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As we approach Shavuot and the opportunity it brings to relive the giving of the Torah, this is a time when we feel especially grateful. Sometimes, we make the decision to accept new things in our lives, and we are thankful for them. Other times, our gratitude comes from having created something from scratch and seeing how it impacts ourselves and those around us.

When I was in my 20s and working for Jewish Federation in Colorado, we started a Jewish community garden. Now, I sure wasn’t born with a green thumb, but I wanted to help make this a success, so I took one of the plots and watered it every day at lunch. That plot produced a few beets… and a whole lot of weeds. But it didn’t matter, because what I was really yearning for was to get my hands dirty and to see something grow from nothing. And though I went down as one of the great waterers in the history of the garden (and one of the worst weeders) that modest plot gave me a sense of connection and impact. But you don’t need a plot to feel a sense of impact or to see growth. We had two great programs this week in which our volunteers were getting their hands dirty and seeing results in own ways, in their own settings.

First, our inaugural Spark a Mitzvah event. What a huge success! More than 50 women attended this brand new event, which is the first in a series produced by our Lions of Judah. Judith Cohen, the event chair, and her team did a fantastic job creating a fresh new program format that featured Dr. Richard Menkis speaking about Canadian Jews and pluralism in Canada. It sparked conversations, sparked new ideas, and quite literally sparked a mitzvah in that guests made donations to fund Shabbat dinners for residents of the Yaffa houses and other Jewish adults with mental health issues and other challenges. These adults have programming three times a year for holidays, however, they do not normally gather together for Shabbat dinners. Committee members developed the idea for the Spark a Mitzvah event series after attending a Passover seder at Yaffa Dunbar. They were moved by how the guests were engaged, participating, and connecting with their heritage. For some of them, these holiday dinners – and now Shabbat dinners - are their only connection to the community. The Spark a Mitzvah event was such a success that they raised enough not just for one Shabbat dinner, but for two. This initial event is set to grow into a series of similar events, with the next scheduled for the fall.

On Mother’s Day, young adult volunteers from Axis hosted a beautiful event at Ronald McDonald House at BC Children’s Hospital, where they cooked dinner for the families living there. Ronald McDonald House provides a safe, secure home-away-from-home where out-of-town families with seriously ill children can stay while their children receive medical treatment. Axis volunteers thought that the last thing these families needed to worry about was who was going to make dinner, so they cooked chili, baked cornbread, and tossed a whole lot of salad to give 75 moms, dads and kids a healthy meal. And since it was Mother’s Day, they even arranged a floral sponsor to provide the moms with flowers. It was an incredibly thoughtful and caring gesture that shows the depth of this group’s commitment to tikkun olam (repairing the world). But it wasn’t just the families who benefited; the volunteers were truly moved by the experience - so much so that they are already talking about when they can make dinner there again. Given its initial success, I wouldn’t be surprised if this grew into a regular program for Axis.

This is a time of year when many of us are enjoying the gardens in our backyards, but what is it that we’re really cultivating? That which brings us benefit can, in fact, bring a much bigger benefit to those around us. Our Jewish traditions tell us that not just farmers are to benefit from their harvest, but that we must leave the corners of our fields for those in need. Growing a garden brings quiet pleasures and a measure of pride to the gardener. For many of us, it even connects us to our Jewish agrarian roots. But the fruits and flowers that we grow give a little something to many more people than ourselves. Everyone who tastes a homegrown heirloom tomato (or in my case, beet) or sees and smells a beautiful rose has their world made just a little better in that moment. Our Lions of Judah and our Axis young adults dug right in and cultivated some new programs this week that are doing just that. And I, for one, cannot wait to see how they keep growing.

One final note: I encourage you to take part in one of the many exciting Shavuot programs going on around our community this Saturday night that offer wonderful opportunities for learning, and probably some cheesecake, too!

Shabbat shalom and chag sameach!

Ezra S. Shanken
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver