Bikur Cholim | Soup for the Soul

At Congregation Beth Israel, Bikur Cholim is not symbolic - it is a sacred obligation and a core expression of who we are as a community.
The Talmud teaches:
“One who visits the sick removes one-sixtieth of the illness.”
(Nedarim 39b)
Presence heals. Care heals. When someone feels remembered and supported, the soul is strengthened and the body can begin to recover.
Bikur Cholim takes many forms: a phone call, a FaceTime check-in, a short visit, or simply showing up. Each act restores dignity and creates a sense of family- something every person needs, especially during moments of illness, recovery, or loneliness.

The Rambam teaches that healing is both spiritual and physical. He explains that caring for the sick includes providing foods that restore strength and are gentle on the body, for nourishment itself is a form of healing.

That teaching guides Soup for the Soul, CBI’s Bikur Cholim initiative. A warm bowl of soup, delivered with sincerity, can ease weakness, quiet loneliness, and remind someone that they are not alone.
If you know someone who is ill, recovering, or in need of care, please contact the shul so we can help.

There are two meaningful ways to participate in this mitzvah:
Sponsor a pot of soup, helping provide warm, nourishing meals to those in need
Join the Bikur Cholim volunteer team, delivering soup and bringing comfort directly to the sick
This is how healing begins.
This is how community shows up.
This is Bikur Cholim at CBI.

Bikur Cholim brings comfort to the sick,

How one achieves this is theirs to pick.
A phone call, FaceTime, or an in-person stay,
Each can lift a spirit and brighten the day.

A feeling of family matters to all,
And CBI truly answers this call.
The warmth and kindness found within these walls,
Is beyond measure, a gift to us all.

To heal a soul is a wonderful art,
An opening to uplift another heart.
When someone feels lonely, weary, or ill,
A simple act of kindness can quiet that chill.
A warm treat placed gently into a bowl,
Can comfort the heart and nourish the soul.
 

 

CBI has brought back Soup for the Soul,
Under the mitzvah of Bikur Cholim it rolls.
If you know someone in need of our care,

Please call the shul, we’re eager to share.

We can’t wait to help people heal as we plan,
For this is Bikur Cholim, CBI’s mission in hand.