How to Choose a Mitzvah Project for a Bar/Bat Mitzvah
"One should
use one's face, hands, and feet to honor one's Creator" (Tosefta Brachot 4:1).
By Naomi Eisenberger
In recent years, many
synagogues and families have begun asking bar/bat mitzvah candidates to do
"tzedakah (social action)
projects" as part of their bar/bat mitzvah preparations. This requirement
makes explicit to these teens the idea that the mitzvot (commandments) to which they will be obligated involve not only Jewish
ritual but also social action. The following article, which offers pre-teens
suggestions on how to select appropriate projects, is reprinted with permission
from Ziv Tzedakah Fund, Inc.
How can we add that special ingredient of tikkun olam, or fixing the world, to our
upcoming simcha (joyous event) so
that many more people can benefit from our happiness and joy?
It's really easy to find that special idea, the one you will
enjoy working on and the one that will give you a special glow when you
complete your work. In the process, you will see how many other people's lives
have been changed because you cared and you care.
Ask Yourself the Four Questions
Start by asking yourself a few questions.
We all know the traditional four questions recited at the
Passover seder--Ma nishtana haleila
hazeh…. But here is a different set of four questions, as well as a
Question We Need to Ask Before We Ask the Four Questions.
First, we must ask: What are the other person's (the person
we want to help) needs?
Then, and only then, should we ask the Four Questions:
1.
What am I good at?
2.
What do I like to do?
3.
What bothers me so much about what is wrong in the world that
I get very angry and want to do whatever I can to change it?
4.
Whom do I know?
And finally: Why not?
#1 may include: giving big hugs,
playing soccer, baking chocolate chip cookies, talking on the phone for hours,
being a computer whiz, or drawing or painting the most beautiful pictures.
#2 In order to
answer what you like to do, you will have to think a little bit more. What
activities give you the most pleasure? Can you sit and read for hours? Are you
really excited about playing the guitar or keyboard?
#3 "What
bothers you?" Are you tired of hearing that there are untold numbers of
kids who go to bed hungry every night? Are you enraged when you think about
what terrible things happened when the World Trade Center was attacked? Do you
feel uncomfortable when you visit a nursing home and see so many people just
sitting and staring into space? Now, turn what bothers you into tikkun olam and
make a difference.
#4 The classic
example of "Whom do I know?": After the World Trade Center attack on
September 11, 2001, we saw unprecedented giving and helping from all parts of
the country. Some people raised money by making American flag pins with safety
pins and beads, others held bake sales--anything to raise funds to help the
victims.
The late George Harrison of Beatles fame went one step
further. He remembered how his own father, a firefighter in his native England,
put his life on the line every time he went out to fight a fire and then used
the "Whom Do I Know" principle to raise tens of millions of dollars
for relief for fallen firefighters. How did he do it? He called all of his
friends, the most famous rock stars we know, and brought them together for an
incredible concert. The result? Millions of dollars for relief for the victims
of the terror attacks.
Know someone who enjoys playing a musical instrument as much
as you do and would like to join you in a concert at a local nursing home? Or
maybe you have a relative who is a dentist and is willing to give you dental
supplies that can be donated to a dental clinic in Jerusalem? Are you and your
friends ace soccer players who could teach kids at a homeless shelter how to
play?
There is no end to the answers to this question. You just
need to think about it… and do it!
The additional question--"Why Not?"--is generally the easiest of all.
Almost always the answer is, "There's no real reason why not. So, let's do
it." Now, list your own answers,
pick a piece of tikkun olam, and go do it.
Resources for Finding a Mitzvah Project
Here are some further resources you can contact for
information about specific mitzvah projects.
·
Website with Suggestions for Bar and Bat Mitzvah
Mitzvah Projects:
http://members.aol.com/mitzvah99/mypage/, Alex Rosenthal, Mitzvah99@aol.com (For this one, you need
to unlock parental controls that are standard on aol members postings.)
·
Creating a Fabulous Mitzvah-Projects Booklet for
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Families:
Rabbi Neal Gold, 732-545-6484, goldnd@aol.com
·
The A to Z of How to Choose a Project for Your Bar/Bat
Mitzvah: Thomas Cohen, 215-765-1320, janetcohen@compuserve.com
·
Gathering Sports Equipment at a Bar/Bat Mitzvah to Be
Donated to Kids in Need: Mark Guterman, 973-379-2274
·
Bat Mitzvah Person Doing Mitzvathon to Raise Tons of
Money for Tzedakah:
Ilana Gildenblatt, 513-984-4415
·
Bat/Bar Mitzvah with Tzedakah Fair: Sarra Alpert,
818-996-1360, salpert@ucsd.edu
·
116 Practical Mitzvah Suggestions: Ziv Tzedakah Fund, www.ziv.org.
What Else Can You Do to Make This a Real Mitzvah Party?
Mitzvah Kippot
Want to have the most beautiful kippot for your guests? Ones
that no one has ever seen before? Brightly colored and beautifully patterned?
Call MayaWorks, Kathleen Morkert, 773-506-4905, mayaworks-chi@attbi.com, www.mayaworks.org.
These kippot will not only wow your guests but will also
help support the women who make them in remote villages of Guatemala. (These
women are VERY busy--you need to place your order very early.)
Mitzvah Tallit (Prayer Shawl) Bag
Want a new tallit bag to hold your first tallit? Call the
North American Conference on
Ethiopian Jewry, 212-233-5200, NACOEJ@aol.com,
www.NACOEJ.org. These bags are made by Ethiopian Jews and
are beautiful.
What to Do About Invitations
Want a really original invitation to send your family and
friends? There are lots of possibilities. First, contactCarol Katzman, 402-397-9935, harneyst@aol.com.
She can tell you how she did hers. Or, be in touch with the Jewish Foundation
for the Righteous, 888-421-1221, www.jfr.org,
jfr@jfr.org. Ziv Tzedakah Fund can also provide you with
artwork to be used for original invitations, zivtzedaka@aol.com.
Centerpieces
When it comes to your party, there are so many things you
can do for centerpieces.
1.
Books, books, and books! An arrangement of kids' books,
audiotapes, videotapes, and CDs can then be given away to a deserving
organization in your area.
2.
Food, food, and food! An arrangement of canned and boxed foods
in a basket can then be donated to a local pantry or shelter.
3.
Want to go the traditional route with flowers or plants?
Arrangements of individual plants and flowers can be broken up and distributed
to the local hospital, shelter, or nursing home, or you can ask your rabbi or
synagogue office to give you the names of congregants who might enjoy some. You
can do this with balloons and bimah
[pulpit] arrangements, too.
4.
Speaking of bimah arrangements, don't forget that you can make
attractive baskets of toys and stuffed animals and distribute them as well.
5.
Are you a sports fanatic? Try collecting sports equipment and
arrange it as centerpieces. After the party? Give it away to local shelters
where kids may not have their own equipment.
6.
Use your imagination! There are hundreds of ways to do
this--just keep thinking mitzvahs!
Food
Got a caterer preparing your party? Make sure you tell them
that you want all of the leftovers packed up so that you can bring them to a
nearby pantry or shelter after your party. Don't let them tell you they can't
because they don't want to be sued.
Here is a copy of the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Law
(a federal law stating that no one can be held liable for any illness resulting
from the donation of food). Many people do not know about this law. It will be
your proof if the caterer does not want to cooperate.
Selections from the New Federal Food Donation Law
The "Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation
Act" appears in the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 as 42 U.S.C. 12672. The
legislation essentially states that the donor of food to a nonprofit
organization to people in need is free of liability. This act provides uniform
coverage for the entire country.
(c) Liability for
damages from donated food and grocery products.
(1) Liability of person or gleaner. A person or
gleaner shall not* be subject to civil or criminal liability arising from the
nature, age, packaging, or condition of apparently wholesome food or an
apparently fit grocery product that the person or gleaner donates in good faith
to a nonprofit organization for ultimate distribution to needy individuals.
OK! You've had the service--everyone was so impressed with
you! The party could not have been better--everyone had a ball. One thing is
left to make this is a real mitzvah
bar or bat mitzvah. Are you going to share some of the many gifts you received
with others who are less fortunate?
Naomi Eisenberger is
the managing director of the Ziv Tzedakah Fund.
