A habit of giving - tzedakah in the Gan

Yesterday, we had a visit from Sarah Pease, the program director of the Northampton Survival Center. She talked to students about the important work the organization does, providing food free-of-charge to individuals and families in need. She answered questions, and then led our class on a tour of the building, as the last clients were leaving for the day.

I explained to the class that we would brainstorm ways to help the Survival Center, and this morning, children suggested that we could both raise money and collect food. Over the course of the year, we will find opportunities to do just that.

Our first project is collecting tzedakah on a weekly basis. Each Friday, we will place a tzedakah jar in the entrance to the classroom. Whether to give, and how much to give, is an entirely personal choice. Each month, we will count the tzedakah we have collected, and use that money to buy birthday boxes for the survival center - kits of cake mix, frosting and candles, which are given out as an "extra" to clients with a birthday that month. Typically, the students who celebrated birthdays that month walk the items over to the Survival Center to make the donation.

This morning, children made their own tzedakah jars, which were not quite dry to come home today. Some families make giving tzedakah a tradition before Friday night dinner - other families have their own unique traditions. (My mother used to keep a tzedakah jar next to the washer and dryer for all the change we left in our pockets.) While most Gan children are just starting to develop an understanding of the value of money, it's never to early to foster a habit of giving. Here's an article from MyJewishLearning.com with many good suggestions for teaching children about giving.

Today we also read a book called In God's Hands, by Rabbi Larry Kushner, a version of the traditional Jewish story about a wealthy man who puts challahs in the holy ark as a gift for God, and a poor man who removes them each week, thinking they are a gift from God. The Rabbi tells the men "Our hands our God's hands." I asked children what they thought the Rabbi meant, and their interpretations (in the midst of a power outage, no less!) were thoughtful and inspiring.

"It means we are God."
"God made our hands, so they are God's hands."
"It's like God moves our hands to do things."
"We make things, just like God did."

Just like the rich man in the story, we often gift our Gan-baked challah to others - our sixth grade buddy class, a family from the community sitting shiva, or, in tomorrow's case, to the whole school in honor of Morah Cilla's last day. (Morah Cilla LOVES Gan challah.) Feel free to join us at all-school Kabbalat Shabbat for a taste.

Thank you to Amalya's family for shopping for this month's challah ingredients.

Shabbat Shalom!