Mensch and Mitzvah

Floods are bringing sorrow and grief to many people in the mid-Atlantic states and the Northeast. Houses are filled with water, treasured possessions have been lost, and people's lives have been severely interrupted. We can read about this in the newspaper or see clips on the TV news but praying is the best way to connect with those who are in need. That is the point Barbara Crafton makes in her latest email from the Geranium Farm.org.

"To pray for someone in need is to get into the boat with him, to run up the hill to higher ground with her. To pray for someone in need is to agree to let the world of another interfere with your world. Touch your world, and change it." Crafton sees this as what in Judaism is called the mitzvah or good deed. Prayer that ties us to others is also what makes us a mensch, a human being. Reach out to those affected by the floods and you will be joining with others in a communal act of caring and sharing.