondering who had my wallet or where it was, I kept believing that because of my mother's virtuous deeds that my wallet would be returned to me. I WAS RIGHT!!! At 3:30am I received a call from the Taxi dispatcher telling me that they found my wallet. It was in the cab under the seat!!! The driver brought my wallet right to my home!!! (Naturally, I gave him a very generous reward and thanked him profusely). The ending is very happy...and I do believe that it was because of my mother's meritorious deeds that occurred over 55 years ago that made this ending what it was. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed sharing it! Old Bethpage, New York This story is about my daughter Shoshana, and was inspired by the commentary on hospitality. Shoshi is a Senior in High School. She is in a program for teens to get to know their peers in Israel, especially in Haifa, Boston's sister city. The Israeli kids spent a week here. At first Shoshi wasn't going to host anyone. We have a small house, without a real guest room, and many of the Americans had more space. Fortunately, she met a girl whom she felt comfortable with and invited her to stay with us. Hila was a lovely young woman and a pleasure to have as a guest. Shoshi gave up her room to Hila and stayed on the sleep couch in the living room. For a teen-ager, a supposedly selfish age group, this was a particularly kind gesture on her part. I hope that she continues to develop a kind heart. Belmont, MA At our childrens' Jewish Day School, Sinai Akiba, we asked each student to bring in one food item and a dollar. The teachers may also use this activity to teach about the Native Americans welcoming the Pilgrims to America (and the mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim, Welcoming guests). At the end of the week, we collected all of the food, put them in beautifully decorated boxes (that the teachers created with the students) and delivered the boxes to Jewish immigrants. We worked with the Jewish Federation's Family Services department- Immigration Services Division, to coordinate getting the food boxes to the right folks. Now hopefully they will experience a positive and welcoming first Thanksgiving in America. Los Angeles, CA This past Monday, my friend (age 37), mother of two young kids, had surgery for breast cancer. A mutual friend has arranged 3 weeks of meals for the family. We made last night's dinner. This (observant Jewish) community knows the true meaning of "community". Los Angeles, CA I moved to a new city 4 months ago, in which I knew very few people. I was feeling very lonely and was upset that nobody was intorducing themselves to me. I sat in the park with my children watching all the other mothers talk and felt totally alone. Than it dawned on me that there were other people who also felt alone, other people who also were waiting for some one to say hello to them an introduce themselves. From than on I took it upon myself to say "Shalom" to everyone I meet on the street and smile at them. I strongly feel this has caused a chain reaction in my neighboorhood and I have meet a lot of new people. Ramat Beit shemesh, Israel THE FOLLOWING WAS SENT TO ME BY MY DAUGHTER IN RAMAT BEIT SHEMESH. I saw this on the Ramat Bet Shemseh list that I subscribe to and I wanted to share it with you all. Yesterday, erev shabbat, I injured my finger (B"H, it's better now) and had to go to the emergency room at Hadassah Hospital; After being in the taxi for a few minutes of a 30 minute ride, I realized I did not have my wallet with me; the driver never even flinched and said the main thing was to get me to the hospital; when we got there he assisted me and "forced" me to take 100 NIS from him in case I would need it; he did not even want to take my name or phone number; and I was lucky to obtain his name and number by which I was able to pay him back this evening; It was such a G-dly act; and I am glad 2 of my kids were with me to witness such a chessed (kindness) on the part of the taxi driver; I love Israel so much!!!! AM YISRAEL CHAI!!! Valley Village, California This act of kindness was 'perpetrated' by my 12 year old daughter. A friend of ours needed money to help pay for medication for herself and her daughter. They live in Israel. As you know, the economic situation there is very difficult and on top of that not all medications are even available there. When my daughter read of their plight she asked if she could give Tzedakah, charity money to them from her Bat Mitzvah gifts. She had already said that she was going to give 10% of her gift to Tzedaka and knowing the need of these family friends she gave the money to them. I was so very proud of her 'Act of Jewish Kindness'. Seattle, WA My co-worker told me that every morning, as she drives to work, she gives the right-of-way to other drivers, lets them get ahead of her in a merging lane, etc. The other driver always looks at her in disbelief, and then a smile lights up his face. She hopes this will encourage at least that driver, to repay others with this kindness, and maybe prevent some needless road tragedies. Jerusalem, Israel I go to the gym a few times a week. A few weeks ago, I went to the gym, did about 1/2 my workout (swimming) and started to fall asleep, in the water. I could barely walk as I got myself ready to go. I live about 3/4 of a mile from the gym and I don't have a car. A girl I've known for a few years, but am not particularly close with asked me how I was, how my workout went, and I told her I was very tired. She immediately offered to take me home in her car, even though it was out of her way. I don't know if it was a big deal for her, but it was a HUGE thing for me. Modiin, Israel Living in Israel is very hard at the moment. Everyone is feeling the economic pinch. I, not so much. I am an immigrant from Europe who saved a little before coming out here. I do not show off about this fact, no-one would guess. Anyhow a friend of mine is making barely enough to pay rent. In her friedge last week was half a loaf of bread and an egg. It was heartbreaking. That weekend she wanted to take her husband [out of work] up to the north to a lovely national park. She told me which park and I suggested more possible sites. She would love to visit them she said, but they cost 20 shekels or so [$4-5] entry per person. I suddenly got a wake up call. When I go up north I without hesitating visit all of them - plus eat sometimes even eat in a lovely fresh fish restaurant. They were going to sleep in the car and brought with them sandwiches. So my mind went into action. I went to a natioanl park and bought a membership for a couple - for all the fifty national parks of Israel. FREE ENTRY FOR A YEAR. I did not want to offend her so I told her that [being a tour guide] I got it complimentary. She was ecstatic. Now everyweekend they can get pleasure from nature absolutely free. I am delighted for them. It is not a big thing but to see them happy was wonderful. Tel Aviv, Israel I just have to tell you - today's story about picking up the soldier hitching a ride to Jerusalem reminded me of a similar experience years ago. I always made it a point to pick up soldiers on the road. As I turned off the Maale Adumim road into Jerusalem one Friday, I saw a soldier heading for the bus stop to Maale Adumim. Knowing that the bus did not run very often (Maale Adumim was a brand new town in those days!), I turned around and went to offer him a ride to Maale Adumim. It turned out that the soldier was my own husband who had unexpectedly been given the weekend off! G-d certainly granted my desire to do a mitzvah with an immediate reward! Highland Park, NJ I gave $100 to an Israeli Defense Forces soldier home for a visit with his family in America so he could have a little spending money on his return trip to Israel. Kansas City, MO Our son Gedaliah was killed in Jenin after 8 consecutive days and nights of battle against terrorists. He was just 21 years old. He was a gentle and good natured young man. The following act of kindness he performed was during the heavy battles, when every second of time lost might cause the death or wounding of the Israeli forces. A civilian Palestinian family were hosting and living together in one house with terrorists. The terrorists were on the run and went into hiding in the house (many rooms). The civilian family, a mother and father and five very young children, were discovered huddled in a corner by the Israeli forces who entered the house in search of the terrorists. The family were absolutely frozen in fear. They were sure when the soldiers came in that they were now to be executed. The commander who spoke Arabic told the family to immediately vacuate the building for their own safety. He pointed them towards the back door and the path that led straight down to the mosque,where food and shelter and basic commodities had been set up by the army to receive the civilians. The family remained frozen in place. They were simply parlyzed from fear, and waited to be shot to death. Our son, radioman for the advanced command, staff sargent Gedaliah pulled out a chocolate cake from his pouch, a cake he had been saving for his comrades, who had had almost no fresh food in the past 24 hours, as food supplies were not moving up to the front lines. The soldiers had seen that cake and were waiting out the prescribed time between meat and milk - they had eaten canned meat for breakfast, to relieve the weight in their pouches. Gedaliah pulled out that cake, and opened it and handed it over to the mother of the family. The mother took the cake in disbelief, and then she suddenly understood. she broke the cake into pieces and fed each of her children. Now confident that they were going to live, they got up off the floor and took the directions given, and walked out of the building. To have compassion in the middle of battle with an illusive enemy, to have a moment to understand the fear and feel for a child of another people, to understand the mother's heart, to do anything less than brutally shove or threaten - just a loaf of chocolate cake - between people where words no longer help... Someday, peace will be made with a human gesture, like that, on a grander scale. May the People of Israel be rejuvenated, and restored to our ancient heritage and to our faith in HaShem. Our Gedaliah (HaShem Yikom Damo, May G-d avenge his blood) was killed a few hours later in a blast of fire from terrorist snipers. Jerusalem, Israel About a year ago, I took a walk during my lunch break to the commercial area of the town in which I work, Yehud. It was a hot day, and I had almost reached my destination after walking 15 minutes in the hot sun. I saw this older man, easily in his mid- seventies, shlepping this wooden closet through a parking lot. He was clearly having a difficult time. I offerred to help. At first he said that he didn't want to delay me as I was a working man. I insisted and I helped him drag it over 100 feet to his workshop. He was a semi retied carpenter who was refurbishing a old closet that someone gave him. He ws very grateful, told me some stories about his youth as an avid soccer player, and that one day he will reciprocate. On that note, whenever I see someone shlepping a heavy or burdensome load, I always offer my help. Beit Shemesh, ISRAEL My father taught me that a shul is a an orphan. What he meant is that frequently people tend to disregard simple tasks that are normally done in a home. This includes putting away books used, shutting off electrical appliances that are not needed, or picking up a tissue from the floor. My father used to do some of these things. I have tried to pass this sentiment onto my children. It is not only good training, but it makes my kids feel they are part of the shul. Mostly, is a proper way to show honor to G-d's house and concern for the feelings and money of fellow worshipers. Brooklyn, NY I am proud of our work in Toronto. As a minor chair in the United Jewish Appeal, myself and thousands of others work hard to raise funds for social services in Toronto and Israel. As a docent at the Holocaust Memorial and Education Center, I have met some of the most caring individuals. Teachers must find ways beyond their school budgets to bring the students, a difficult accomplishment today. Approximately, 26,000 students visit the center each year. The numerous special programs for adults and children are vibrant. The participants are a testament to the best of humanity. Synagogues offer outreach programs to the homeless and those who cannot afford; hands on approaches of all various types eminate from individuals, the UJA and synagogues. Toronto, Ontario Canada An old woman was sitting on a bench on Shabbos, as if waiting for someone to come by. I had met her once, at her daughter’s house. She surely could not have remembered me and it would be embaressing to walk over and greet her. My husband urged me not to miss the opportunity to bring a smile to her face. “Just walk over and tell her you met her once, and see how she reacts”. Mustering up courage, I approached and said “Good Shabbos. I’m a friend of your daughter.“ Her pensive features were immediately replaced by sparkling eyes, as she acknowledged me and started up a lively conversation. People are no different than flowers. They all need and appreciate genuine warmth. Brooklyn, NY My overweight friend is dieting. When I see him with a fruit instead of a muffin or piece of cake, I often give him positive reinforcement. Recently, I felt that was not enough. I shared the fact that I was working on controlling my anger when dealing with my kids. So he knows now that I too am trying to modify and curb my feelings. Its easier to fight when you realize that others are waging the same war. Brooklyn, NY About two years ago, I relocated into a new community with my children after an emergency get-out divorce. The new synagogue community was known far and wide as a special place with an amazing spiritual leader. Many things about this place were wonderful for my children and I, yet a certain warmth and attentiveness to newcomers seemed to be lacking. Perhaps the people of the community were absorbed in many other wonderful acts of kindness and their busy lives -- but something needed to be done to wake people up and encourage them to be more sensitive to the needs of 'strangers'. We puzzled for months over the best way to handle the problem, and being newcomers ourselves, felt the need to tread lightly until we learned the lay of the land. But a certain teaching from our tradition kept nagging away at me. "Where there is no man, be that man." Soon it became clear that the only thing to do was to organize a group ourselves that would focus on identifying those people who are new or in some way marginalized in the community, proactively find out what their needs are, and then set about trying to help them. One of our first projects was to speak with a recent elderly widow. We found that she was managing fairly well overall with her weekly errands, but just had difficulty in one area, which was bringing her groceries in from her car once a week. We did it ourselves the first week, after that, my partner on our new committee found a young stay at home mom who was delighted to help out every week. The best part was that the widow was thrilled to learn that people cared so much! Now we are working on a buddy system for working parents, a rotating hospitality Shabbos/Chagim house for new people and guests, and other great projects. It's beginning to catch on and people are calling to help out. Our biggest problem is picking the key areas to focus on, because once we start to think about it, there are an endless number of things we could do for others! Cedarhurst, NY I went into a small vegetable stand near me this evening and bought my daily supply of vegetables. As I was handing the cashier woman my money I said "Have a good evening." Well, this woman's eyes opened very wide (I thought, heaven knows what I said). After a moment of awe this young woman told me that she had been working at this vegetable stand for a very long time and I was only the second person who ever looked her in the eyes and said good evening. One never knows what impact ones words can have on another. Bronx, New York We were in a second hand sporting goods store looking for a baseball mitt for my 12 year old son to be used the next day at a sports camp here in North Hollywood. Although one of the employees was trying earnestly to find a mitt that fit him, it just didn't seem that we were going to succeed. Just as we were about to give up and leave, the man standing very close to us, who was looking at baseball bats, gave us some knowledgeable advice about the proper fit, and need for flexibility of a glove for our aspiring Sandy Kofax. When he saw that our search was about to end in vain, he asked us to wait a minute and left the store. Not a minute later, he came back with a mitt that he said belonged to one of his children which he had intended to sell to the used sporting goods store on this very trip. He gave the mitt to my son to try on, and low and behold, it literally fit him like a glove. The incredible part to me, is that when he saw how exactly the mitt fit our son he asked to proprietor of the store how much he was going to be given had he sold the mitt to the store as a used item. He was answered that he would be given $9. Then he asked for how much the store would turn around and sell the mitt. He was told $25. Without batting an eye, and without even knowing our names, this kind man said, "I love the game of baseball and I want this young man to have a successful experience with the game, too. Give him the nine dollars towards the glove and sell them the glove." We were stunned by this man's kindness, whom we were almost positive was not Jewish. Yet, on this TuB'Av* such an act of kindness passed between two ships in the night, with the promise to right then and there give half to tzedakah, charity, and to then pass the mitt along when our son grew out of it for someone else to enjoy and successfully play this wonderful game. Thank G-d. * The Talmud explains that the two happiest Jewish holidays are TuB'Av and Yom Kippur. Because on these days we learn that we have been forgiven for our transgressions. For an in depth discussion see The Book of Our Heritage by E. Kitov. N. Hollywood, CA While on vacation in Boston, my wife noticed an elderly man who seemed to be looking through garbage cans. She encouraged me to go offer him some money, which I did. With a lovely smile, he looked at me, thanked me, and said, "zai gezunt." The beauty of his smile was a highlight of our trip. Baltimore, Maryland There is an unbelievable article in today's NY Times about how being kind biologically leads to joy. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/23/health/psychology/23COOP.html Brooklyn, NY One Friday night about ten or fifteen years ago, I was sitting at David and Sarah Cohen's Shabbos table. While we were eating desert at close to 10 P.M. a strange looking man came to visit. "Ben it's great to see you" said Sarah as she welcomed the man to join us for desert. "I have your favorite chocolate cake in the freezer, can I bring some for you?" she asked him. As Sarah went to get the chocolate cake, the children asked Ben to sing his favorite songs. David soon realized that Ben had not eaten yet, so he asked him to make kiddush and the family repeated the entire meal for him. I was amazed at the respect the children gave this man. Ben was in his early 60's; he had long hair and was missing a few teeth and wearing funny looking clothing. Not only did the children did not laugh at Ben or tease him but they treated him like an honored guest. I saw David a few weeks later, and I asked him "David what's the secret?" "What do you mean," David asked me. "I saw the way your children honored the old man that came to your house while I was there. What is the secret to raising such good kids? "Shmuel…" he told me "…there are so many things that can go wrong with children: friends, teachers, health. There is only one secret. You have to pray." When I told this story to friends they said that the Cohen's children learned from the kindness they saw their parents doing. Then I remembered how the Cohen's treated my friend Dan when he broke his leg. Dan was a regular at the Cohen's Shabbos table. When they heard that Dan broke his leg, they invited him to stay with them for a month and they fed him three meals a day until he could take care of himself. Maybe it is the role model that is most important. But how do you explain Chaim? Chaim is one of the kids that I have been working with for the past five years. Chaim has had many challenges to overcome in his life: a disorganized home, a lack of encouragement from his parents, a less then optimal education, and yet Chaim strives to succeed. And indeed Chaim is succeeding. He is putting all of his efforts into his studies in a yeshiva hundreds of miles from home. He studies day and night and every time in-between. His respect for his teachers and his parents knows no bounds. He calls me every Friday morning to wish me a Good Shabbos. Is it a role model that made Chaim who he is? Perhaps to some extent, but I think the real secret behind Chaim's success is the tears from those who love him and the tears from his ancestors who died before he was born. The only thing we can do is to pray. Brooklyn, NY He Revealed Her Beauty "You look beautiful today," David told a middle aged office worker as we headed back to work after afternoon prayers. "David, you always compliment me" the woman said as we walked by. I saw this woman every day. Was David's complement honest, I wondered. I turned back and saw the biggest smile I have ever seen, fill her face. David had revealed this woman's hidden beauty. Every day I rode the elevator back upstairs with David and watched him exchange pleasantries with people who are never pleasant to deal with. I never could figure out how he did it. Now I know his secret. I told David that I wanted to write this story. He could not believe there was anything special about what he did. "I do this all day long," David told me. People call me so depressed with computer problems and I cheer them up." A righteous person once merited to meet Elijah the prophet. He asked Elijah to walk with him through the market place and show him someone who merited the highest reward in the World to Come. "These two men merit the highest reward in the World to Come." The righteous person was perplexed when he saw these simple people. "What is their merit?" he asked the prophet. "They bring joy to those who are sad," Elijah answered. ============================================================================== In two seconds we can show someone we care about them… we can compliment them… we can reveal their beauty… we can create something very beautiful in this world. =============================================================================== Passaic, New Jersey In June I started work at my city's Jewish Community Center day camp. An Israeli educator is employed there at the Jewish Community Center to keep the Jewish community, as well as many inhabitants of the city in general, an idea of what the situation is like in Israel. In the lobby of the Jewish Community Center, this educator set up a large, vivid display to show how Israel's businesses have been suffering. I found on this display a list of websites where we can buy Israeli products online. Then I vowed to buy products from Israel once a month. But I didn't stop there. I went to websites and posted messages to try and get others to support Israel's economy in this time of need, when tourism has been on the decline. I told several friends of these sites and had them tell their friends. But now I would appreciate it ever so greatly if you, the readers, could help me continue the good deed by buying products from Israel, even if not on a regular basis. Please tell your friends to do the same. If you are interested, here are the sites: www.shopinisrael.com and www.israeliwishes.com Thank you for paying attention to this act of kindness. May you, the readers, help to make it a "Tradition of Kindness." -Lisa from Ohio Canton, OH My daughter recently hasn't been feeling well, and had to briefly be hospitalized for some tests and observation. We were greatly strengthened and able to get through the worrisome ordeal because of the kindness of many friends who: -- left work to bake our daughter's favorite cookies and bring them to the hospital, -- brought her a special scrapbook so she could either use it as a diary, art pad, or album -- made her a disc of her favorite songs -- made sure we were taken care of for Shabbos -- called every day to see if we were okay or if we just wanted to talk -- offered information and resources which might be of help to us -- came over late at night to wash the dishes when I had no more energy -- said Tehillim (Psalms) Baruch Hashem (thank G-d) our daughter is on the road to recovery, and we thank Hashem for returning health to her! , Israel Israel