Print Friendly

Sundays are Cool (with our Sunday School!)

Got a little bit of extra time? ChallahCrumbs is taking your family to Sunday school. This week we’re talking about tzedakah. While we commonly define tzedakah as charity, in truth the literal definition is closer to “justice” or “righteousness”. Part of belonging to a just society is the recognition that we need to help people who are not as lucky as we are.

Learn.

Set up a mini-study session with our three sources and the guided questions.

“There will never cease to be needy ones in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:11)

  • Shouldn’t we hope for a time when no one is in need? Why will there always be needy people in our land?
  • What responsibility do we have to the needy in our land?

 “Tzedakah and acts of kindness are the equivalent of all the mitzvot of the Torah.” (Jerusalem Talmud, Pe’ah 1:1)

  •  Why do you think tzedakah is considered to be such an important mitzvah?
  •  What other mitzvot are as important as tzedakah?

Our Sages taught: “The poor person standing at the door does more for the householder than the householder does for the poor person.” (Vayikra Rabba 34:9)

  • Why is the poor person doing more for the household when s/he asks for tzedakah?
  • Discuss how we benefit from giving to others.

Discuss.

Choosing a charity. Make a giving plan. Pick a charity that you and your family can contribute to together. Find a cause that your children can relate to (a foodbank? An animal shelter? A cause in Israel?). Figure out a giving schedule and plan. Do you visit a foodbank one a month? Put your change in a tzedakah box before lighting candles on Friday night? What works for your family?

Create.

Make your own Tzedakah boxes.

Materials needed:

Toilet paper roll
Construction paper
Stickers/glitter glue/bingo dabbers
Scissors
Tape

Instructions:

Cut two small circles that can cover the top and bottom of the paper roll.

Cut a slit in the top of one piece of construction paper so coins can fit in.

Decorate the tzedakah box using stickers, glitter glue or bingo dabbers.

Display tzedakah box prominently in your house.

 

*Variations: Depending on the age of your children, you can make a more sophisticated tzedakah box.