TITLE: Gemilut Hasadim Acts of Loving Kindness - Using Your Heart and Your Hands to Help Others

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2 Introduction The Giving Book: Open the Door to a Lifetime of Giving lends itself to teaching many lessons surrounding Jewish ethics, values, Hebrew language, history, holidays, and Bible. Each of the following lesson plans provides creative and interactive ideas for using The Giving Book in all kinds of Jewish educational settings. The lessons can serve as a basis for accomplishing various curricular and school goals; both formal and informal. The lessons were created for use in supplementary religious school settings, day school settings as well as scouts, JCC s, etc.. They focus on a variety of Jewish curricular topics. Just as the book is geared towards children aged 6 to 11, some of the lessons are more advanced, and others are for a younger population of student learners. Anyone using this guide can easily adapt or modify lessons as needed or desired based on student age, ability, classroom time, and goals. We hope that the lesson plan ideas that accompany the book encourage and empower educators to use it in Jewish classrooms and invite each student to delve into their Giving Book journey while learning important lessons from Jewish tradition. We also hope it stimulates everyone to dream about other environments in which the art of giving can be explored. 2

3 SUBJECTS: Jewish Values and Ethics TITLE: Gemilut Hasadim Acts of Loving Kindness - Using Your Heart and Your Hands to Help Others OVERVIEW: Gemilut Hasadim, literally meaning the giving of loving-kindness, is a core value in the everyday lives of Jews. It is required that an individual complete gemilut hasadim without the anticipation of receiving something in return. There is no fixed measure of gemilut hasadim, which, rabbinic commentators note, implies it is something one should do all of the time. Some examples of gemilut hasadim include visiting the sick, comforting those who are in mourning, honoring your mother and father, welcoming the guest, tikkun olam (repairing the world), and giving tzedakah. Acts of gemilut hasadim can be given to anyone at anytime by anyone. We read in Pirkei Avot 1:2, Simeon the righteous was one of the last of the men of the great synagogue. He used to say: the world is based upon three things: Torah, divine service, and acts of loving kindness. The Giving Book offers the teacher one way to discuss the concept of gemilut hasadim with students and encourage them to think of ways in which they can make a difference in the world by performing acts of loving kindness. ACTIVITY: Explain to students that acts of Gemilut Hasadim or acts of loving-kindness are things that they can do to help others and in turn make a difference. Basically, explain to the students that acts of loving-kindness are nice things you do for someone else. They do not have to be specific things or fall into any category (see overview). Read pages of The Giving Book and ask students to complete page 24 on their own. Ask students to brainstorm a list of things that they can do to make a difference in the world through acts of Gemilut Hasadim. Ideas might include: visiting a sick relative, being kind to parents, helping siblings with homework, giving tzedakah, taking care of an animal, welcoming a new student to class, etc. The teacher should create a large (poster size) tree on butcher paper or foam board with no leaves on it and only branches and a trunk. The tree should be displayed in the classroom and should be at a height accessible to the students. The label at the top of the tree should say, Our Acts of Gemilut Hasadim... (or, Growing the World into a better place.) The teacher will also need to prepare various colors and styles of paper leaves that students can tape onto the tree branches so that they will stick for a long time and not fall off. Velcro also works well and allows the tree to be used from year to year. Leaves can be laminated as well so that they are sturdier and can also be used from year to year. The leaves should not have anything written on them. Explain that the classroom now has a Gemilut Hasadim tree in it and that each time a student performs an act of loving kindness at home or in the classroom, they may put a new leaf on the tree. They can share their act of loving kindness with the class each day. At the end of the school year, the tree will be bursting with leaves and students can feel proud of all of the acts of humanity they did throughout the year. Create a smaller version of the Gemilut Hasadim tree in class to take home. Encourage students to use the Gemilut Hasadim tree at home so that they always remember to perform acts of loving-kindness and continue to make a difference in the world through their actions. MATERIALS: The Giving Book (pages 22-24), butcher paper or foam board with large tree drawn on it, many individual colored leaves created from colored paper. Note: An Ellison machine with leaf shaped dies can also be used to create the leaves. 3

4 SUBJECTS: Jewish Ethics and Values TITLE: Tikkun Olam: Making the World a Better Place OVERVIEW: Tikkun olam literally means world repair. It has come to connote social action and the pursuit of social justice. The phrase has origins in classical rabbinic literature and in Lurianic kabbalah, a major strand of Jewish mysticism originating with the work of the 16th-century kabbalist Isaac Luria. This lesson encourages students to consider ways in which they can help repair the world and make it a better place through acts of tikkun olam. Tikkun Olam is one of the goals that motivate the Jewish value of Gemilut Hasadim. ACTIVITY: Draw, copy, or enlarge a poster size picture of the world. (Use the picture in the corner of page 10 of The Giving Book if you need an example) Make the poster size picture of the world into a puzzle by drawing 10 puzzle pieces on the picture. Within each puzzle piece you drew, with a big black marker, write one of the following: - Caring for the environment - Visiting the sick - Giving money to help those in need - Honoring your parents - Welcoming the stranger or guest - Feeding the hungry - Helping the poor - Taking care of animals - Giving volunteer time to a good cause - Taking care of the elderly Cut out the 10 puzzle pieces so that when you bring them all back together, they fit together and form the original poster size picture of the world again (you can use tape on the back of each piece on a wall or chalkboard so that when the pieces are brought back together they stick nicely in place. Velcro works well also). Finish all of the tasks above before the students come into the classroom. Read page 13 of The Giving Book with students. Explain the Jewish value of tikkun olam (see overview) and relate the fable on page 13 to tikkun olam for the students. Emphasis that the old man in the fable saw something he could fix and he took an action to fix it and make a difference. Explain that one small act of kindness often leads to others and can make a difference to many people as well as help repair the world and that when we work together; we can make a greater impact on the world. Ask students to work individually or in pairs (depending on the number of students in the class) and give each group or individual one of the puzzle pieces. Instruct students to make a list of the ways in which they can accomplish the act listed on their puzzle piece. (For example, if a group has the piece that says visiting the sick, students might list: going to a hospital to visit a friend, visiting an elderly relative in a nursing home, bringing chicken soup to a friend who has a cold, etc.) 4

5 Tikkun Olam: Making the World a Better Place CONTINUED After each group has finished their list, ask the groups to share one at a time. As each group shares their list, ask them to bring their puzzle piece to the front of the classroom. As each puzzle piece is brought forward and each list is shared with the group, stick the puzzle piece on a large surface (like the chalkboard). As each group puts their piece in the place that it fits in the puzzle, the puzzle will start to take shape again and eventually, the entire picture of the world will be whole again and the good deeds listed on them will appear all together. When all groups have shared, and the puzzle is put back together, explain to the students that when we all work together and perform good deeds or acts of loving kindness (gemilut hasadim), we can help accomplish tikkun olam and repair the world. Refer students to page 34 and 35 of The Giving Book and ask them to keep a record of the ways that they help others to accomplish tikkun olam and repair the world. MATERIALS: The Giving Book (pages 13, 34, and 35), large picture of the earth made into puzzle pieces, paper, pencils, tape or Velcro, marker. 5

6 SUBJECTS: Jewish Values and Ethics, Bible, Hebrew TITLE: Tzedakah What Is It and What How Can I Give? OVERVIEW: This lesson exposes students to the definition of the Hebrew word tzedakah and encourages them to understand it as a sacred obligation for all Jews. The word tzedakah is often mistranslated as charity, when in actuality it literally means righteousness or justice. The Hebrew letters found in the root of the word tzedakah are Tsadee, Dalet, and Kuf. The Jewish community is commanded to help those in need in Deuteronomy 15:7-8 which reads; If there is a need person among you, one of your kinsmen in any of your settlements in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kinsman. You must open your hand and lend him sufficient for whatever he needs. This lesson will assist students in understanding that giving in all of its forms is an obligation in the Jewish community. It will also offer ways in which students and their families can give tzedakah to make the world a more righteous and just place. ACTIVITY: PART I: Defining Tzedakah Turn to page 11 of The Giving Book and read it with the students. Ask students to answer the question on page 12 and to define giving and charity. In addition, ask students to define the word tzedakah. Some students might say it is charity, a donation, giving money, a mitzvah, or donating to the poor. Explain that the actual meaning of the word tzedakah is righteousness and that by giving tzedakah in the form of money, volunteer time, or donations, we are helping to promote righteousness. Ask students to list some Biblical figures that they think were righteous and why they consider them to be righteous (possible answers might include the matriarchs and patriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob). Students must explain why they think that the Biblical figure they choose should be considered righteous. In other words, they must answer the question, What act of tzedakah did Jacob do? Read the text from Deuteronomy 15:7-8 with the students. If they are able, encourage them to find the Hebrew or English text in their own Bibles or TaNaKs. Ask students what the lines from Deuteronomy mean for us as Jews. They should be able to explain that giving to the poor is a commandment or mitzvah given by God and therefore an obligation and not simply a good deed, although it is certainly that as well. Ask students to make a list of all of the ways in which they can give tzedakah to help people in need. Ideas that they might list include; donating money to a good cause or to those in need, volunteering at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, giving used toys and clothing to a charitable organization, raising money through a fundraiser for a special cause, or simply visiting someone who is sick or in need of a friend. Ask students to list organizations or agencies to which they would like to give time or money. Ask the class to vote to adopt one organization that they would like to help as a part of a classroom tzedakah project. Make a tzedakah box (see part II) in which students will agree to deposit money into each week for the organization with the aim of giving them the contents at the end of the school year. If possible, schedule a time that students can go and volunteer at the organization for which they are collecting dollars. 6

7 Tzedakah What Is It and What How Can I Give? -- CONTINUED Ask each student to make their own tzedakah box to take home. Encourage students to donate to their tzedakah boxes each day and especially before Shabbat begins on Friday evening to make it an extra special mitzvah to do with their family members. PART II: Make Your Own Tzedakah Box Read pages of The Giving Book. Explain that the giving bag can also be called a tzedakah box or sometimes it is referred to a pushke in Yiddish. In this art project, students will decorate their own tzedakah box. Provide each student with an empty container that has a removable lid or a use a shoebox. Festive wrapping paper can be used to cover the outside of the container.) Let them cut a coin slot in the lid. Have them decorate the box with glitter, Jewish Stars of David and symbols, or Hebrew letters. Provide various art materials. Students should be encouraged to be creative and use their own ideas and individuality to make their tzedakah boxes. (Note: You may want students to make a sturdier more heirloom-looking tzedakah box by purchasing wooden or paper mache boxes at a craft store and then using an x-acto knife to cut a small slit in their tops. These boxes are available in varied sizes. Students can then paint these boxes with wood paints, or use a decoupage method to decorate them with family pictures, special fabrics, quotes, or artistic papers.) Tell them to take their box home and to put it in a highly visible place and fill it frequently! MATERIALS: Deuteronomy 15: 7-8 text, The Giving Book (pages 11,12, 37-38), paper, pencils, a list of possible organizations in your area that students can help, empty containers (shoe boxes/other, or wooden or paper mache if budget allows), sequins, wrapping paper, craft knife, glue, scissors, paper, markers, pens, glass paint, crayons. 7

8 SUBJECTS: Jewish Personalities, Jewish History, Jewish Values and Ethics TITLE: The Ladder of Giving: Rambam s Approach OVERVIEW: Maimonides's full name was Moses ben Maimon. In Hebrew he is known by the acronym of Rabbi Moses ben Maimon or Rambam. He was born in Spain in 1135 and lived in Morocco, Israel, and Egypt. He died in Maimonides is known for the code of Jewish law he wrote called the Mishneh Torah. He was also a medical doctor. In the Mishneh Torah, Rambam wrote about the levels of tzedakah. This lesson encourages students to learn about Rambam s levels of giving and asks them to reflect upon their own practice of charitable giving. ACTIVITY: Ask students if they know who Maimonides was. Explain who Maimonides was (see overview) if students don t know and that he worked hard to create easy to read books for the Jewish community about Jewish law and how to live a Jewish life. Ask students to list the ways in which they give tzedakah. Make a list in the classroom based on the student s responses. Explain that Maimonides created a ladder system, which outlines a number of ways to give and that some forms of giving are higher than others. Create a large ladder with 8 rungs on a piece of posterboard or on a bulletin board in the classroom. Prepare large signs for each rung. Each sign should have one of the eight levels of giving written on it. Make sure that there is a way to paste, Velcro, tape, or staple the levels of giving to the different ladder rungs. Prepare smaller versions of the ladder and small pieces of paper with the 8 levels of giving on them to give to each student. Ask students to work in groups and to determine which way they would rank the 8 levels of giving. They can use their own personal ladders and paper to solve the problem. See if the small groups can come to a consensus. Ask the groups to share their lists and explain why they ordered Maimonides 8 levels of giving in the way that they did. After all the groups have shared, use the large ladder and signs to offer the correct list for the students to compare with their own lists. Ask students to share what they think about Maimonides list and if they agree with him. Ask them to share their thinking with the class. Now read page 38 of The Giving Book out loud and explain that there are many causes to give tzedakah to that are worthwhile and valuable. Then turn to page 40 of The Giving Book and ask children if writing this letter and sending it with money would be at the top wrung of Rambam s ladder. Discuss why or why not. Mention that The Giving Book teaches and demonstrates many good things and that instead of writing this particular letter, the class will write a different letter. The letter that they write will be one written to themselves. In their letter, ask students to write a note to themselves about why they like to give to others and to list some causes that they would like to support. Collect the letters, store them in a safe place, and give them back to the individual students at the end of the school year. This will encourage students to continue to work towards giving as they expressed their goals and ideas in their letter over the summer months. Hopefully, students will remember their obligations all of the time and not just during the school year when they view their letters at home. 8

9 The Ladder of Giving: Rambam s Approach -- CONTINUED Rambam s Eight Levels of Giving to the Poor (from lowest to highest) 1. A person gives, but is not happy when they do it. 2. A person gives cheerfully, but gives less than they should. 3. A person gives, but only when asked by a poor person 4. A person gives without having to be asked, but gives directly to the poor. The poor person knows who gave the help and the giver knows who was helped. 5. A person gives a donation in a certain place, but walks away so that the giver does not know who was helped. However, the poor person knows the giver. 6. A person makes a donation to a poor person secretly. The giver knows who was helped, but the poor person does not know whom the giver was. 7. A person contributes anonymously to the tzedakah fund, which is then distributed to the poor. 8. The highest level of charity is to give money and help prevent another person from becoming poor. For example, teaching a person a trade, finding them a job, lending money, or teaching them how to find their own food to eat. MATERIALS: Rambam s 8 levels of giving handouts, materials to create a ladder of giving to be displayed in the classroom, The Giving Book (pages 38, 40), materials for students to write letters to themselves including envelopes, paper, pencils, etc. 9

10 SUBJECTS: Jewish Values and Ethics, Bible TITLE: Do Not Destroy (Bal Tashchit): Protecting Our Environment is a Jewish Value OVERVIEW: Judaism encourages us to be kind to the environment and to protect our resources. The commandment known as Bal Tashchit (do not destroy), is based on the following text from Deuteronomy 20:19-20: When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city? Only trees that you know do not yield food may be destroyed; you may cut them down for constructing siege works against the city that is waging war on you, until it has been reduced. The underlying idea of this law is the recognition that everything we own was in some way created by God and belongs to God. When we are wasteful and unkind to the natural environment, we damage God s creations. We are obligated to consider our energy uses and the sources from which they come. This lesson encourages students to realize that caring about the environment is a Jewish mitzvah and that their own actions can make a big difference to the environment and their natural world. It also aims to encourage the classroom community to adopt a project to help promote environmentalism. The mitzvah of Bal Tashchit falls under the general category of Gemilut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness). ACTIVITY: Hold up the classroom garbage can in front of students and ask them what it has to do with Jewish values. Ask students how many garbage bags they think that they fill with their activities each day. Explain to students that the average U.S. citizen produced 4.4 pounds of waste per day in the year This is the equivalent of over 1600 pounds of trash per year per person, or more than 220 tons of waste being generated each year. Explain the concept of Bal Tashchit and that we are commanded not to destroy our natural environment and God s creations. Show students the text from Deuteronomy (above) and read it with them (ask them to find the text in the TaNaK/Hebrew Bible if they are able to do so on their own). Read pages 29 and 32 of The Giving Book to students and ask them to draw a picture of the natural resources (i.e. God s creations) within the environment that they use on a daily basis to enhance their lives. Make sure to help students consider everything they use when drawing their pictures (food, animals, water, air, fruits, vegetables, trees, etc.). Break class into groups and ask each group to brainstorm a list of ideas for projects that they can take on at home and in the classroom to help preseve the environment. Ideas that students will come up with might include: Reuse products Compost organic material Use paper bags rather than plastic Sell or donate products you can no longer use, such as clothing and furniture. Recycle, recycle, recycle!!! Take advantage of your community's recycling program, if one is available. If your community does not have such a program, volunteer to start one. Some organizations estimate that the average family can reduce their weekly waste by 50% through recycling paper, cardboard, cans, 10

11 Do Not Destroy (Bal Tashchit): Protecting Our Environment is a Jewish Value CONTINUED Use products made from recycled material whenever possible. Use rechargeable batteries. Using rechargeable batteries not only helps to reduce waste, but it also helps keep the toxic metals found in some batteries out of landfills. Donate or recycle your old computer. Computers contain many materials that are considered toxic and should not be disposed of in a landfill. Rather than throwing out that old computer, see if any local charities, schools, or senior citizen centers can use the computer system. Or, contact the manufacturer of your old computer (or the new one you just purchased) to see if they have a recycling program for older computers. Ask the class to share their ideas and vote as a class on one project that they would like to work on throughout the year to follow the commandment of Bal Tashchit. Encourage students to involve the entire school in the project. Create a bulletin board with the pictures students drew of God s creations that they use each day and use it to explain the project they have chosen to adopt as a class to help perform the mitzvah of Bal Tashchit. MATERIALS: Deuteronomy 20: text, The Giving Book (pages 29 and 32), garbage can, paper, pencils, art materials including crayons, markers, colored paper, and scissors. 11

12 SUBJECTS: Jewish Values and Ethics, Bible TITLE: Hachnasat Orchim Welcome the Stranger and Make a Friend OVERVIEW: The mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim, showing hospitality to the stranger, falls under the general category of Gemilut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness). There are numerous examples of Biblical figures fulfilling the mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim. One occurs in Genesis 18:2-5. Abraham ran to the three strangers when he saw them and offered them a meal and all of the comforts of his home. The text reads: And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and three men stood by him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the ground. He said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, pass not away, I beseech you, from your servant. Let a little water, I beseech you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and you comfort your hearts; after that you shall pass on; seeing that you are come to your servant. And they said, So do, as you have said. And Abraham hurried to the tent to Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes. And Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it to a young man; and he hurried to prepare it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they ate. This lesson teaches students that welcoming a new person or a guest into their community or their home is a gift that they can give and is one of great importance. It is also a mitzvah that each person can perform. The lesson also encourages students to learn about Abraham s great generosity in the way that he welcomed visitors to his tent. ACTIVITY: Read the story of Abraham with the students (ask them to find the text in their own Bibles if they are able), or tell them the story of how Abraham welcomed guests into his home (see overview). Ask students to explain what special things Abraham did for his guests. Answers should include: - He ran to greet them. He rushed to do the mitzvah. - He gave them water - He washed their feet - He gave them a place to rest - He gave them food made especially for them. Ask students to break up into small groups and brainstorm a list of other Biblical stories in which the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim was performed. Give them a Bible to use as reference source. Answers might include: - Laban and Eliezer Genesis 24: Rebecca and Elizer Genesis 24: Ask students to share a time when they have felt like an outsider and wished that someone would welcome them into a group or a new school or a new classroom. Or, ask them what they think if would feel like to be the new student in class. What feelings might come over them? (Fear, frustration, anger, shyness, loneliness, etc.) Make a list of the feelings students express on a large chalkboard, easel, or poster board. Ask students to turn to page 53 of The Giving Book where they have the opportunity to fill in pages with their own ideas. Ask each student to write about a time when they or their family invited a stranger into their home or community. Ask students to share what they wrote if they would like to do so. 12

13 Hachnasat Orchim Welcome the Stranger and Make a Friend CONTINUED Engage students in a collective brainstorm session about how they can help a new classmate or new member of the community feel safe and welcome. Some ideas might include: -Ask your teacher if you can invite someone to visit your classroom for the day. -Ask your parents if you can invite a new friend over to your house to play. -Welcome a new classmate to your classroom in a friendly manner and with open arms and big smiles. -Invite a new class or group of students to your classroom sukkah during the holiday of Sukkot. -Ask the new student to sit next to you and lunch or snack time. -Prepare a special welcome card or snack or gift for a new student in class. -Ask your parents if you can invite a new family from school to your family s Passover seder You can brainstorm even more ideas about how they can welcome new people to their community by playing the song from Disney s Beauty and the Beast soundtrack called, Be Our Guest. Students should listen to the words and be asked to give their ideas about other ways to welcome guests based on what they heard in the song. Answers might include: prepare a beautiful meal or snack, make the room welcoming, aim to please, clean up, work hard. Conclude the lesson with a reminder to students that just as Abraham practiced the mitzvah of welcoming guests with open arms, so should we remember to welcome new members to the community in the same way with gifts of kindness and generosity. MATERIALS: The Giving Book (page 53), large chalkboard, easel, or poster board, Genesis 18: 2-5 text,, Beauty and The Beast Soundtrack, CD player. 13

14 SUBJECTS: Prayer, Jewish Values and Ethics, Hebrew Language TITLE: Morning Gratitude: Opening Our Eyes and Giving Thanks OVERVIEW: The very first words said in the morning upon opening ones eyes, are those found in the Modeh Ani prayer. This prayer is centuries old and offers thanks to God for restoring us to life after being asleep through the night. When we wake and rejoin the conscious world, the first thing that we do, is express our gratitude for being able to live another day. This lesson seeks to engage students in learning the words of the Modeh Ani prayer and gives them methods and ideas for offering thanks upon waking in the morning and as they enter their classrooms each day. In association with The Giving Book, the lesson can be used to discuss the importance of giving thanks. ACTIVITY: PART I: The roots of thankfulness within Judaism Read page 17 of The Giving Book out loud as a class. Ask students to turn to page 18 of The Giving Book and list things for which they are thankful. Explain that giving thanks is part of the Jewish tradition and we often give thanks through our prayers. Ask students to list all of the prayers that they can think of in which gratitude is expressed. Some prayers they might list include; the Amidah, Hallel or Modeh Ani. Play the music of the Modeh Ani prayer, sing it, or read it and ask students if they recognize it. Hand out a copy of the prayer to each student and read through it with them in both Hebrew and English. Explain that this is the first prayer one says in the morning upon waking. Ask students to explain why it is important to give thanks before doing anything else in the morning. If no answers are forthcoming or if you are teaching younger students, you can offer some suggestions including: o That it is like we are coming back to life after being asleep and need to give thanks to God for restoring us to life. o That we must think of God first in the morning before doing anything else because God created us. o That we are grateful for another day of opportunities. PART II: Application Emphasizing the Modeh Ani prayer through art Give each student an empty white pillowcase to decorate. Explain that the pillowcases are for their beds to remind them to say the Modeh Ani prayer upon waking and to take a moment before starting their day to express the things for which they are thankful. Give students time and materials to decorate their pillowcases. Make sure students use permanent fabric paints that can be washed in the washing machine. They may also want to use fabric to create Stars of David or other Jewish symbols to add to their pillowcases. Hebrew and English stencils can be used as well. Encourage students to be creative with their pillowcase and make it their own using their unique ideas. Be sure to consistently remind students that the pillowcase is meant to serve as reminder each morning for them to say the Modeh Ani prayer and express thanks. They should decorate it in a way that will help them to do this. Send a note home with the students so that their parents are informed of the purpose of these special pillowcases. Parents can help their children remember to look at the pillowcase upon waking and assist them in reciting the Modeh Ani if needed. You can also send a copy of the prayer music home on a CD so that parents can learn the prayer with their children if they do not know it already. 14

15 Morning Gratitude: Opening Our Eyes and Giving Thanks -- CONTINUED PART III: Making it permanent bringing thankfulness into the classroom Make one classroom pillowcase by asking each student to decorate a part of it with permanent fabric paint. Write in the middle of it, Our class is thankful for... Explain that as students enter the classroom each day, they will write what they are thankful for on a small note card and put it in the pillowcase. Ask students to share what they put in the pillowcase if they are comfortable doing so. Put the pillowcase on a bulletin board where it can be tacked up (there should still be an opening so that the students can put their notes inside) for public view and access along with the Modeh Ani prayer. After some time, the pillowcase will grow larger and will serve as a reminder to them of all that they are thankful for each time they look at it. MATERIALS: Copy of Modeh Ani prayer in Hebrew and English, and musical CD of prayer if available, The Giving Book (pages 17, 8), white pillowcases for class, fabric decorating supplies, CDs and handouts for students to take home, note cards, one empty white pillowcase labeled, Our class is thankful for... Modeh Ani Prayer Modeh ani lefanecha Melech chai v'kayam Shehechezarta bi nishmati B'chemla raba emunatecha I am thankful before you, living and enduring Ruler, for restoring my soul to me with compassion. You are faithful beyond measure. 15

16 SUBJECTS: Jewish Ethics and Values, Current Events TITLE: Kol Yisrael Aravim Zeh B Zeh: All of Israel is Responsible for Each Other: The Structure of the Jewish Community OVERVIEW: The Jewish value known as Kol Yisrael Aravim Zeh B Zeh (found in the Babylonian Talmud in tractate Shevuot 39a) is often translated as, all Jews are responsible for one another. The Jewish community is organized in such a way that all those in need within it, can find assistance. Organizations within the community were created to help Jews and non-jews in the United States as well as Jews around the world including Israel. Using the pages of The Giving Book, this lesson exposes students to some of the Jewish organizations within many communities of the United States that work together to take care of the international Jewish and general community. It also exposes the students to the idea that all Jews have the responsibility to take care of each other and that this is an important value upon which the Jewish community is structured. ACTIVITY: Ask each student to turn to page 17 of The Giving Book. Read page 17 together with the students. Ask students to add to the list on page 17 and brainstorm their wishes and dreams for others and the world and write the list on the chalkboard. You may want to ask students to include special wishes for the Jewish community as well. These might include: helping people in Israel find peace, giving tzedakah to all those who need help, making sure that the Jewish community in Argentina or the Former Soviet Union is safe from harm, etc. Now ask students to list any Jewish organizations that they might know about that exist to help people in some way. Try to come up with a list of at least 5 organizations. They may need some help brainstorming depending on the age of the students. Encourage students to think of organizations that help Jews internationally as well such as the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee or United Jewish Communities. Some other ideas might be: a synagogue, a day school, Jewish Family Service, The Jewish Community Center, Mazon, The Jewish Federation, or Jewish Vocational Service. (Note: Depending on the age of the students and the computer resources available, students may be given time to research specific organizations on-line). Using pages 56 of The Giving Book, ask students to match an organization that they listed with one of their wishes or dreams. In other words, ask students to write or draw something about an organization that is working to help accomplish their dreams. For example, if a student said that one of their dreams was to make sure that all people in the world who were hungry would have food to eat, they might mention that Mazon is working towards this ideal. Students can share their work with the class. Conclude the lesson by asking students to turn to page 57 of The Giving Book and write or draw how the Jewish community takes care of those in need. Ask them how they would define the Jewish value of Kol Yisrael Aravim Zeh B Zeh. MATERIALS: The Giving Book (pages 17, 56-57), chalkboard, writing utensils, markers, paper 16

17 SUBJECTS: Holidays, Jewish Ethics and Values TITLE: Parties, Holidays, and Celebrations with Purpose OVERVIEW: The cycle of the Jewish calendar year as well as the Jewish life cycle lend themselves to wonderful opportunities for thinking about giving. The Giving Book encourages students and their families to think about the various ways that they can help to make the world a better place through gifts of love, thanks, time, support, and even money. The book also allows for creative thinking about how humans can give at all times including times of celebration. This lesson offers ideas to families and teachers about integrating concepts of giving into Jewish holidays and celebrations. After teaching students the meaning of certain holidays and events, this plan recommends an add-on activity that shows children that these holidays and events contain Jewish values and concepts that remind us to take care of others through giving and acts of loving kindness. ACTIVITY: After teaching core lessons about specific holidays and events, tell students that giving and taking care of others is part of the celebration as well. Distribute copies of The Giving Book to students. Explain to them that their actions are powerful and they will be the author of their book on giving. Encourage them to write their name on the cover and tell them that they can even put a photo in the pocket on the cover when they get home. Begin with the letter on page 3 of The Giving Book and read pages throughout the book. Invite children to take turns reading a page or section out loud and take time to pause on relevant sections. Expand on the ideas and their relationship to Judaism and the holiday/celebration. You may wish to visit author appearances at and listen to a short video clip of one author-led reading event and get a sense of the interactive and warm nature of these readings. You can even explore scheduling an author reading event through the link on the site. Below, are just a few holidays and celebrations that are ideal for your reading event. You may wish to follow the reading event with an activity related to the specific holiday or celebration. Ideas for such activities are also listed below. Birthdays - The readings are fun and unique; children and parents alike will value the refreshing approach. Activity: Organize a tikkun olam birthday party. Set up activities that will help repair the world. They might include; making cards for children in the hospital collecting food donations, making tzedakah boxes, making crafts or care packages that can be given to others, or packaging boxed lunches or dinners to be delivered to the homeless. Rosh Hashanah - The Jewish New Year is also known as the birthday of the world. Activity: Send homemade cards to family and friends and wish them a happy new year. Yom Kippur The Day of Atonement is one of the most solemn days of the Jewish year. On this day, we learn of Isaiah who demanded that we feed the hungry, house the homeless, and clothe the naked. Activity: Start a synagogue wide can and food collection to be donated to a food bank in your area. Ask families to bring a bag of food to donate with them to Kol Nidre services. 17

18 Parties, Holidays, and Celebrations with Purpose -- CONTINUED Sukkot - On the feast of tabernacles, we are commanded to live in a special temporary hut called a sukkah. We are encouraged to welcome guests into our sukkot and eat and sleep in them as well. Activity: Practice the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim or welcoming the guest and invite a family to join you for a meal or dessert in your sukkah. Simchat Torah The rejoicing of completing the beginning the cycle of reading the Torah reminds us of the importance of continuing education. Activity: Donate books to a library or school in need. Hanukkah The holiday of lights teaches us about the rebuilding and rededication of the second temple in Jerusalem and about the miracle of the oil that kept the eternal light glowing. Activity: Give gifts to others who might not receive gifts at all each of the eight nights of Hanukkah. Tu B Shevat The Jewish Arbor Day celebrates the growing of new fruits in the beautiful land of Israel Activity: Plant a tree in Israel by donating $18 to the Jewish National Fund. Purim There are four commandments associated with the holiday of Purim. They are giving food parcels, giving charity to those in need, reading the story of Esther, and having a festive meal. Activity: Make, decorate, and deliver purim baskets known as Misloach Manot to others. Passover Passover teaches us the story of the exodus of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Activity: During your Seder, when it is time to ransom the afikoman, give a gift to a charity in honor of the child who found it. Shavuout The holiday of Shavuout celebrates the receiving of the Torah and the first spring harvest. Activity: Help a neighbor who is ill or older with their garden or mow their lawn for them. MATERIALS: The Giving Book 18

19 Website Resource List Each of the following websites is filled with useful information about Jewish giving and social action. They also lead to other helpful references including books and articles * Please know that this Guide was commissioned by The Covenant Foundation. * 19