This is a guest post by Laura Dettloff and Rabbi Melissa B. Simon. Laura is a member of Shir Tikvah Congregation and the coordinator of the congregation’s gift shop. Rabbi Simon is the Director of Lifelong Learning at Shir Tikvah Congregation.
Maimonides teaches us that the highest level of tzedakah is helping another to become self-supporting—whether by means of a gift, a loan, or by helping someone in need of finding employment.
I don’t think that Maimonides could have imagined our modern consumer culture, but I think he would have intuitively understood the notion that “the personal is political.” And that how you spend your money is a political act.
At our annual Social Justice Chanukah Fair on Sunday, December 11, Shir Tikvah works with non-profit organizations that sell products connected to their core mission. This includes those organizations in which the people who make the products then benefit from the selling of it, propelling them toward greater self-sufficiency and self-confidence.
This year we also welcome local artists who will donate a portion of their proceeds to charity. Local artists share their gifts with us and through purchasing their creations we support local small businesses as well as the charities that they will donate a portion of their proceeds.
This holiday season, put your money where your heart is. Shop your Values at Shir Tikvah, 1360 West Minnehaha Parkway in South Minneapolis on Sunday, December 11 from 9:30am-1pm. Food will also be available from Patisserie 46 throughout the morning for breakfast and/or lunch.
For more information visit Shir Tikvah’s website: www.Shirtikvah.net
(Photo: Avital Gertner)
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