Danny Siegel’s List of
Practical, Easily-Doable Mitzvah Projects
Holiness With Your Tzedakah Money
Rabbi Dosta’i the son of Rabbi Yannai explained in a sermon:...
If a person gives even a perutah (the smallest coin) to a poor person,
that person is privileged to sense God’s Intimate Presence, as the verse states:
I, through just-and-righteous acts, will see Your face... (Bava Batra 10a, Psalm 17:15)
With Your Time, Effort, and Talents: Gemillut Chassadim
One should use one’s face, hands, and feet only to honor one’s Creator. (Tosefta Brachot 4:1)
....Whoever saves a single life —
it is as if that person has saved an entire world. (Mishnah Sanhedrin, Chapter 4, end)
Ben Azzai says:...one Mitzvah attracts another...the reward for a Mitzvah is a Mitzvah.
Collections and distribution of collected items
(*For distribution in Israel, contact Arnie Draiman, ajdraiman@gmail.com)
POTENTIALLY LIFE-SAVING MITZVAHS
1. Cellphones for survivors of domestic violence
3. Rescuing leftover food to donate: www.rockandwrapitup.org,
Contact sydmandelbaum@att.net - SYD KNOWS EVERYTHING!
3a. Every time you grocery shop, buy on extra item for Tzedakah
*4. LegosTM, toys, puzzles and games, board games, kids’ card games, marbles,
jacks, blocks, bubble blowers, jump ropes, fun stickers
4a. Make bracelets on Rainbow LoomsTM and donate them
5. Videos and DVD’s (kid and adult) for hospitals
*6. soaps, shampoos, hand lotion, other toiletries from hotels to shelters
*7. gloves, sweatshirts, sweaters, sneakers
*8. Dolls (including baby dolls for residents with Alzheimer’s disease)
EASY TO BRING FROM HOME
FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLES
*11. stuffed animals (gently used) - Police, sheriff’s office, fire department, rescue
squads, ambulance units (and shelters) (for hospitals must be brand-new)
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MAKING KIDS HAPPY
*12. Fun pajamas, fun socks
*13. crayons from restaurants (and drawing pad, ribbon, note to have fun)
Colormyworldproject.org, sgreenwald1995@gmail.com
*15. school supplies (and backpacks)
*16. Kid’s books – Gently-used – for kids in shelters, New – for hospitals
17. balloons (and then entertaining kids with them)
17a. Collect old bicycles, repair, refurbish, and donate them. Get the local bicycle
club to join you in the repairs.
OTHER PROJECTS
MAIMONIDES’ HIGHEST LEVEL OF TZEDAKAH –
PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMPLOYMENT
18. Purchasing kippot made by Guatemalan-Mayan women
for your guests), www.mayaworks.org
19. Purchasing purses and clutches made by Honduran women as presents for girls and
young women, www.Manosdemadres.org
20. Magnifying glasses in synagogue for visually-impaired persons
21. Pull-down flap in Torah reading stand to have the Torah at eye level
For people who use wheelchairs
22. Mitzvah crib for collecting items for infants
23. Centerpieces at Synagogue events: sports equipment, books, school supplies
If flowers: sectionalized (consult your florist) to donate to individuals
who live alone or who can’t get out
FOR THE SYNAGOGUE
FOR ELDERS IN NURSING HOMES
AND ASSISTED-LIVING FACILITIES
24. Plants for elders (and instructions for care of the plant)
24a. Ask the Elders what they did in the way of Tikkun Olam in their lives
24b. Doing the fingernails of the elders
24c. Taking Selfies with residents and having the residence print them.
25. Certifying your dog or cat to visit
26. Playing mah-jongg and poker with the residents
27. Making dreams come true – Second Wind Dreams (www.secondwind.org)
28. Invite a Veterinarian to speak at the synagogue to explain the Full range of human-
animal interrelationships and benefits and set up a subcommittee of the
synagogue Mitzvah committee relating to human-animal interactions
28a. See if your veterinarian will take in the pets of families suffering from domestic
29. Support Avshalom Beni’s awesome animal-assisted therapy program
In Israel, HAMA-(ISRAEL)-Humans and Animals in Mutual Assistance, with
money, donations of medications and equipment: beni.avshalom@gmail.com
30. Volunteer at an organization that provides therapeutic horseback riding
For individuals with disabilities. www.pathintl.org to find local organizations
HUMAN-ANIMAL MITZVAHS
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31. Socialize a service guide dog for blind people or other people with disabilities
32. Learn about and observe a local program when children with reading problems
Read to dogs and have the program introduced into the religious school,
Contact Sharon Frant Brooks: Sfrantbrooks@excite.com
33. Have your local animal shelter train you to match rescue animals with
individuals who might need them. Have the rabbi suggest members
who might want or need such a pet
34. Donate money to an animal shelter to buy dog food for homeless people
HOSPITAL AND HEALTH-RELATED MITZVAHS
35. Donate videos and DVD’s – for kids and adults
36. Certifying your dog or cat to visit
37. Dolls and stuffed animal – new
38. Songs of Love – providing individual songs written for children with life-
threatening illnesses (www.songsoflove.org)
39. Hearing aid batteries
40. Casting for Recovery retreats for women who have had breast cancer surgery
www.castingforrecovery.org
41. Providing challot for Shabbat and holidays
ASSISTANCE TO ELDERS OR INDIVIDUALS
WITH DISABILITIES LIVING AT HOME
42. Checking smoke alarms
43. Changing light bulbs and other simple tasks
44. Raking leaves, cutting the lawn, taking care of plants and flowers
47. Arranging for drivers to take them on errands and to community events
48. Do advocacy for Israel by reading honestreporting.com, CAMERA.org [Committee
for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, www.ngo-monitor.org,
www.dailyalert.org and informing friends, schoolmates, and relatives about
what you learned
49. Support Israeli Mitzvah heroes making an enormous impact on thousands of
Individuals in Israel (go to: http://dannysiegel.com/finalzivreport.pdf for
A description of their Tikkun Olam work)
50. Run a bone marrow testing drive: www.giftoflife.org
51. Encourage a local medical school to integrate animal-assisted therapy
into the curriculum. Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA)
The Center For Human-Animal Interaction, dekey@vcu.edu, Denice I. Ekey
52. Encourage your veterinarian to take in animals for a family fleeing domestic
violence (Use Google to find the program “Petsafe” at Purdue University’s
College of Veterinary Medicine)
53. Inform your local shelter for survivors of domestic violence about Face to Face:
Surgeons who repair faces of women who are survivors of domestic violence
battered free of charge, www.facetofacesurgery.org
ISRAEL
THE BIG TIME
To quote Nike, “Just do it.”
The 4 Questions
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