"Love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18) is a very difficult commandment to fulfill! You don't do something nice for your neighbor every time you do something nice for yourself! You don't go out and buy a new dress or sport jacket for yourself, or take a lovely vacation or buy running shoes, and think, "Hey, who else needs one of these?" 

But we can treat our neighbors as we would want to be treated. When I am a sick, I'd like others to be considerate of how bad I feel, check on me to make sure I have adequate food, remember me and think to call. Since I want that for myself, I can try to remember to do that for others, even if I don't have the time to do it for everyone. I can keep in mind "Loving my neighbor as I want to be loved."

More than "Love your neighbor ... " I respond to the implied commandment in "And God said, 'Let us make humanity in our image, according to our likeness ... '" (Gen. 1:26)  It demands of me that I see every human being as possessing the same God image I treasure in myself and my family. When a homeless man standing at the exit from I-35 at Broadway or State Line at Somerset holds up a sign that says, "Homeless, feeding children, no work," I ask myself how I would want to be treated if that were me. We're both God's image. How much need someone beg before I treat him the way I'd want you to respond to me? How would I want to be judged by you?

My father (z"l) used to tell me, "The Road to Hell is paved with good intentions." I always intend to do the right thing! But sometimes ...

I know there are homeless people in Kansas City. And I won't suffer if I help them out! But, immediately these questions pop into my head, "Do they really need the help? Will they use the help I provide as I intend?" But finding the answer to these questions takes too much time and effort; it burdens my schedule. "The road to Hell ..."

Fortunately, like the calvary arriving in the knick of time, the staff of the reStart Shelter asks the right questions, gets real answers, and provides the help homeless children, women and men need to get shelter and food, and to make themselves independent. They keep the homeless off my doorstep begging me to fill their empty stomachs or give shelter for the night.

I support reStart because THEY DO WHAT I CAN'T. They improve my life! And so now I am going to ask what I have never asked before online: reStart must rebuild their dining hall. They will feed more people. They will train homeless people to take jobs in restaurants, as wait staff and cooks. They train people with the skills to get jobs, rent apartments, restore dignity, get off government welfare, turn their lives around. And I don't have to do it! I can get off the road to Hell if I will help reStart do what I cannot.

Kacy and I just donated $3,000 to match a challenge grant to rebuild reStart's dining room, make the food training program possible, and give the homeless a computer room to work in so they can apply for jobs! I am asking for your help.

If you want to get off the Road to Hell; if you want to do your part to improve the ONLY NON-SECTARIAN SHELTER IN KANSAS CITY; if you want to save lives, send a contribution to my discretionary fund at Beth Torah: any amount of money will do: $10, $50, $500, $3000 – whatever. Consider this my attempt at crowd sourcing. Many of us have volunteered at reStart. The Mabee Foundation is matching up to $100,000. Double your money! Take away the doubt of "Is this person really needy?" Let reStart do the work; and while we're at it: let's save two souls, the homeless and ours.

Mark your check: reStart Shelter, and send to: Rabbi Mark Levin, Congregation Beth Torah, 6100 W. 127th St., Overland Park, KS 66209. Save the image of God.

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