Anonymous Giving
Tzedekah is a recurring theme at our house be it through Girl Scouts, Parsha topics or friends in need. It came up this week during story time.
We are reading Understood Betsy. In our chapter this week, Betsy and her friends make a set of new clothes for poor little 'Lias who lives only with his mean drunken stepfather. As the clothes near completion, the girls discuss the best way to present 'Lias with his new bounty so that he could be properly grateful. Cousin Ann asks a couple of gentle yet pointed questions which help the girls remember why they are really making the clothes. As a result, they decide to leave the clothes at his door anonymously.
Froggy and I talked about the differences between their initial plan and what they ended up doing. This led into a discussion of Maimonide's eight levels in giving tzedekah. Froggy wanted to know what made one level better which led us into a discussion of Shame and Pride. It was a very interesting discussion for me to have with a little girl who seems to only understand empathy about half the time.
We are reading Understood Betsy. In our chapter this week, Betsy and her friends make a set of new clothes for poor little 'Lias who lives only with his mean drunken stepfather. As the clothes near completion, the girls discuss the best way to present 'Lias with his new bounty so that he could be properly grateful. Cousin Ann asks a couple of gentle yet pointed questions which help the girls remember why they are really making the clothes. As a result, they decide to leave the clothes at his door anonymously.
Froggy and I talked about the differences between their initial plan and what they ended up doing. This led into a discussion of Maimonide's eight levels in giving tzedekah. Froggy wanted to know what made one level better which led us into a discussion of Shame and Pride. It was a very interesting discussion for me to have with a little girl who seems to only understand empathy about half the time.
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