“Rabbi Hama, son of Rabbi Hanina, said: What does the Torah mean when it says: “You shall walk in the ways of the Lord.” (Devarim 13:5) Can a person really walk in the shadow of the Divine Prescence? Rather, it means that you should imitate the ways of God. Just as God clothed the naked, as it says: “And God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them,” (Bereshit 3:21) so you shall clothe the naked. Just as God visited the sick, “And God appeared before Abraham [after his circumcision],” so you should visit the sick; just as God buried the dead, as it says: “And God buried Moses in the valley,” so you should bury the dead; and just as God comforts the grieving, as it says: “After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son,” so you too comfort the grieving.”

For me, it is all about compassion.

When I started rabbinical school, I thought I wanted to become a rabbi to make the world a better place. Somehow being a rabbi would be a platform for doing social justice. And it is that. I enjoy talking about issues that effect us all. I see myself as someone who builds bridges and coalitions and my work with the Coalition of Elgin Religious Leaders, the U46 Clergy Council and the 16th Circuit Court Faith Committee are pieces of that.

Some people see my role as a rabbi as preparing and leading services. I spend time each week figuring out how to make the words of our ancient tradition meaningful and relevent. Davenning, praying, worshipping is important to me. Those quiet moments are what allow me to do the rest of what I do. And I am delighted that so many of our community can assist in leading services.

Where I believe I really make a difference in people’s lives is in my approach life cycle events. We were fortunate to celebrate a bris this week. Mazel tov again to Rachel and Michael Bloomberg on the birth of their son, now officially welcomed into the covenant and named Robert Bloomberg. Congratulations also to Medina and Herb and Joyce, proud grandparents. That’s the easy part. That’s the fun part.

But what happens when a congregant faces a crisis? It could be an illness, an accident, a loss of job, the death of someone close. As I often quip, I went to rabbinical school, not to medical school. I am not the doctor or the nurse or the social worker or the trained therapist. But there is a role for pastoral support. This is “pekuach nefesh”, saving a life, one of the highest commandments in Judaism. There is a need for care and comfort.

Someone asked me this week, “But you do so much of it.” There was an implication that I do too much. Maybe. But I would argue there is nothing more important that I do. It is about meeting people where they are and addressing their needs. It is about recognizing that everyone–and I mean everyone–is created b’tzelem elohim, in the image of G-d.

How do I determine how much I do and when? Some of it depends on what the family asks for. And some of it is in sizing up what the family might need. It isn’t always easy to ask for help. Sometimes families feel like they are being an imposition. They are not. Sometimes they are embarassed that they need help. Sometimes it isn’t always easy to know what you need.

What you can be assured of is that your rabbi cares–and so does your community.

At the moment we have four families with immediate, pressing critical needs. It means my schedule is not my typical schedule. That’s OK. That’s my job to juggle. It isn’t easy. If you reach out to me and I am slower than usual to respond, please be patient–or try again. 978 590 8268 cell, rabbi@ckielgin.org

Some of you have asked what you can do. And that is great, because compassion and visiting the sick and comforting the bereaved is not just for the professional.

Tina is coordinating some meals.

Sometimes people just need a hug or a smile. They don’t want to tell all the details again. It can be exhausting.

Some families are using www.caringbridge.org to update family and friends.

Sometimes someone needs help with a dog or cleaning a house or grocery shopping or mowing the lawn. If those interest you, let me know.

Sometimes most welcome would be a Jewel, Marianos, a Target or a Meijers gift card. Consider dropping one off at the office in my box. Or better yet, buying it through fundability. I will make sure they get to the people who need them most.

I have never asked for this. People just seem to know about it and it fills up and flows out accordingly. Consider a contribution to the rabbi’s discretionary fund. Sometimes that money gets used for synagogue programming. Sometimes it gets used to pay an insurance bill for someone out of work. Or a toy for a kid in the hospital. Or a campership. It is always annonymous.

And sometimes, all we have is a prayer. Misheberach is a good one. So are the words we learned in this week’s Torah portion. Moses, when confronted with Miriam’s leprosy, had very little to say. He prayed simply, “El na refana la, Please G-d, heal her.”