According to a JTA report, American Bar Mitzvah boys have used their gift money toward building playgrounds in an underprivileged Israeli community. Over the past month, 11 playgrounds have been built in Kiryat Shemona using money donated by American Jews who recently underwent Bar Mitzvahs and funneled their cash presents to a fund run by the Jewish Agency for Israel.
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16 Responses
It is noteworthy that scores of Bar Mitzvah boys have chosen to invest their money more wisely through programs like Shuvu’s Kesher Tefillin, through which they sponsor tefillin for a child from a non-Observant family.
Art –
Why is it ‘more wise’ for these children to invest in Shuvu, than to support communities in E’Y ?
I think we shouldnt be posting comments who tell other people how to spend their $$$$
Chaim Yankel-
What? Playground Vs. Tefillin, I say Tefillin wins hands down.
I do agree that buying T’Fillin is important.
But that doesn’t make it ‘more wise’.
If that was the case, then we should all stop giving any Tzedakah, if the organization doesn’t offer food to the hungry, medical care to the ill, and T’Fillin to those without?
art & thinkaboutit
As a mom of many girls, I VOTE hands high for the playground.
These boys should be commended for [often] showing better priorities for money than their parents. The argument about tefilin vs. playgrounds is IMHO irrelevant, since I’ll bet some of them don’t wear tifilin after the Bar mitzvah, and most of the others probably never heard of Shuvu.
bklynmom Says:
April 16th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
art & thinkaboutit
As a MOM OF MANY GIRLS, I vote hands high for the playground.
Yes a mother of girls simply don`t benefit from tefillen yet from a playground they do benefit.
As a father one who wears Tefillin every day and understands the chashivus of it will almost defenitly agree giving money for tefillen is alot more beneficial.
PS i used my bar mitzvah money for expensive sets of seforim.
Isn’t it a super model for other barmitzvah boys to follow
Give TZEDAKAH from your barmitzvah gifts..
whether or not giving Tefillin is better, applaud the act that these youngsters took some of the money received and give it to the less fortunate
Chaim Yankel Says: if thats the case we should give our tzedaka to more worthy causes. Yes, obviously so.
bklynmom Says: since she is a mom of girls, she thinks playgrounds are more important. Really?? is this sick or what? Chacham wants to explain that b/c she is a woman she does’nt understand the chashivus. I’m sorry
but if she claims to be jewish there is no explanation.
when mashiach comes there will be lessoning of kvod hatorah untill it will be lishphal l’afar. People dont even how far we have sunk. I heard B’shaim a Gadol from before the war (the name escapes me right now), that the reason buchrim in yeshivah are not matzliach is because the mothers are not saying Tehilim when they go off to yeshiva. This man learned by teles and r’ boruch ber.
Whoa, everybody. The way you pounce on each other with your come backs on what was commented. Everybody should be respected for their own opinion even if you dont agree with it. And phrases like “thats crazy” , and “is this sick” and other such comments which has frequented this blog is unnecessary and un-torah dik. For a while now I have been reading what others have written in regards to these news updates and never have I felt the need to contribute. Untill now. While I have been much entertained by the clever blog names that people come up with, it bothers me how people (not eveybody) talk to each other. Especially in a blog that is supposed to compliment and give chizuk to others, about children and (Im assuming) not frum ones who are parting from their “hard earned” money and giving it away. Where they decided to give it, is also nice in that they were thinking about other children just like them.
Sorry for such a long paragraph
tll
To the thinker:
Thanks for speaking up for normalcy.
Whoever these donor kids are, they are doing something GOOD. (read: Productive. Useful. Thoughtful. Caring. Unselfish) They are acting as “Rachmanim, [bayshanim], v’Gomlei Chasodim”. That is the point.
As with everything in Yiddishkeit there is more than one way to look at things. As far as the importance of Tefillin verses playgrounds, Tefillin is obviously the winner. However, let us not forget that (as many posters have already written) we have children who have the ability to spend this money on anything they want (kma’at) and I am sure they had a taaveh to as would any 13 year old, yet they learned from the chinuch of Am Yisroel to be givers…GIVERS, that is what this world is about. Hashem doesn’t “need” anything, He has everything and IS everything. He merely created this world to be able to give. In essence, these children GAVE, making them G-dlike…our very purpose. As they grow older they will continue to give money and I am sure it will be to more needy recepticles.
BY THE WAY those of us in the land of our fathers, love tefillin and playgrounds. The kids aged 2-11 really love playgrounds and so do their immas, tattys, savtas and zaydees.
We can not live without tefillin, by we can sometimes borrow a pair when lost but playgrounds are harder to find.
My Kodesh opinion only……(bring on the gemorahs please!)