A Moment in Time: A Culture of Giving

Dear all,

Earlier this week, Maya and Eli expressed curiosity in the tzeddakah jar we keep in our den. (Tzeddakah is the Hebrew word for righteous, and a tzeddakah jar is a place to put aside money that goes to those who need it more than we do).

So Ron and I took the jar down and showed them how it works. They both became really excited to put a few coins in. We repeated the word “Tzeddakah” over and over, and they tried to pronounce it (as best as their not yet two year old lips could!)

I didn’t think much of it until the following day, when they pointed to the jar and said, “Tadaka.” In that moment in time, I realized that – though they have no idea what money is and where it goes – putting coins in the jar must become part of our weekly routine when we welcome Shabbat. They may not get it now, but it’s so very important to create a culture of giving at the youngest of ages.

Our prayer (and our action) will be that they know we have a responsibility to give, a sacred calling to be proactive about giving, and a holy purpose to make the world better through our giving.

With love and shalom,

Rabbi Zach Shapiro