[COMMUNICATED]
Just days remain until Pesach, and Jews around the world have begun to prepare. It is an almost universally stressful time financially. While some are factoring travelling into their budgets, however, many families in Israel are questioning whether they can afford chicken at the seder.
A striking percentage of Bnei Brak families today live below the “poverty line,” making the upcoming holiday particularly challenging. 12 years ago, Rabbi Asher Indursky was shocked to observe that many of his friends and neighbors were forced into debt each Pesach.
“The mitzvos of Pesach and beautifying the chag are incumbent upon every Jew – and it is tragic that so many men, women, and children must choose between using every penny they have, or having a holiday that is not ‘kavodik.’”
Thus began Chasdei Eliyahu, an organization which distributes food, clothing, and other basic Pesach supplies to poor families each year. Some receive the goods for free, while others are subsidized. Each family’s package has a total value of $180.
The Kimcha D’Pischa campaign has recommendations from an impressive list of rabbanim, including Rav Chaim Cohen, Rav Mordechai Gross, Rav Yitzhok Tuvia Weiss, and the Badatz.
The organization is in urgent need of donations as, in the words of Rav Weiss, “Enormous sums are necessary.” The Rav continues: “and therefore it is a great mitzvah to help and to support with generous donations and a kind eye, so that he will be able to fulfill this important, holy and blessed endeavor.”
With meals to plan and homes to clean, it is easy to be sucked into the stressful details. An effective way to relieve that stress is to take a look at the bigger picture, and to do something truly good. Donating to Chasdei Eliyahu is your opportunity to provide much needed comfort to a family who may otherwise be unable to afford a ‘kavodik’ Pesach. And with that chesed – that level of spiritual prep – taken care of, the next two weeks should be a breeze.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL CAMPAIGN
