Do not separate yourself from the community

Kehilla is more than just community.  It is, in the words of United Synagogue, is a sacred community, a group formed by Jews who have joined with each other to seek God, to explore and live out their understanding of Jewishness, to offer and to get support, to share joy and sorrow, to learn and grow together, to explore the meaning of their lives and the wisdom of their ancestors.  The teachers and families at Beth Shalom are busy being just that, a sacred community.  As a staff, we studied what that really means to them, and what the rabbis had to say about being part of a kehilla. (here are the Kehilla texts we studied) The most poignant learning for me was the reminder that while the Jewish community knows just what to do when someone has a baby, a sickness or a loss (do I hear casserole?) and we even have websites to help coordinate (http://www.takethemameal.com/ is my favorite, but there are others), as a community we fall down on the job when someone is going through divorce.  It’s the new whispered disease, like cancer was in the 50’s.  We discovered that casseroles can help comfort someone going through divorce, and cards and calls to say “I care. Can I help?” can take us all a long way down the road toward being a kehilla – a sacred community.

Tzedakah

Children are never too young to learn about Tzedakah. We have a Mitzvah crib where we collect diapers, wipes and baby supplies as well as gently used baby equipment for a day care center in the Urban core where their whole clientele are homeless or in tremendous need.
We have barrels for our Food Pantry: Harvesters and we collect blankets and jackets for Project Warmth for the homeless.
The children collect money, Tzadakah, each Friday before we light candles and then we give it as a group to a selected fund. We teach the children about where the money is going.

During this time of year we are faced with the reality of those who are less fortunate than we are. In a small group setting we asked the children if they could help explain what tzedakah is and why it is important:

"Give people the money who don't have any. They need toys and maybe a new tv."

" Its money. Somebody else who doesn't have any money. The money can help them get what they don't have in their house. Like the tornado victims in Joplin who had to come to Kansas City from Joplin because all their houses blew down. There was only one hospital to stay up and help the people."

"Tzedakah is for Shabbat. You put it in the can, eat challah and sing the special songs. Not everybody has clothes and toys."

"It's money. The whole world should get the tzedakah to pay for their food and their toys and clothes. Everyone should have what they need. It makes me feel good to help them!"