Mitzvah Project

Our fifth/sixth grade annual mitzvah project took place yesterday morning in the Beit Knesset. Wendy and Bill D. took time out of their very busy schedules to show our Edot, Shira and Y'tzira students what performing the commandment of tz'daka is all about, as well as acts of g'meeloot chasadeem.

We learned in our Edot class during the previous week day sessions that the Hebrew word "tz'daka" is built from the 3-letter shoresh (root) tz-d-k (tzadi-daled-koof). All the words built from this shoresh must have something to do with "justice." When I first asked the students for their definition of tz'daka, they told me it was the Hebrew word for "charity." By the end of our lesson, they came to understand that tz'daka is very different from charity, since the word "charity" is derived from the Latin "cara," meaning "heart." Acts of charity are those we perform because we want to - out of the goodness of our hearts. Tz'daka, on the other hand, is a commandment in the Torah (Book of Leviticus); we are commanded to help the weak and vulnerable in our society. Thus, the correct definition for "tz'daka" is "the commandment to create a just world by giving things to the needy." That's not to say that we shouldn't want to give tz'daka, but it is a commandment.

We do have "charity" in our Jewish tradition, referred to in Hebrew by the Talmudic era Rabbis as "g'meeloot chasadeem" (acts of loving kindness). In this case, we help those in need by giving our time and sharing our skills with them. The Rabbis, we learned, divided these "charitable" acts into 3 sub-categories:  Hachnasat Orcheem (Welcoming Guests);  Beekoor Choleem (Visiting the Sick); and Peedyon Sh'voo'eem (Ransoming Captives). All acts of g'meeloot chasadeem will come under one or more of these categories. Our mitzvah project yesterday would fit into the first category in that we are "welcoming back into society" people who have lived on the fringes far too long.

We also learned that the great Jewish sage Maimonides (also referred to by his Hebrew acronym RAMBAM - Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon) taught that there are 8 levels of giving tz'daka. The highest level is to teach the person a skill so that they can themselves contribute to society and help others. The lowest level is giving what is required by the Torah (ten percent), but doing it in a mean and spiteful manner.

We learned that Wardrobe for Opportunity (WFO), the organization that Wendy and Bill represent, fulfills the highest level of giving, per Maimonides. By providing workshops (such as how to interview for a job) to help people who are re-entering the job market (having dropped out of it or never entered it, often because of personal issues), they are teaching important skills which will allow their clients to becoming contributing members of society again, and gain a sense of dignity so important to every human being. Many of their clients are already contributing back to society by volunteering their time to teach others in the workshops.

WFO also facilitates the second highest level of giving, where the receiver doesn't know who is donating the items while the donors have no idea who is receiving them. In this case, WFO receives the goods from the donors and gives them to the needy. In so doing, it allows its donors to achieve this level of giving - we don't know who will be receiving the goods we have donated, nor will the receivers of the goods ever know who donated them. Judaism looks favorably upon those who give tz'daka anonymously - not for personal recognition.

Our students, as you may have guessed, were involved in an act of g'meeloot chasadeem as they sorted through donated clothing to determine which was appropriate for WFO (only clothing and accessories in near-perfect condition and appropriate for interviewing and office wear), and which clothing could be passed onto thrift stores run by WFO or to White Pony Express (WPE). Clothing which may have some stains or is in some way irregular is given by WFO to organizations which forward it to countries in Africa.

There was so much we were able to accomplish during the 50 minutes each session that was allocated for our mitzvah project. After Wendy introduced herself and her husband Bill to the students, they showed two videos, each one introducing a "Client of the Year" (Vernon and then Patricia) to share with the students the work that they do and what it can achieve.

Listening to Patricia's story

Wendy demonstrating appropriate clothing for WFO

Wendy demonstrating a shirt with a stain on the collar - not appropriate!

Pointing to Bill's outfit to show appropriate casual wear for the office

Once we had a good idea of how to sort the clothes and accessories, we went back to the tables laden with donations!

Here's Callen starting to go through his group's pile.

Our Edot students worked together with Shira and Y'tzira students to sort out the clothing. The shoe Emma is holding looks like it will go into either the thrift store or Africa pile, either one serving an important need.

Zach looks like a professional - these pants are definitely WFO quality!

Hmmm, nice dress, but not for WFO - Rona has made her decision!

Checking for stains on this lovely skirt

Michael knows a good, professional-quality pair of pants when he sees them!

So many toys and games and books were also donated - they're packed and ready to be sent to WPE.

With only a few minutes left, everyone pitches in to help pack up the donations - thrift store and WPE donations go into white, plastic garbage bags, clothing to be sent to Africa goes into black, plastic garbage bags. Children's clothing and shoes go into paper shopping bags.

Thank you to everyone who donated to our very successful mitzvah project this year. And a very big YASHER KO'ACH goes to our students, who focused completely on the project at hand, and learned that acts of loving kindness (g'meeloot chasadeem) can give great joy - both in the process and the result.

Very special thanks go to Wendy and Bill, both members of our Temple Isaiah community, who are wonderful role models for how to use our time and skills to effect tikkun olam - help to repair our world!