Do a Mitzvah
It's an extra, little, nice thing
ADDED September 18, 2009
Length: A few minutes, any time.
Parental Involvement: Explain it. And demonstrate it in action.
Kids Should Be Able to: Be good to others.
Today is Rosh Hashahah, the Jewish New Year.
In honor of that auspicious occasion, today's post is inspired by something a Jewish friend taught me.
The isn't really an activity per se, but it is something that you can teach your kids and do with them.
The idea here is a "mitzvah," which I think translates, in this case, as a "extra little nice thing" to do.
By "extra," I mean that you don't have to do this thing. For
instance, when you go out to dinner, tipping the waiter is not
"extra;" it's expected and pretty much required. Taking a moment to
say to the waiter, "Thanks so much. You really paid attention to our
party," is extra. Make sense?
A perfect example of a mitzvah, as it was explained to me, is
letting someone merge into the lane ahead of you. You don't have to do
it -- and a lot of times you don't want to let another car get into
traffic in front of you. But doing that is an extra, little, nice
thing to do.
Kids don't tip waiters or drive cars, though. So what kinds of mitzvahs can they do. Well, quite a few:
• Pick up a piece of litter and throw it away. (By the way, as far as I'm concerned, if a kid drops trash on the ground, they're required to pick it up. That's not a mitzvah! This one pertains to litter that the kid didn't cause!)
• Helping clean something else that isn't their responsibility, such as helping Mom with the dishes or Dad mow the lawn.
• Call a grandparent just to say hello.
• Offer to help a sibling with a chore.
• Tell Grandma that she looks pretty.
• Say hello to an older person in the market.
What else can you think of?
A mitzvah always makes you feel good after you've done it. Doing mitzvahs would be a great habit for your kids to have.
If you guys don't want to use the word "mitzvah" for any reason, you could replace it with the phrase "little nice thing."
Have a Happy New Year, or at least a very happy weekend with your kids!
| no 'props' needed, |
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