Throughout the month of November, Moriah students from Kindergarten through 5th grade have been participating in a program named “The Giving Tree.” The themes of this project, which center around the book The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, include Hakarat Hatov, generosity, friendship and giving. Each class read and discussed the key themes of this book and explored the feelings associated with giving and receiving.

While the tree itself, which stands tall in Moriah’s front lobby, is filled with color, movement and light, it is the meaningful words on each leaf that hold its true beauty. Kaylee Schwartz, a 5th grader wrote, “I am a giver because when I went to the store with my mom we saw a woman and her child holding a sign that said they didn’t have enough money to buy food. My mom and I went into the store and bought food and gave it to them.” Rikki Ashman, a 3rd grader reflected, “I am giver because I give clothes to people in Israel that are needy.”

Our giving tree is filled with leaves such as these that highlight the mitzvot and chesed that our students perform daily. We want our children to recognize the good that they do and also take pride in their personal experiences of giving. As we raise our students to be moral, generous and loving Jews, we can show them that even the smallest acts of giving can make a great impact.

By Tamar Edell, Lower School Counselor and Yardena Brickman, Middle School Counselor