Feel free to adopt this lesson plan to your individual needs.

This lesson plan was designed for students in grades 2-3 through high school but may easily be adapted to adults. An alternative for adults is to systematically study the Question and Answer portion of the document. The lesson is designed to be completed in one 40-45 minute period.

• To understand the differences between the Purim-related mitzvot of mishloach manot and matanot l’evyonim
• To study the textual imperative for these mitzvot: Esther 9:20-23
• To raise awareness of poverty in the Jewish community
• To identify Yad Chessed as a resource addressing Jewish poverty

1. Write the phrase “Poor Jews” on the board and ask participants to free associate.
   
   ”What comes to mind when you see these words?”
   Focus on answers which point to economic distress.
   
   “Do you know any Jews who fit this description?”
   “How many (what percentage) of Jews in Boston do you think are in this group?”
      (See the next section on Jewish poverty in the Boston area.)
   
   
2. Alternative for older students and adults:
   
   “Do you know any Jews who are poor?”
   “Without using names, tell us about them?”
   “How many (what percentage) of Jews in Boston do you think are in this group?”

Approximately 15% of American Jews live below the poverty line, the same as the general population.

• Approximately 8% of the greater Boston Jewish community is in poverty (8,400 people)
• 53% are elderly (4,500 people), 47% are non-elderly (3,900)
• A significant number of people in poverty are between the ages of 30 and 59, live alone, and are unemployed; 14% of income poor households include children
• 258 children were matched or waiting to be matched at JBBBS (Jewish Big brothers/Sisters), half from income-poor families; 35% of the JBBBS caseload receives public assistance.

Invite participants to suggest answers.

Often, Jewish people in poverty are hidden. There are several reasons:

• They are isolated and hard to find.
• They live in areas far from the comfortable suburbs where most Jews live.
• We do not always want to see them.
• Because of shame or embarrassment they do not want to be identified.

Read the text.
Have students find two mitzvot in the text.
Why is helping evyonim (the poor) included as a separate mitzvah?
Why does Maimonides say that helping the poor a way of “imitating G-d”?

The commandment is found in the Book of Esther:

       ...observe the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar, every year – the same days on which the Jews enjoyed relief from their foes and the same month which had been transformed for them from one of grief and mourning to one of festive joy...observe them as days of feasting and merry making, and as an occasion for sending presents to the poor (Esther 9:20-23)

The Torah asks us to care for “widow, the poor, the orphan and the stranger” who are alone and need economic help. The mitzvah of tzedakah is a regular obligation.

Giving “gifts to the poor” at Purim time is a special obligation, over and above ongoing acts of tzedakah.

“One should rather spend more money on gifts to the poor than on his Purim banquet and presents to friends. No joy is greater and more glorious than the joy of gladdening the hearts of the poor, the orphans, the widows and the strangers. He who gladdens the hearts of these unhappy people imitates G-d, as it is written: I am…to revive the spirit of the humble, and to put heart into the crushed (Isaiah 57:15)”

  – Mishneh Torah, Book III, Set Feasts, Megillah and Hanukkah, 2:17 (Philip Birnbaum)
 

Mishloach manot are gifts of sweets which we exchange with our friends and neighbors as a way of expanding the simcha (joy) of this holiday.

Matanot l’evyonim are gifts which we send to people less fortunate than ourselves as a way of having them join in the celebration.

• Give to at least two people in need
• An obligation over and above customary tzedakah
• Fulfill on the day of Purim
• Give to anyone who asks without question

Why does the mitzvah have to be completed on Purim day itself?
Why can’t we question the person who asks for help?

Instructor: You might make an outline of the steps for those who want to understand how this ancient mitzvah is fulfilled in modern society.

Yad Chessed has devised a creative way to fulfill this religious obligation with precise attention to halachah and Jewish practice.

This year Yad Chessed has enlisted over 50 synagogues, minyanim, day schools, and college Hillel groups to collect matanot l'evyonim funds at Megillah-reading services Purim evening or Purim morning; funds can also be collected in advance of Purim. Before noon on Purim day these organizations count the funds collected and call Yad Chessed to report their total.

Yad Chessed gives out vouchers (with no dollar amount) to needy families in advance of Purim. These vouchers can only be used starting at noon on Purim day. Once Yad Chessed receives all of the calls on Purim morning and determines the total amount collected, Yad Chessed calls the stores where the vouchers can be used and tells them how much each voucher is worth.

Purim vouchers can be used at the Butcherie stores in Brookline and Canton; they are good for several months so the people who receive them can use them when they are most beneficial. If these stores are inaccessible, recipients can exchange their vouchers after Purim for gift cards for Stop & Shop, Shaw's or Star Market.

In keeping with Jewish law all funds collected for matanot l’evyonim are distributed on Purim day.

Yes and no!

Yes, because some people need help right now. Yad Chessed is an organization which provides grants and loans for people who have an emergency need. We also help some people regularly because they simple can’t provide all the basics for themselves and their families.

No, because many people need ongoing help in finding work and managing their resources. Other agencies in the Jewish community such as Jewish Vocational Service and Jewish Family & Children's Service do this kind of case work. Yad Chessed works closely with these social service agencies

Yad Chessed was founded in 1989 to fill a gap in the greater Boston Jewish community by providing assistance to people who had a financial emergency and had nowhere to go for help. Yad Chessed now distributes $350,000 annually in emergency aid, ongoing food and clothing assistance, and special holiday allocations—as well as $50,000 in interest-free loans—to 1,400 individuals throughout the greater Boston Jewish community

In 2011, Yad Chessed collected $78,947 from 50 organizations in the greater Boston Jewish community. Because the Butcherie stores give Yad Chessed a discount on the Purim vouchers, Yad Chessed was able to distribute $94,645 in food assistance to 440 needy Jewish families!

You can visit the Yad Chessed website at www.yadchessed.org.