The Gemorah in Taanis (22a) tells the story of an encounter between Rabbi Berokah and Eliyahu Hanavi. While walking in the marketplace, Rabbi Berokah asked Eliyahu Hanavi if anyone in this marketplace deserves entry into Olam Haba. Eliyahu Hanavi pointed out two men who were worthy. Intrigued, Rabbi Berokah approached the men to find out what their secret was. He asked them, “What is your work?” They answered, “We are jesters…whenever we see people who are sad, we entertain them and cheer them up.”

In this spirit, the 7th grade girls at the Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey (RYNJ) transformed into “Mitzvah Clowns” this week. This program is coordinated by the Department of Psychological and Counseling Service at RYNJ, which runs a variety of social skills and middot programs at the school. The middah of chesed has been targeted for the 7^th graders as a way for our students to give back to the community and truly experience the joy of giving in a meaningful and interactive way. This is especially important at their pivotal stage in development as young Jewish adults, having recently joined the kehilla as bnei and bnot mitzvot.

Dr. Jonathan Frohlich, Director of RYNJ’s Psychology Department, commented that “this program is truly a ‘win-win.’ Just as the residents benefit and are cheered up from the experience, the students benefit from enhancements in their sense of self-efficacy, self-esteem, and overall feeling of satisfaction knowing that they each have the power to make such a positive impact on another human being.”

Preparations for this program have been in the works for months. The girls in the 7th grade learned how to be “Mitzvah Clowns” and the boys will learn to become “Mitzvah Magicians.” The students are taught by professional “Mitzvah Clowns” or “Mitzvah Magicians” all the basics they need to perfect their inner “clown/magic.” The trainings take place at RYNJ by The Touch of Class/Renegade Clowns (for Mitzvah Clowns), and Magic Masters/Shnitzel Guys (Mitzvah Magicians). They learn how to dress, act, and, most importantly, make others smile and laugh. The students are also given the opportunity to role play with members of the psychology department and their morot or rebbeim on how to interact with the elderly. The children understand that they have the power and ability to bring joy into someone’s life, and have fun while doing it. “The Mitzvah Clown experience is a wonderful way for our talmidot to understand what true chesed is all about; it fosters in them a sense of responsibility that members of Klal Yisrael must have for one another,” commented Morah Cindy Zucker, Mashigcha Ruchanit, RYNJ.

The most exciting part is putting their training into action. For our 7th grade girls that eagerly anticipated moment came this week when we visited The Hebrew Home at Riverdale in Riverdale, New York. The Hebrew Home is truly an amazing place. They have a beautiful facility that provides an opportunity for us to bring both our Mitzvah Clowns and Mitzvah Magicians to visit each year. The students are always impressed by the visit. They could not believe how fast their visit went, and kept asking if we could stay longer even though we were already running into their own lunch time.

For many of the students, this was their first opportunity to give to others in this way. Many of them expressed how wonderful this felt and how much they enjoyed the experience. Kayla Shatkin, a 7th grade student, said, “Wow it’s fun to make people smile. They are so happy to be with us.”

We divided the girls into small groups, each with either a morah or psychology staff member. While many of the girls were initially reserved, this small group format allowed them to quickly become comfortable and make conversations with the residents. It was hard to get the students to leave when it was time for us to go back to school. According to Rabbi Daniel Price, Head of School, at RYNJ, “Year after year, the students tell us that this is one of the many highlights of being an RYNJ junior high school student.”

By Heather Hagler, MSEd