This article is excerpted, with permission, from a chapter in Maxine Handelman’s book Jewish Every Day: The Complete Handbook For Early Childhood Teachers.¹

A physical environment which integrates Judaism into the whole curriculum is only the first step toward establishing a classroom that is Jewish every day. We must go beyond the unspoken curriculum and examine what really makes us Jewish. Certainly, it is not only Shabbat and the holidays, for being Jewish is far more than sharing in a common religion. Judaism is a culture, and for all our differences, Jews are One People — Klal Yisrael. We are united in our commitments to God, Torah, and Israel (both the people and the country). We are bound by common values, language, stories, music, food, and traditions. Judaism even guides us in our treatment of other people, and in our relationship with God.

If we are serious about giving children a foundation for Jewish life and an identity that will last their whole lives, all of these factors are essential in the Jewish early childhood classroom. Employing Jewish values, Jewish culture, and Jewish “ways of being” as aspects underlying everything that happens in the classroom will create an environment which serves the whole Jewish child.

To allow one’s teaching to be guided by Jewish values and principles, one must be familiar with and understand these values and principles. Reading this book only will not make an early childhood educator an expert. Provided in these pages is but a taste of — a brief introduction — to some Jewish values that are especially relevant and useful in the Jewish early childhood setting. Also included are some strategies for integrating Jewish values and principles into the warp and woof of daily classroom life. It is hoped that any Jewish early childhood educator seriously committed to becoming the best teacher he or she can be will be inspired by the taste presented here to pursue further study.²

Jewish values, and the rituals and behaviors to which they lead, serve to make us kadosh — distinct, special, holy. Anyone can go to visit one who is sick in the hospital. In and of itself, that is not a Jewish behavior. But when one considers that Bikkur Cholim, the mitzvah of visiting the sick, is just that, a mitzvah — a commandment -- visiting the sick takes on a unique significance. It’s not just a nice thing to do, it’s something we are expected to do, commanded to do. Visiting the sick is part of what makes us Jewish because, when we visit the sick, we model our behavior after God’s behavior when God visited Abraham as he recuperated from his circumcision. Modeling our behavior after God’s behavior makes our behavior and, in turn, us, holy.

Some of the values discussed here are midot (Jewish virtues), but many are actually mitzvot - commandments. There are 613 mitzvot listed in the Torah, including 248 positive mitzvot (things we should do) and 365 negative mitzvot (things we should not do). In general, mitzvot are divided into two categories: Mitzvot Bayn Adam laMakom, those between a person and God, and Mitzvot Bayn Adam l’Havero, those between one person and another. We will focus mainly on the latter category here, because these are most relevant to the lives of young children. The values and mitzvot explored here are essential elements of how Judaism mandates we treat other people. When we bring explicitly Jewish values and mitzvot into the classroom, our children begin to learn how to approach the world with Jewish eyes. When a child understands and bases his/her behavior on Jewish values, and not just human decency, the child is building a Jewish vocabulary and a Jewish foundation that will service the child throughout his/her life.

Machon L’Morim: B’reshit, a professional development program for Jewish early childhood educators in Baltimore, MD, has been addressing this issue for several years. The program and its implications will be discussed at greater length in this chapter, but reprinted at the end of this article is a chart produced for this program of some Jewish midot, their definitions, and examples of ways these values can be referred to in the classroom. This chart can be hung in the classroom as a resource every day. There are 22 mitzvot/midot listed and, of course, the chart is not exhaustive. Still, even the most veteran of teachers would be wise to go slow. Pick a few mitzvot/midot, and focus on incorporating those into the life of the classroom. As you and the children master each, you can add another.

Following is a tutorial of the “top ten” early childhood Jewish values. This list does not include all the values and mitzvot one might bring into an early childhood classroom. That would require a separate volume. But, these ten represent the essence of the Jewish view on human relationships.

1. Mitzvah - commandment. A mitzvah is not simply a good deed, although many mitzvot are good deeds. Because a mitzvah is something we are obligated to do, mitzvot take on additional meaning. It is not just a nice thing to give tzedakah. Rather, we are obligated to give tzedakah and help the needy. Judaism does not teach us how to be good people by offering suggestions; we are required to do good things and be good people. It is this obligation that makes us distinct, which makes us kadosh (holy). In the early childhood classroom, we must be careful not to label every good deed a mitzvah, although there is indeed a long, yet specific, list of good deeds that are mitzvot. Mitzvot are “God’s rules.” Many of the behaviors we do engage in with children are mitzvot, such as giving tzedakah, saying blessings before we eat, etc., and we should certainly point this out to children. For example, you might say, “We give tzedakah because it’s a mitzvah to help other people. It is one of God’s rules to give tzedakah.”
2. Shalom - Peace, Completeness. According to the Talmud, “The whole Torah exists only for the sake of shalom” (Tanhuma, Shoftim 18). Jewish prayer is filled with supplications for shalom, for example, “Grant us peace, your most precious gift, O Eternal Source of peace...” One of the names for God is Oseh Shalom — Maker of Peace. In the Kaddish, an integral part of daily liturgy, we pray, “May the Maker of Peace in high places let peace descend on us, and on all of Israel.” We are a people with a history full of tumult and destruction that seeks serenity and security, not only for ourselves, but also for the whole world. “Shalom” is even the salutation we use when greeting each other or taking our leave. In the early childhood classroom, the value of shalom takes us beyond another way to get the children quiet. Psalms 34:15 tells us, “Seek peace and pursue it.” Children can become rodfay shalom (pursuers of peace), finding ways to bring calm and community to their own classroom (one child is a rodayf/rodefet shalom). Peace requires action. Children can practice the mitzvah of Hava’at Shalom Bayn Adam l’Havayro (bringing peace between people) by learning to mediate their own arguments. Children can also learn the value of Sh’lom Bayit (creating peace in the home). Songs such as “Oseh Shalom” and “Sim Shalom” can be regular features in the classroom song repertoire. For a lesson plan for Grades K-2 on Sh’lom Bayit, see Appendix 1 in Teaching Jewish Virtues: Sacred Sources and Arts Activities by Susan Freeman (A.R.E. Publishing, Inc.).³
3. Tza’ar Ba’alay Hayim – Compassion for Animals (literally, preventing the pain of animals). “A righteous person knows the needs of one’s beast” (Proverbs 12:10). According to Jewish law, we are allowed to use animals for our benefit, but they must be treated kindly because they, too, are God’s creatures. Even when we kill animals for food or other uses, we must do everything within our ability to minimize the animal’s pain. In the classroom, children are observing Tza’ar Ba’alay Hayim when they help to take care of the class pet, or when they guide a fly outside rather than swatting it.
4. Tikkun Olam - Repair of the World. In the “Alaynu” prayer, we place our hopes in God that the world will be perfected through God’s reign. Yet, it is not up to God alone. We are God’s partners in the improvement of creation. This mitzvah illustrates the reciprocal relationship which God established with human beings. It is our obligation to take care of the earth, and in turn, it takes care of us. Major Jewish social action efforts are based on the value Tikkun Olam. Tikkun Olam includes the mitzvah of Bal Tashheet (preserving the earth). In the early childhood classroom, Tikkun Olam is embodied in efforts not to be wasteful with supplies and resources. It is present in the way the children care for the live things, plants and animals, in their classroom, and in the way they care for their playground and other outdoor spaces. We are partners with God in the completion and repair of the world. Children will rise to opportunities to act as God’s partner and take care of their world if they are given the vocabulary of the Jewish values and mitzvot to go along with their actions.
5. Bikkur Holim - Visiting the Sick. This mitzvah is found in the Talmud (Shabbat 127a): “These are the deeds which yield immediate fruit and continue to yield fruit in the time to come: honoring parents, doing deeds of kindness, attending the house of study, visiting the sick...” Bikkur holim is a way to model our own behavior after God’s behavior, to act B’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God, because God visited Abraham when he was sick (Genesis 18:1). In the early childhood classroom, Bikkur Holim is an important Jewish behavior to teach, especially when a child in the class, teacher or family member is sick. You can share the song “Mi Sheberach” by Debbie Friedman (on the albums And You Shall Be a Blessing and Renewal of Spirit), the prayer for the ill, and find ways to connect the children with those who are sick. This can be done through visits, phone trees, and sending letters, artwork, and photos.
6. Hakhnasat Orhim - Hospitality to Strangers (literally, bringing in guests); an important act of kindness. This mitzvah is also found in the Talmud (Shabbat 127a): “Rabbi Judah said in Rab’s name, ‘Hospitality to strangers is greater than welcoming the presence of the Shekhinah.’” It is a Jewish behavior to extend hospitality, because of the way Abraham opened his home to the three strangers who came to his tent (Genesis 18:2), and because of the lesson of the Exodus — that we were strangers in the land of Egypt. In the early childhood classroom, Hakhnasat Orhim dictates relationships the children have with each other and with the wider world. It provides a reason for inviting the child with whom you didn’t really want to play into the house corner with you. Hakhnasat Orhim is also present when we bring different classrooms together, visiting each other’s rooms for special occasions or simply for snack time.
7. Kavod - Respect, Honor. The fifth of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:12) is Kibbud Av v’Aym (Honor Your Father and Mother). Basic human relations are based on Kavod, showing respect to the people with whom we interact. By honoring other people, we honor God. In the early childhood classroom, it is essential that Kavod be a two-way street. Teachers must show their children Kavod, and children must give teachers Kavod as well. One form of Kavod is Derekh Eretz, meaning the right way to behave (literally, “the way of the land,” also translated as good manners or common courtesy).
8. Gemilut Hasadim - Acts of Lovingkindness or Good Deeds. In Pirke Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) 1:2 we learn: “The world stands on three things: Torah, worship, and acts of lovingkindness.” The Talmud (Peah 1:1) details: “These are the things whose fruit a person enjoys in this world and whose reward is attained in the world to come: honoring parents, doing deeds of kindness, making peace, but the study of Torah is equal to them all [because it leads to them all].” Hesed, kindness, is encompassed in Gemilut Hasadim. There have been entire curricula developed around the notion of kindness (e.g., The Kindness Curriculum, by Judith Anne Rice).⁴
   In the Jewish early childhood classroom, it is important for children to learn that being nice and kind to other people is not just a good thing to do, it’s a Jewish thing to do. Gemilut Hasadim is a collection of acts that detail the way we as Jews are to take care of fellow Jews, by caring for the needy, visiting the sick, comforting the mourner, and burying the dead, among others. GemiIut Hasadim goes beyond simple acts of kindness. This mitzvah spells out for us the times when we need to take care of each other, and describes how to go about doing so. Emphasizing Gemilut Hasadim in your classroom can imbue ordinary obligations with a greater sense of kindness. Children can learn that it is the Jewish way to help each other willingly and with care. They should be rewarded for their acts of lovingkindness, perhaps through a “Gemilut Hasadim Tree,” which continues to bloom throughout the year.
9. Tzedakah - from the root tzedek, meaning Justice and Righteousness. In Torah we are taught, “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof - Justice, justice shall you pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20). Although Tzedakah is often translated as “charity,” it has the wider connotation of giving back, or doing justice. Giving Tzedakah is a mitzvah; the Rabbis determined specific percentages of our income that we are obligated to give for Tzedakah. We give because, as Jews, we are commanded to help, not just because it is a nice thing to do. Giving Tzedakah is the just and right thing to do, and includes giving money, clothing, food, and time. In the early childhood classroom, Tzedakah should take many forms, so that children are not limited to the “penny in the pushke” definition of Tzedakah. Food drives, collecting gently-used clothing, and toy drives, etc., are and should be considered as acts of Tzedakah.
10. Klal Yisrael - All Jews Are Part of One People. There is diversity among Jews. We identify ourselves as Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Sephardic, Ashkenazic, Israeli, American, etc. Jews have different beliefs, customs, foods, languages. Yet, we are bound together as one people by God, Torah, and Israel. The value of Klal Yisrael can be instrumental in instilling in children an appreciation of and a tolerance for differences. Exposing children to differences through dress, food, language, songs, and stories opens children up to an appreciation for variety, and will lay the foundation for acceptance of other people in the world, Jewish and non-Jewish, who are different from them.

See complete Mitzvah chart

Maxine Segal Handelman is the Director of Early Childhood Jewish Education for the Pritzker Center for Jewish Education, Jewish Community Centers of Chicago. The author of Jewish Every Day: The Complete Handbook for Early Childhood Teachers (A.R.E. Publishing, 2000) and The Shabbat Angels (UAHC Press, 2003), Max is also a professional storyteller and leader of Tot Shabbat services for young families.

1. Handelman, Maxine Segal. Jewish Every Day: The Complete Handbook For Early Childhood Teachers. Denver, CO: A.R.E. Publishing, Inc., 2000.
2. See the resources in the bibliography at the end of Handelman’s Jewish Every Day: The Complete Handbook For Early Childhood Teachers for suggestions on where to begin.
3. Freeman, Susan. Teaching Jewish Virtues: Sacred Sources and Arts Activities by Susan Freeman. Denver, CO: A.R.E. Publishing, Inc., 1999.
4. Rice, Judith Anne. The Kindness Curriculum: Introducing Young Children to Loving Values. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 1997.