We know someone who is sick, lonely or ageing. We want to visit them and help. But how often have we stopped in our tracks as the reality of the upcoming visit hits us? What are we going to do when we visit? What are we going to say? How should we behave? Is prayer part of the visit? What if the person doesn’t want a visitor or doesn’t want to talk? Will we be of help, or will we be a bother? And so on. Bikkur Cholim – visiting the sick, the lonely and the old – may seem hard. We know it is important, a true mitzvah, but we may not feel prepared for doing it. What does it take to rise up to the occasion? This 3-session course will help you learn the practicalities of bikkur cholim visits; identify ways in which spirituality and prayer can help us in our efforts to reach out to those whom we visit; and appreciate the special case of visiting our ageing elders. And importantly, what we learn will help us not only be prepared to face the challenges of being there for others but also will help us prepare for our own future because one day we may well be that sick person or that ageing person who needs a visit.
About Rabbi Israel de la Piedra
Rabbi Israel has been working with the sick, the old and the dying for the last fifteen years. He was the Rabbi and Spiritual Director at Miami Jewish Health (MJH), a large senior residential and rehabilitation facility in Miami, during 2014-2021. He was awarded the “Clergy of the Year” award by the Ministering to the Elderly Conference in Miami in 2021 for his work at MJH. After his return to Boston in late 2021, Rabbi Israel worked as a hospice chaplain at AccentCare Hospice and currently serves as the rabbi at Hebrew Senior Life’s Simon C. Fireman Community in Randolph, MA. Rabbi Israel received his rabbinical ordination from Hebrew College in 2013. Prior to becoming a rabbi, he had a long career as an economist with the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC and in two African countries. Rabbi Israel and his wife Aliza are proud members of Temple Emanuel and keep homes in Kiriat Motzkin (near Haifa) in Israel and in Canton, MA.
