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Teaching Resources
Lesson plans, discussion guides, and printable materials to help educators and parents teach Tzedakah with depth and clarity.
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28 lessons
Maot Chitim: Pesach and Community MS
This lesson plan, designed for middle school students, explores the concept of Maot Chitim (collecting funds to ensure everyone can celebrate Passover) through a series of engaging activities. Students will participate in a Think-Pair-Share activity, a text study of sources on Maot Chitim, and a creative group project to create a video or skit. The objective is for students to understand the importance of community responsibility and compassion, and to apply these values to modern contexts. The lesson culminates in a reflection on how to practice the values of Maot Chitim in their own lives.
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Lending to Hashem elem
This lesson plan is designed for elementary students in grades 3-5 and focuses on the concept of tzedakah and divine reward. Through an engaging midrash from Vayikra Rabbah 37, students will learn how even small acts of kindness can lead to great rewards. The lesson includes a variety of interactive activities, such as a "Mitzvah Collector Tag" game and a "My Mitzvah Sack" craft, to help students understand the value of giving, even in difficult circumstances, and reflect on the meaning of tzedakah in their own lives.
View lesson →Lending to Hashem HS
This lesson plan, designed for high school students, uses the midrash from Vayikra Rabbah 37:2 to explore the concept of tzedakah. The objective is for students to analyze how giving to the poor is likened to "lending to Hashem," and to reflect on how this changes their perspective on charity. The lesson includes a text study, guided discussion questions, and creative independent review activities to help students connect ancient wisdom to modern-day actions of kindness and generosity.
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How Abraham and King David Gave Tzedakah
This lesson plan, designed for elementary students in grades 4-5, explores the concept of tzedakah by comparing the different approaches of Abraham and David. It teaches that tzedakah is about more than just giving money; it's about the manner and timing of helping others. The lesson uses a variety of interactive methods, including a warm-up activity, a text study of Avot D'Rabbi Natan 33, and group discussions, to help students understand these different values and apply them to their own choices. The goal is for students to see that both Abraham's and David's ways of helping are valuable and that they can choose to be generous and fair in their own lives.
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Tzedakah and Family Dignity
This high school lesson plan, designed for grades 9-12, uses a close reading of a section from the Talmudic text, Ketubot 48a, to explore the tension between tzedakah (charity) and the dignity of the family. The objective is for students to analyze competing Halachic perspectives, reflect on how Jewish law balances financial responsibilities with communal obligations, and connect these ancient values to contemporary issues. Through discussion and text study, students will grapple with questions of prioritizing community needs versus an individual's dignity, particularly in a case where a husband is absent.
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Anonymous Giving and Dignity
What if the best kind of giving… is the kind no one knows about? Explore anonymous kindness in the Beit Hamikdash
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Sharing the Joy of Our Sukkah
Fun preschool lesson plan for Sukkot! Teach kids about ushpizin and tzedakah through songs, stories, and activities that inspire kindness and sharing.
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Introduction to Tzedakah: Little Hands, Big Hearts
Teach preschoolers the meaning of Tzedakah with stories, games, and hands-on activities. Kids learn to help others, share, and practice kindness every day.
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Tzedakah as a Moral Imperative
Explore Rabbeinu Bahya’s powerful interpretation of the sin of Sodom as a communal rejection of tzedakah and compassion. This adult learning lesson examines how societies can either foster kindness or legislate against it.
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Chanukkah, Tzedakah, and Bringing the Geulah Closer
Explore how Chazal and the Sfas Emes connect tzedakah, Chanukkah light, and redemption. An adult learning lesson on how giving actively brings the geulah closer.
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Tzedakah as Justice
Explore a lesson plan for adults on the Jewish concept of tzedakah. Learn how tzedakah is a moral obligation of justice, not just a voluntary act of kindness, and discover its ideal form is to help others become self-sufficient.
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Calculations on Shabbat
Adult learners study Shabbat 150a to understand when charity, mitzvot, and communal action are allowed on Shabbat, emphasizing that true rest aligns with moral responsibility and spiritual values.
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