The staff of Birkas Rifka is called in to evaluate many of these heart breaking circumstances.
Can you imagine the joy of your first son's bar mitzvah?
Friends and relatives gather from far and near to celebrate this simcha .
When he returns home –he realizes-he does not have even one bookcase to store his "Seforim" and his parents can not afford to buy him one. Birkas Rifka is called to step in and help. We see this young boy's pain, his shame and yet our hands are tied. We are awaiting a donor to help give this sad family a simple bookcase ... how can we possibly tell this precious neshama you have to wait?!!!!!!!
Can you imagine many brothers trying to sleep all in one bed?
They are all uncomfortable and squashed together.
Their family can not afford the bunk bed or high riser that could accommodate them in the same given space. No one is able to sleep well at night due to the overcrowding and the tension in this home is palpable. How can we possibly tell this family we are sorry but ... we can not help at this time?!!!!!
In this home all the clothing is thrown in the laundry baskets and cartons. Every morning total chaos reigns as they rush to find their clothes.
The family can not afford to build the storage closet they need to hang up their suits, shirts, pants and their folded clothes.
Can you imagine how depressing it is to live in such pandemonium?!!!!!
Try to put yourself in the place of this poor family getting ready for their Seder on Pesach and realizing that the dining room table is falling apart. The top and legs of the dining room table have become warped and the table in no longer balanced. The Arba Kosos will surely spill and they are wondering-who can possibly be comfortable sitting for hours at such a table and enjoy the Seder. They have no means to afford a new table.
It is hard for us to imagine each of these scenarios.
It is hard for us to imagine living in such dire poverty.
Birkas Rifka, the organization that I represent based right outside Yerushalayim, goes into theses homes and makes a real difference.