Neshamah Cooking Crew: Feeding Our Neighbors with Love | The Neshamah Institute

Seven people. Three extra large vegetable lasagnes. One enormous fruit salad. And a whole lot of heart.

The Neshamah Cooking Crew gathered in the kitchen to chop, layer, stir, and season. When we were done, we packed it all up and brought a hot, homemade meal to our neighbors experiencing homelessness at St. Gregory’s Church.

Every single volunteer donated their time and their own supplies. Nobody asked for anything in return. That’s just who these people are.

This Is What the Cooking Crew Does

Once a month, a small group of Neshamah community members comes together not to study a text or sing a prayer, but to feed someone who is hungry. It might be one of the most Jewish things we do.

The Torah doesn’t mince words about this. In Leviticus, God commands: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But the rabbis were quick to point out that love without action is just a feeling. The whole architecture of Jewish life exists to close the gap between intention and deed. We don’t just believe in caring for the hungry. We become partners in providing food.

Taking Judaism Out of the Sanctuary

At Neshamah, we talk a lot about taking Judaism out of the sanctuary and into the real world. The Cooking Crew is that idea in real life. Mitzvot aren’t meant to live on a page or echo in a prayer. They’re meant to be done. Felt. Tasted. In real life, face to face. 

The Cooking Crew is new this year, and it’s already one of my favorite things about Neshamah. No dues. No membership required. Just people who want to do something good, showing up with their hands and their groceries and their willingness to spend an evening making the world a little more right.

Come Find Your Mitzvah

If this speaks to you, we’d love to see you at our Spring Mitzvah Fair, where you can learn about all the ways to put your Jewish values into action right here in our community, including joining the Cooking Crew. Come find your mitzvah.