The Makor Project K–5 Lesson
Vocabulary Card

Words to Know

Doing Good: Jewish Values · Grades 3–5

The three words from class

Tzedakah
tseh-DAH-kah
Fair giving. Giving to people in need. The word comes from the Hebrew word for "justice," so it is seen as the fair and right way to act, not only a nice extra. A person who needs help is owed it.
Chesed
KHEH-sed
Loving-kindness: kindness that asks nothing back, such as sitting with someone who is eating alone or visiting someone who is sick.
Bal Tashchit
bahl tahsh-KHEET
"Do not waste." Caring for the world by not destroying or wasting what you do not need.
Where it comes from: a rule in the Torah for an army at war. Even while surrounding a city, the army may not cut down the trees people eat from (Deuteronomy 20:19). Later teachers widened it to cover wasting almost anything.
Mitzvah
MITZ-vah
A deed that Jewish tradition asks people to do. The plural is mitzvot. Most of the words on this card are the names of a mitzvah.

Saying the words: the "kh" is the sound at the end of "Bach." Plain "h" is fine too.

Two more words

Tikkun Olam
tee-KOON oh-LAHM
"Repairing the world." Today many Jews use it to mean working to make the world better, a little at a time, like cleaning up a park or planting a garden.
Hachnasat Orchim
hahkh-nah-SAHT or-KHEEM
Welcoming guests, making room for a visitor or a stranger and helping them feel at home, like showing a new student where everything is.
For families: Try one of these together this week. Give something away, welcome a guest, or pick up litter at the park. Talk about how it felt. Values are easiest to remember when they are done, not just said.