Explaining tzedakah

The company my husband works at is holding an employee vs. executive softball game with teams competing as to the size of the donation their charity of choice will receive. (There are no losers here.) Our friend is the president of a local volunteer-based organization that helps with all sorts of needs of low-income Fairfax residents (Our Daily Bread) and her organization will be one of the recipients. Players, cheerleaders, and their families are encouraged to bring donations (monetary and in-kind) to the game.

This past weekend, we went shopping with our kids for items from the organization's wish list to bring with us to the game. We tried to explain that we were buying things for people who need them but who don't have enough money right now to buy what they need for their families. We tried to buy one for us and two to donate (at least for some items). Our son wanted to put some Lego sets in the basket. If toys were on the wish list, we would have, but we did want to point out that Legos are never a "must" but only a "want" anyway. I asked my son, "What would happen if we didn't have any food in the house?" He answered that we would go to a restaurant. His response made me think. First, that was smart and reasonable. Second, he has no concept of what it would mean not to have. He's only three, and so I think that's OK at this point, but I was thinking about how to really get into his head that it's not an option for everyone. The concept of tzedakah and giving in general is one thing, but really understanding is another. We're going to make a conscious effort to work on that in the future.