As a means to teach children the importance of the Aseret Yemei Teshuva and how one can improve one’s character traits, a large model of the moznei tzedek, scales of justice, was placed in RYNJ’s main hallway. The weighted side of the scale contained a very large box labeled ma’asim tovim, good deeds, and the other side contained a very small box labeled ma’asim lo tovim.

Third and fourth grade students at RYNJ received printed cards listing three ways in which they can improve their deeds for the coming year—teshuvah, tefillah, tzedakah. Every child was asked to pick just one mitzvah to do each day of the Aseret YeMei Teshuva and write it down under the appropriate category. Concrete examples of what the children could do in each one of these three categories were taught in their classrooms. At the end of each day, the students deposited their cards in the large ma’asim tovim box. Some teshuvah examples that were submitted were, “I am going to try and be nicer to my sister,” and “Always helping my parents when they ask.” In the tefillah category, one child wrote “davening with kavanah,” and in the tzedakah category, one child wrote “giving a smile to my friend” (tzedakah is not just giving money).