Our Rabbis tell us that during the Aseret Yemei Teshuva, The Ten Days of Repentance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Teshuva, Tefilla and Tzedaka (Repentance, Prayer and Charity) can reverse a bad judgment which we received on Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment.

Kids, why do you think our Rabbis singled out these three things? What do they have in common?
What happens inside us when we perform these three actions sincerely from the heart?

Did you know that, hidden in each Hebrew word, is a three letter root which reflects the idea behind the word. The root of Tzedaka is "Tzedek", which means "justice" and tells us that giving charity is the just and right thing to do in God's eyes.

Illustration by Janet Zwebner

There are all different ways of giving Tzedaka. Giving money to the poor is only one form of giving, helping someone out is another way of giving.

Did you know that the root of the Hebrew word "to give" is "Natan" - "Nun, Taf, Nun"? Notice that you can read it backwards and forwards. What does that tell us? That through giving, you get back.