Becoming Messengers of Kindness

By Joyce Levitas, WLCJ CRM and Member Portal Developer

This week in Parashat Vayishlach,we read: Vayishlach Yaakov mal’achim lefanav – “And Jacob sent messengers ahead of him.” (Genesis 32:4)

Jacob sends mal’achim, “messengers”—not of war, but of peace, care, and preparation. His actions remind us that in moments of fear or uncertainty, the Jewish response is often to send forth kindness.

Over these past years since October 7th, I’ve had the privilege of volunteering in many corners of Israel—harvesting vegetables, picking avocados, oranges, and clementines, and even packaging lettuce and broccoli in a packing plant. Each place moved me and touched my heart.

But nothing has made a deeper impression on me than Shlomi’s Food Truck outside Kibbutz Be’eri.

Since October 8th, Shlomi, a veteran himself, wakes up before dawn, five days a week, to buy pitot (pita breads), vegetables, falafel ingredients, shakshuka fixings, and schnitzel. With on average 8-10 volunteers at his side, we prepare 400–600 sandwiches each day. Then we pack up Shlomi’s truck with sandwiches and 2-3 volunteers and drive along the Gaza border, stopping where soldiers enter and exit Gaza.

And when they see him—see us—their faces light up in a way that’s hard to describe. Gratitude pours from them. Some smile shyly, some laugh, but all exclaim, “Todah (“thank you”) and kol kavod (“well done”),” and they hold the sandwiches like they’re holding a piece of home.

Standing there, witnessing those moments, I feel the message of Vayishlach come alive.

Shlomi is sending mal’achim to become those messengers: messengers of comfort, messengers of nourishment, messengers of connection and peace amidst uncertainty.

And just as the parashah concludes with, Vayizrach lo hashemesh—“And the sun rose upon him” (32:32)—I felt that sunrise in my heart. A sense that even in the hardest places, light can rise again through simple acts of kindness.

Almost all of the hostages are home, but the war is not over. If you are planning a visit to Israel, I invite you—truly, from the depths of my heart—to volunteer with Shlomi. Come prepare sandwiches. Come ride along the border. Come see what I saw. To volunteer, contact Barbara Goldberg via email at barbaragoldberg@hotmail.co.uk or via Whatsapp at +972 54-251-5604.

And if you cannot be here physically, you can still help sustain this holy work. Each day’s food costs about $800. Every donation eases the financial burden on Shlomi and keeps this lifeline of chesed (kindness) flowing to our soldiers. To make a U.S. tax deductible donation, go to https://templebethelnj.shulcloud.com/form/israel-emergency-relief and specify in the comments field “Soldiers Gaza Border Food Truck WLCJ” in order for the funds to reach this project.

This is Vayishlach in action. This is what it means to be mal’achim for one another.

Shabbat Shalom—may your Shabbat be filled with light, peace, and the mitzvah of giving.

Joyce Levitas
WLCJ CRM and Member Portal Developer
jlevitas@pbcstechnology.com