Beyond the Tzedakah Box
One Of The Most Rewarding Parts Of A Bar Or Bat Mitzvah Is Finding A Special Way To Give Back

By Meira Maierovitz Drazin

“Teaching kids to be a blessing unto others should be what a bar or bat mitzvah is about,” says Rabbi Robert Levine of Congregation Rodeph Sholom, a Reform congregation on the Upper West Side. Indeed, bar or bat bitzvah, which means a son or daughter, respectively, of the commandments, not only refers to a young man or woman’s new obligation to perform the mitzvoth and commandments, but is an acknowledgment of their developing capabilities and responsibilities to do so.

The father of a recent bat bitzvah girl himself, Rabbi Levine advises that the most effective mitzvah projects are those that are age appropriate and in which the bar or bat mitzvah child is personally engaged. He notes you don’t need to reinvent the wheel: the first step can simply be finding out what people before you have done. Besides the bevy of information available online, as well as books and articles, many synagogues put out booklets of tried and true mitzvah projects, such as visiting a home for the elderly on a regular basis, volunteering at homeless shelters, donating centerpieces from your party or including an envelope addressed to a charity of your choice along with your bar or bat bitzvah invitation, with a small note asking guests to make a donation in lieu of or as part of their gift.

In an article on myjewishlearning.com, Naomi Eisenberger, managing director of the Ziv Tzedakah Fund, suggests that your child ask himself or herself several questions to further personalize his or her mitzvah project:
• What problems or issues in this world do I want to help or fix?
• What are the needs of the people I want to help?
• What am I good at?
• What do I like to do?
• Whom do I know—friends, friends of my parents—who can help me reach my goal?

Additionally, many Jewish organizations have webpages that deal specifically with bnai mitzvah looking for mitzvah projects. Or, go to your favorite charity or organization’s website and see if it has any special programs with which kids can get involved. If not, contact the group and see if you can set something up. What organization wouldn’t want an upcoming bnai mitzvah helping to raise money or otherwise lend a helping hand?

Levine encourages designing a project that has an ongoing component. “Being a bar or bat mitzvah is not just training for a one-day performance,” he says. “You want to get people thinking that this is a life orientation; a way to look at the world. You’re not just taking a bow, but walking onto the stage.”