With Hanukkah starting soon, I want to talk about something very important to me. It’s a sort of campaign I hold myself to: doing one mitzvah (in this instance, a good deed) per day. I call it the “a Mitzvah a Day” Campaign. The story of Hanukkah goes back thousands of years, but today there are some modern traditions that didn’t exist in the holiday’s beginning. One we all know every well is receiving presents on each individual night of Hanukkah. However, when I was growing my brothers and I did something different. Instead of eight presents, we got seven presents. On the eighth night, we donated the money my parents would have spent on another present to an organization of our choice. As a result, three separate organizations received a donation to promote what they were working for.
I believe that this had a lot to do with the campaign I have created for myself…
The mitzvah a day campaign is one where every day I try to do something good for someone else. It can be a variety of things from helping a mother carry a stroller down the stairs or giving directions to someone who is lost; picking up some liter on the ground or helping an elderly person get on the bus. It can be something a little bigger like tutoring a high school student in English or spending a few hours with a friend helping them in a job search. What’s important is that I do something good at least once every day.
It’s important to me not to be super strict about this. Sometimes a day or two will go by, and there is no opportunity for me to do a mitzvah a day. I don’t go running around looking for a mitzvah to do. But I am aware of my surroundings, and I never pass up the opportunity to do a mitzvah. The trick is to be aware and in tune to what is going on around you, and accept the opportunity to do a good deed.
Why is the ‘a Mitzvah a Day’ Campaign good for everyone?
While it may seem that doing a mitzvah a day is good for the person you do the mitzvah for. But I truly believe that it is good, and fulfilling, for the person doing the mitzvah, the receiver of the mitzvah, and society overall.
The person you do the mitzvah for… well that’s fairly simple. They get help with their homework, getting where they need to go, etc.
It’s good for you because it makes you feel good. That may seem selfish and shallow, but it’s true. When you do something good for someone, you feel good! It’s natural and you should be ok with it! Allow that good feeling encourage you to do more good things!
Society… One mitzvah a day makes society better. It greases the wheels of society that often go rusting throughout time. It also helps bring back a sense of community that was lost a long time ago. Today we live in a society that is made up of a ‘fend for yourself’ atmosphere. There is often less of a sense of ‘we’re in this together.’ Doing one mitzvah a day can begin changing that atmosphere and bringing back the community feel we need so much today.
Ideas for a Mitzvah a Day activities:
There are a whole lot of things you can do for a mitzvah a day program. But here are some ideas you can easily do every day:
- Pick something up that someone dropped.
- Let someone get on the bus/ subway/ public transportation before you.
- Help a parent take their baby and strollers down the stairs or off public transportation.
- Give someone who is lost directions
- Pick up trash on the ground.
- When standing in line at a store, if someone is short a few cents give them the change.
- Give someone who seems to be having a tough day a smile.
- Say ‘thank you’ at stores, restaurants, on public transportation, etc. to someone who has proved you a service.
Let’s Start the Mitzvah a Day Campaign!
So, if I haven’t convinced you yet, the ‘A Mitzvah a Day’ campaign is really great way to help others, positively affect society, and make you feel really great. It’s also really simple. How long does it take to give someone directions? Or pick up some trash? Or returning something that someone dropped? A few minutes? If we all take a few minutes out of our days to do a mitzvah a day, think about the changes we could make!
So I challenge everyone to begin doing one mitzvah every day. Take a few minutes to help someone else, to help the environment, to help animals. Furthermore, take a picture of it, upload it to Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and hashtag (#) it as #amitzvahaday. Let’s see how far this goes.
This is something I really believe in, and something I truly believe that it is something that better our society around the world! Let’s get started!
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