Our lives are the results of billions of decisions. Not only the big decisions – law school or skydiving classes, but the small decisions as well – do you greet someone or pass by? Do you extend a helping hand or the back of it? What we decide determines the course of lives, the content of our character and the condition of our world. In this lesson we look at texts that speak to how we use our personal power in this world and then find and record opportunities to act on the learning.

In this lesson the learners will be introduced to some of the individuals/Heroes whose acts of tikun olam provide important models. Having developed a better understanding of tikun olam based upon Sefer Yetzirah and other classical and modern sources on the topic of how the work of tikun olam is to be performed, Lesson Three adds to the scaffolding necessary for learners to create their own mitzvah project/”service plan” for world repair. 

This lesson will introduce learners to a number of texts from classical and modern sources on the topic of how the work of tikun olam is to be  performed. From these texts, the learners will derive rules for Jewish living and apply those rules, along with input from family members, to appropriately responding to the question- How is a person to use his/her time, talent and treasure?

This lesson will familiarize learners with a story of Creation from the Jewish mystical tradition. The story, based upon the Sefer Yetzirah, provides the foundation for the Jewish concept of tikkun olam, repair of the world. Learners will begin to formulate a personal concept of what that message might mean in their own lives.

The most important role models for learners demonstrate how one can live responsibly in our world while achieving success by contemporary measure. The great gift and challenge of Judaism is to bring holiness to the profane- to the worldly. The models offered in this lesson are successful in this world and they act as well as give voice to the ideal of caring and sharing our personal gifts and bounty.

We are commanded to “master the earth”. How one elects to do that, is a product of one’s understanding of the concept of mastery. This lesson enables learners to create a personally meaningful model and action plan of mastery/stewardship based upon their interpretation of traditional texts.

It would seem that contradictions abound in the Bible! Finding interpretations that allow these contradicting texts to coexist is both a traditional religious concern and a contemporary dynamic enterprise. It is also a pursuit that will determine how one comes to understand the role of Biblical imperatives in his/her personal life.

In this lesson, the students are empowered to explore charities related to their own interests and make an impact of their own. Students research different charitable organizations and choose one to represent in a creative way at a tzedakah fair. The students invite family and community members to the fair to raise awareness about the charities that mean the most to them. Visitors learn about the different charities and have the opportunity to contribute while at the fair or on their own using information provided by the students.

This lesson focuses on eight levels of tzedakah (charity) that were identified by a great Jewish thinker known as Rabbi Moses Maimonides. Students will investigate various ways to give charity and gain an appreciation of how people give of their time, talent or treasure. They will create their own tzedakah box to begin collecting money at home. 

Using texts and experiential learning experiences, this lesson emphasizes the reasons why giving tzedakah, or charity, is a fundamental concept in Judaism.