Making a Difference

Inspire your teens with an action-based view of the Jewish spiritual tradition!

Based on the best selling book It's a Mitzvah! by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Making a Difference presents both ethical and ritual mitzvot, such as Rodef Shalom, Tzedakah, Kashrut, and Tefillah, as well as practical and creative suggestions on how to observe them. Students study the wisdom of Jewish sacred texts and examine through a Jewish lens who they are, the kind of adults they want to become, and how the mitzvot can help them achieve their goals.

Each chapter presents a mitzvah and includes the following writing activities:

Self-Portrait (exploring the mitzvah in personal terms) You Don't Say! (finding meaning in the wisdom of ancient and modern sages) It's a Dilemma! (responses to real-life situations) Mitzvah Journal (a record of each teen's experience of observing the mitzvah)





In addition, the book presents the stories of Jewish teens who have made a difference in their communities through mitzvah projects, such as spending a month teaching in Cuba's Jewish community and creating a mural in a children's hospital.

The book uses the same dynamic graphics and layout that teens respond to in popular magazines and on websites. More than 130 photographs illustrate and enrich the text.

Contents:

Getting ConnectedTaking ActionTzedakah: Giving JustlyRodef Shalom: PeacemakingShabbat: An Extraordinary DayAhavat Tziyon: For the Love of IsraelBal Tashhit: Every Day Is Earth DayKashrut: You Are What You EatSh'mirat Habriyut: Be Your Best FriendBikkur Holim: Reach Out and Touch SomeoneKibbud Av Va'em: The Most Difficult Mitzvah?Sh'mirat Halashon: Weigh Your WordsTefillah: An Open LineTalmud Torah: Learning MattersGoing Forward Resources