A few weeks ago, my niece told me that she was on her way to my neighborhood to pick up an older woman and take her to a wedding. Oh thats silly, I said, Im leaving the house now; I can drop her off for you. My niece explained that the woman was elderly and blind. Im not dropping her off; Im going with her. I saw a text from the Mitzvah Man and thought Id do a good deed today, she said.
I was impressed. My niece had been a mitzvah girl as a teenager but that sort of dissipated after she married and her husband, home and kids took up all of her time. When she got the text from Mitzvah Man, it sparked something buried down deep. Many of us have had similar experiences. We want to do good deeds, but were busy. We want to help the needy, but dont know how. We want to volunteer, but life seems to always get in the way. The Mitzvah Man has found a way to combat all those buts and actually get us in the game, one dollar, one day, and one act of goodness at a time.
The Torah commands us to Love your fellow as yourself. Throughout the world, it is known as the golden rule. The Mitzvah Man was busy too, but because this commandment is so important, whenever an opportunity came to perform a good deed, he would grab it; If you had a chance to make a million dollars today, would you let that opportunity pass you by? he asks. You want to do good deeds as quickly as you can, as well as you can, and with all your heart. The Mitzvah Man performed as many acts of tzedaka as he could, but he knew he could do more, if he had help. He also knew that the highest act of giving comes when that act is accomplished anonymously. He had work to do.
Everybody has something unique to give, he explains, either a talent, a gift, or their time. Someone might be willing to tutor children, another might be a plumber or handyman, yet another might be in the childrens wear business and have some extra goods to spare. Some just have patience and kind hearts. The concept is so powerful- its not about moneyyes, of course, every organization needs money to function, but we need mitzvot more. We need volunteers, we need human beings.
When the organization began in 2009, the Mitzvah Man was happy to have 90 volunteers answering his calls. Today, he has over 1,000. They reach from New York to New Jersey, Long Island, Queens and even Florida.
Volunteers are needed to visit the sick and elderly, to do errands or to drive people to the doctor or other appointments. They are needed to put tefillin on men that cannot do it for themselves, and to help them pray in the morning. Some people help by cooking for families, when a parent is sick or unable to provide proper meals. Some volunteers are asked to complete a minyan in a house of mourning, or to assist a Holocaust survivor with daily chores. Of course, there is also the need for furniture, appliances, food, goods and services.
The list is endless, and no one volunteer can do it all. The Mitzvah Man has discovered that it is easy to do one task, to help one woman, or to go to one home. He never pressures anyone to help. He doesnt make you feel obligated, and he tries not to ask the same people for their help, too often. His list is divided by the services each person is willing to provide, so, for example, if you like to visit the elderly, youll get that text when the need arises. With his contact list growing, by leaps and bounds, he can accomplish more than he ever thought possible. Facebook, too, has opened up a whole new world.
He explains, We had a need for an iPad, for a student who was missing school due to cancer treatments. He wanted to ichat with the kids in his class. A text was sent, and within minutes we had three iPads.
Another time, there was a young cancer patient who had gotten engaged, just days before she was diagnosed. She was so beaten by the vigorous treatments, we wanted to send her and her family to Disney World to recuperate and take their minds off their troubles. I posted on Facebook. Anybody up for donating plane fare or hotel costs? The responses poured in:
I got the plane fare there.
Ill take care of the return flights.
I know the owner of a five star hotel in Disney, I got that.
Put me down for a dinner.
Me too.
Id love to give her a camcorder, so she can video everything.
Ill take care of the park entry tickets for the family.
Within two hours, the trip was booked and paid for. The Mitzvah Man has found that when one person responds, connections are made, and they are more valuable than anything else. There are often friends of volunteers and family members who want to get involved.
A coach by trade, the Mitzvah Man is a motivatorpumping up his team every chance he gets. Hes found that it works, and when people do good things, they feel good. Betty Gadeloff is a young mother and nutritionist that started volunteering in the field she knew bestfood! She cooked and delivered meals for Esheil Shabbat, but added her own twist to her mitzvah. She explains, I think volunteering is the most wonderful experience, but we are all so busy! I wanted to do hesed but I didnt want to take away from family time. I also wanted to give my children those great values. I figured, if I could get my kids involved, Id kill two birds with one stone.
When Betty took her kids with her to deliver food, they became different people. Her normally rambunctious 10-year-old son became inspired. He insisted on carrying the boxes to the doors and meeting the people, and they loved him! Her three-year-old and her seven year old also went with her. My kids are not super angels, Betty explains, they can be real terrors sometimes, but these acts of helping people brought out a whole different side to them.
Often Betty will respond to the Mitzvah Mans text an hour after it was sent only to find that shes too late. Im so impressed, she continues, people are so goodthey are beating me to the mitzvah! And its a pyramid effect; all the mitzvot go back to the Mitzvah Man. He has found a way to make such a difference in so many peoples lives.
Natalie Oliel got involved three years ago. She said, The Mitzvah Man talks to the volunteers, makes them feel appreciated, and hes good at it. Theyre sent a thank you card after helping out, and then a Mitzvah Man cap to remind them of their good deed. When we wear that cap people ask, whats that about? Can I get involved? Its an amazing phenomena.
Volunteers like Natalie get energized from the good work that they do and the people they help are more than grateful. Naomi is a remarkable 93 year-old blind woman who lives in Manhattan Beach. Paperwork and organization are a problem for her. The volunteers are tremendously helpful.
Another grateful participant in Mitzvah Mans program is a woman with five children diagnosed with a rare type of tumor. Without health coverage and in need of several different operations, she found herself in dire straits. Her diagnosis was bleak, but she continued to fight. Even though she was a regular Sephardic woman running a business with her husband, the medical bills were just astronomical, and she needed real help.
The Mitzvah Man treats people the way he would want to be treated. He tries to give away new items whenever possible, and often gives fun stuff like Knicks tickets, DVD players and games for the kids. The organization donated over 2,000 toys for Hanukah.
The Mitzvah Mans volunteers may show up with a voucher for a dinner out for a family under stress. They might deliver a mazza platter without being asked. Often theyll leave these items by the door so as not to cause embarrassment. This type of care gives strength and self respect to those in need, and sometimes that is worth more than anything else.
Every volunteer creates their own little miracles, so they keep hollering out for more. You never know where or how you might be able to help someone.
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Sophia Franco is a writer and community member.
