Celebrate: Tsedakah
Tsedakah is a Hebrew word referring to charitable giving, but literally means "justice" or "righteousness." In Jewish tradition, the idea is that when we give a portion of what we have, we are not just being altruistic, we are doing what is just and right. We can encourage tsedakah in our children from an early age, and as they become bar or bat mitzvahs, our hope it that it is something they chose to carry on themselves. Tsedakah boxes are a traditional bar/bat mitzvah gift. I made my first custom tsedakah box for my niece on the occasion of her bat mitzvah and then it became a traditional gift for me. These tsedakah boxes are not your typical piggy banks (though I've done those too). Some of the boxes are quite simple - representing a favorite animal, color, pastime. Others are very complex - cramming in as many details about the person as possible. They make wonderful gifts and the idea is well-adapted to jewelry jars and personalized containers of all sorts.