Explore why people give through a thought-provoking Jewish values workshop on charity, responsibility, and justice. Includes discussion prompts, source study, and facilitator guide.

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Lesson PlanFacilitated Workshop

Tzedakah Is Not Charity

Explore the deeper meaning of tzedakah in this workshop. Learn how obligation, intention, and spiritual discipline intersect, and reflect on how giving can train the heart. Includes interactive table discussions, text study, and practical activities.

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Lesson PlanFacilitated Workshop

Tzedakah and Dignity

Learn how to give tzedakah in a way that preserves dignity and restores autonomy. This workshop combines table discussions, classical sources, and practical activities to help participants explore responsible giving.

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Lesson PlanFacilitated Workshop

Repairing the World Through Giving

Explore why people give through a thought-provoking Jewish values workshop on charity, responsibility, and justice. Includes discussion prompts, source study, and facilitator guide.

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Lesson PlanUpper School (Grades 9–12)

Faces of Generosity

Explore Faces of Generosity, a high school lesson on Pirkei Avot that examines different attitudes toward tzedakah and generosity. Students analyze classic Mishnah texts, discuss Jewish values, and reflect on the type of giver they aspire to become.

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Lesson PlanUpper School (Grades 9–12)

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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Lesson PlanUpper School (Grades 9–12)

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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Lesson PlanUpper School (Grades 9–12)

An Open Hand and an Open Heart: A Lesson on Tzedakah from Devarim

This lesson plan for high school students explores the Torah's teachings on poverty and tzedakah by analyzing verses from Devarim 15:4-11. Students will learn that tzedakah is about more than just giving money; it's about having the right attitude and empathy.

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