Teaneck—Tomchei Shabbos of Bergen County, which three years ago moved into their own packing facility on 13 Foster Street in Bergenfield, almost immediately outgrew their space for the Pesach holiday season. Even last Pesach, the chesed organization, which provides boxes containing everything that struggling Bergen County families need to celebrate a joyous, kosher Pesach, rented space in the vacant building next door, as well as tents, to complete the job. This year, with that space rented out, directors Sara Walzman and Sara Zilberstein turned to Heichal HaTorah at 70 Sterling Place, to inquire if they had space available for Tomchei Shabbos Pesach staging and packing, which is a multi-week program involving numerous moving parts, and many volunteers.
Walzman noted she was singularly unprepared for the warmth and enthusiasm with which she was met. “Not only did they make plans to clear their beis medrash for the Tomchei Shabbos packing, and set up a space for themselves in another part of the building, they have thrown themselves into every part of the project,” Walzman told The Jewish Link.
“When I took the delivery of 1,300 flat boxes last week, the delivery man opened the back of the truck and asked me what I planned to do. I had been told that he would bring them in, but he did not consider that his job and they were extremely heavy. I was contemplating what to do when Shimmie Katz from Heichal jumped right in and suggested we speak to Rabbi Stechler. In moments, the boys sprang into action. They knew what to do and they rushed to help. Even the rabbanim jumped in and helped unload and shlep. I was very much moved by this approach to chesed,” she said.
For their parts, the yeshiva’s rabbanim were glad to see their students pitch in this way, and have enthusiastically encouraged them. “While the typical day at Heichal is spent immersed in rigorous Torah study and challenging general studies, from time to time we find an opportunity to impress upon our talmidim the importance of chesed,” said Rav Aryeh Stechler, Heichal HaTorah’s Rosh Yeshiva. “To that end, we will be rearranging our yeshiva to allow Tomchei Shabbos to store their food in our building. In addition, for the first day of Pesach vacation we encouraged our talmidim to pack for Tomchei, and so far half of them volunteered to join. I could not be more proud of our boys!”
Tomchei Shabbos’s Pesach project generally lasts for weeks, creating boxes for these families—numbering more than 550 people, including 200 children—with everything they need for Pesach. Materials included in the boxes are 2,100 pounds of chicken, 1,470 pounds of meat, 483 dozen eggs, 1270 pounds of potatoes, 529 packages of nuts, 756 pounds of sugar, 700 bottles of grape juice or wine, 550 pounds of matzah, 185 pounds of shmura matzah and over 1,000 pounds of cheese. That’s in addition to giving the recipients a choice of 90 items including fruits, vegetables, canned macaroons, herbs, oils, spices and everything else required to make Pesach. The food is purchased at wholesale or discounted prices from both wholesale distributors and locally at Cedar Market, ShopRite and Liebers Distributors. For the second year, Tomchei Shabbos streamlined its processes this year with online ordering.
While Tomchei Shabbos prepares boxes each and every week, the group delivers on a much larger scale for Pesach because they contact many rabbanim throughout Bergen County and ask if they have congregants who can benefit from one-time assistance. Tomchei Shabbos also provides Pesach food for many Shearit HaPlate recipients as well, who generally receive weekly packages from restaurants that are closed during Pesach.
The Heichal HaTorah talmidim are being led in the Tomchei Shabbos initiative by Shimmie Katz, the head of student government at Heichal, who has stepped in as the student liaison for the project, along with Avi Epstein, the school’s director for student life. Katz, an 11th grader, as well as Tani Motechin, a 12th grader, will this June celebrate Heichal HaTorah’s first graduating class of 17 students, while next year’s yeshiva will welcome 107 students; 40 of them will be freshmen.
To learn more and remember Tomchei Shabbos in your maot chittim donations this year, please visit http://www.tomcheishabbosofbergencounty.org . To join Heichal HaTorah at their fourth annual dinner on April 2, featuring the Rubenstein Hachnasat sefer Torah, please visit http://www.heichalhatorah.org/dinner.
By Elizabeth Kratz
