Jewish Children Can Make A Difference With Their Mitzvah Project

A bar/bat mitzvah celebration is a wonderful event for Jewish families. It is the time when their sons and daughters come of age and take their places in the religious community. This transition into adulthood provides the opportunity to teach them that the Jewish faith carries a deep obligation to help their fellow man.

The Preparation

While children are preparing for their bar/bat mitzvah, many synagogues require a service project to be included in the preparation. This helps to instill in the child the idea that the Jewish faith is to be lived out each day. Children should certainly be encouraged to volunteer within their local community. However, some parents see this as an opportunity to broaden the vision of their children.

Tikkun Olam – Repair of the World

Children today have more access to global opportunities than their parents did. Social media has made it possible for charitable donations to be collected quickly for disaster relief for countries all over the world. Children are also more socially and environmentally conscious today than in previous generations.

Because of this, many families are re-thinking the extravagance that traditionally accompanies a bar/bat mitzvah celebration. They are opting instead to come up with ideas on how to make a difference in the world.

The Project

It is customary for the family to receive monetary gifts as a child becomes a bar/bat mitzvah. However, some families are choosing to designate a charity to receive donations in lieu of keeping the money for their own use. Other children invite family and friends to participate in charity events such as "Relay for Life", which raises money for cancer research. Since these events take place all over the country, distant relatives can also participate in their local area. Another option for families would be to collect food for hunger relief organizations instead of catering an extravagant party. Distant relatives can send donations to these organizations in order to be included.

The Significance

Parents should help their children decide which project is best for them. After all, the point is to demonstrate the significance of the Jewish faith through personal practice. Before the child commits to a project, parents should help him think through a few questions.The first question should be, "What world problem bothers me the most?" Is the child concerned about world hunger, suffering from natural disasters, war, poverty or disease? The answer to this question will determine the nature of the project.The next question should be, "How can I find out more information about this?" Parents can help their children research the problem on the internet and find charitable organizations associated with it.The final question should be, "How can I make a difference?" Children can make a list of their abilities and then parents can help them put their ideas into action. The goal is to find a project that is practical, achievable and significant. This will provide the child with a solid foundation of living out his faith for the rest of his life.