Mitzvot - Overview
Mitzvah - commandment. A mitzvah is not simply a good deed, although many mitzvot are good deeds. Because a mitzvah is something we are obligated to do, mitzvot take on additional meaning. It is not just a nice thing to give tzedakah. Rather, we are obligated to give tzedakah and help the needy. Judaism does not teach us how to be good people by offering suggestions; we are required to do good things and be good people. It is this obligation that makes us distinct, which makes us kadosh (holy). In the early childhood classroom, we must be careful not to label every good deed a mitzvah, although there is indeed a long, yet specific, list of good deeds that are mitzvot. Mitzvot are “God’s rules.” Many of the behaviors we do engage in with children are mitzvot, such as giving tzedakah, saying blessings before we eat, etc., and we should certainly point this out to children. For example, you might say, “We give tzedakah because it’s a mitzvah to help other people. It is one of God’s rules to give tzedakah.”
- Teaching Jewish Virtues: Sacred Sources and Arts Activities by Susan Freeman (A.R.E. Publishing, Inc.).
My child has just blossomed at The Shlenker School; we couldn't be happier.Jane
