on christmas eve, judaism and the christmas spirit

The children are nestled all snug in their beds. Santa has come. His reindeer, messy eaters, may have left a piece of carrot and a sprinkle of oats in the driveway.

For Celia, it is all so magical. It will be for Henry too.

This will seem strange at first, to talk about Judaism on Christmas Eve. But I do have a train of thought here. (Though Jesus was a Jew, so perhaps it isn't so strange after all.)

We are not Jewish, but Celia attends a Jewish preschool. The children learn about mitzvahs there. A mitzvah (or one definition of the word) is an act of human kindness.

The concept of Santa is all about human kindness. He fits right in with my goal of raising moral and socially responsible children. If anyone is good at mitzvahs, it's Santa Claus.

The word "mitzvah" seems to have a deeper meaning than just doing something nice for someone else. It has attached to it a sense of social obligation. It isn't just an act; there is a moral component. We must be kind to others and help those in need. Somehow, the teachers at Celia's school are able to convey this message to young children with so much importance that Celia regularly points out when someone has done a mitzvah. She regularly talks about mitzvahs and sometimes plans ahead to perform one. I am grateful to her school for teaching all this, because when it's time for us to do something for others, if all else fails in explaining what we're doing I have one word that explains it all. It's a mitzvah. She understands. Another part of Celia's education is tzedakah, or charity. Donating to charity is a regular activity the children perform each week. I found this description of tzedakah. "In Judaism, giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act; it is simply an act of justice and righteousness, the performance of a duty, giving the poor their due." I love this. Because a generous, magnanimus act makes it all about the giver. A just and righteous act is about the receiver, and the giver's connection to him. We should do kind things for others not because it makes us look better, or makes us feel good. We should do these things because it is our duty to be kind to others. These concepts are ones that are sometimes hard to explain to a small child, especially when it comes to acts of charity that are fairly abstract. But Celia understands on her own level. She likes giving tzedakah. She likes putting the money in the Salvation Army bucket. She likes giving things to others who might need them and can't provide for themselves. She has spent a month making little presents and wrapping them for people, unbidden. Celia likes performing mitzvahs. We've been doing mitzvahs all month, and we will continue all year. So tonight, as we read a story about the Christmas spirit, you can guess what word I used to explain it to her. 

Merry Christmas. I hope your year was full of mitzvahs, both given and received.