I chose Leviticus 19:33-34: “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens.” The moment I saw this quote it really struck me. In my opinion, this Mitzvah can be fulfilled by any person. I consider this Mitzvah to be important to all people, not just Jews because being kind to others is a simple act and takes minimal effort. No matter where a person comes from or their personal background, it is always important to treat others the way you want to be treated. I think I can fulfill this act in my daily life by engaging others in a nice and friendly way despite my personal opinions of them. Everyday, I strive to be kind to others and make a helping hand, even if the person has not done anything nice for me. As a Jew in the modern world, this mitzvah can guide myself and other Jews to perform kind acts for the community, like tzedakah and גמילות חסדים.
My father is a Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans, LA. About 4-5 times a year, my father performs life saving heart surgery from children from third world countries who do not have access to proper medical care. The organization Heart Gift raises money for the child and his/her family to have a place to stay, food, entertainment, and other necessities and the hospital completely provides for the surgery itself. This photograph expresses the Jewish mitzvah/value because the children my father and this organization save are ultimately the “strangers” who reside in the land. The picture depicts my father and a baby boy from Uganda after his operation that ultimately saved his life. Although this boy and the other children that receive this operation come from different places and backgrounds throughout the world, they are treated as any other patient who comes to the hospital. My father and this organization voluntarily perform this deed from the goodness of their hearts in order to create a better community and world for all people.
Gali, this is מגניב!! The mitzvah you chose and the fence you built around it are beautiful. The mitzvah is a universal value and in my opinion, one of the most important to do as a Jew. I enjoyed learning about the important work your אבא does. Thank you for sharing the inspiring story.
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