How do you teach a four-year-old about tzedakah? This year, Halloween provided us with an excellent opportunity. Regardless of whether or not you think Jews should celebrate Halloween (we do, because it’s fun and I like candy), our congregation has found a unique way to introduce Jewish values to the secular holiday.
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| Super kid! |
Each year, Temple Sholom does something called “Project Boo!” for the families of HomeFirst Interfaith Housing & Family Services in Plainfield. This year, the Fanwood Presbyterian Church is partnering with us. Together, the congregations are throwing a Halloween party, complete with dinner, for families who don’t often get to celebrate special occasions because they are simply struggling to get by.
My family’s job (like several other families and individuals who volunteered) was to find the perfect costume for a particular little boy. So Noah and I—armed with a Living Social voucher—headed to the Costume Corner in Westfield on his most recent day off from school.
It just so happens that this child wanted the same superhero costume that Noah wanted. (At least that day. Noah’s changed his mind a few times since then.) And that gave me an idea.
“What are we doing, Mama?” my son asked.
“It’s called a tzedakah project,” I told him. “There’s a little boy who doesn’t have a Halloween costume and we’re going to get him one. We’re going to save the day.”
Noah’s face lit up. “Like superheroes? Yea!”
Together we combed through the racks and came up with a great costume. It turned out to be the perfect tzedakah lesson—Noah may not be old enough to understand money, but he understands how to do something good.
“Mom, I like to save the day,” he said. And there will be plenty more opportunities.
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