TIKKUN OLAM; TO REPAIR OUR WORLD. For many Jews, this word has become a call to action; a melding of the concepts of tzedakah (financial support for those who have less than ourselves), gemilut chasadim (acts of loving kindness) and tzedek (justice). The term tikkun olam never appears in Torah, nor is it considered one of the 613 commandments: yet it is like a shofar calling us to action. Every student in our school can tell you about tikkun olam.

Did you know that our seventh graders not only do mitzvah projects, they agree not to give gifts to each other. They pool all the money that would have been spent on presents and then they learn about becoming a philanthropic foundation. They learn about various organizations and the work they are doing. They “pitch” their favorites to each other and ultimately vote on where to send the monies. This is an unbelievable process that they go through as they learn and begin to understand things like pie charts and graphs understanding where organizations use their funds.

Our Christian neighbors refer to tikkun olam as “service”. Their youth go on service or mission trips. The concept is the same. There is an injustice in the world and they do their part to correct this. In the 6 years I have been at Habonim our youth have filled the shelves at Tap-In and St. Michaels, they have made toiletry boxes for the needy and performed many other community projects. We have not yet ventured on a trip with our teens. Our projects have been local.

Some have asked why such a big trip? To be honest, it did not start that way. Rabbi and I knew we wanted to have our students do a service project with the students from the
Congregational Church. Our adults had gone to Israel together and it had been a very meaningful experience for all. We wanted to find a project that was topical, took all the students out of their comfort zones and one that did not have a Christian or Jewish bent to it. We knew we wanted to educate the teens about the topic and how it is taught in both religions. We want to foster an understanding for one
another, our beliefs and we want them to feel as though their contribution has made a difference. So we are off to Borderlinks in Arizona. Each family is responsible for the costs of the trip for their child. Fundraising is being done at the church and at Habonim to defray some of the costs for all of the students.

We realize this is the first time our community has undertaken such a huge endeavor to help our teens
participate in this unique and powerful service endeavor. We are hoping this is the first of many trips that our two faith communities will embark upon. These teens are the next generation. It is through them; their understanding, their compassion, their willingness to help others, that our world has the potential of being repaired. So please when you see a flier telling you of a brunch, or asking you to buy fruit, if one of our 7th graders talks to you about their mitzvah project and asks you to donate canned goods or used books ….remember what it is all about…our world and all who live in it..

Thanks to everyone who has participated in our Interfaith Youth fundraising efforts to date– our pie sale, pasta dinner, citrus sale and brunch! We hope you’ll attend the band jam and the Keystone State Boychoir– and we’re off to Tucson in April!

 

Temple Habonim
165 New Meadow Road
Barrington, RI 02806
401-245-6536
Rabbi: rabbiklein@templehabonim.org
Office: office@templehabonim.org