613 Mitzvot
Tikkun Olam and B’racha Centers Announce “The Year of 613 Mitzvot”
Do you and your family care passionately about social justice? Are you looking for new ways to engage in social service activities? Do you want to learn about volunteer opportunities, both in the Pittsburgh community and at Temple Sinai, and sign up for the ones that interest you and your family? Do you want your volunteering experiences to be included in a journal and tallied on a “Mitzvah-ometer” that will be displayed prominently at the Temple? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you will want to participate in “The Year of 613 Mitzvot.”
Mitzvah Fair was a Huge Success
Picture the scene at 9:00am in the Falk Auditorium on Sunday, October 2nd, when Temple Sinai kicked off its Year of 613 Mitzvot with a Mitzvah Fair. Representatives from twenty-five prominent groups and organizations arrived to set up their tables with banners, literature and volunteer sign-up sheets. The auditorium became quiet as Rabbi Symons led a Family Aseyfah in the adjacent main sanctuary. Then at 10:00am the place came alive when the Aseyfah ended and families, along with many other Temple members, streamed into the Fair, where they talked with representatives and signed up to volunteer. The experience was especially wonderful for children and teens, who learned firsthand about Tikkun Olam and the importance of volunteering.
If you missed the Fair, you can still sign up to volunteer. Link to the Menu of 613 Mitzvot, where you will find a listing of more than 60 volunteer opportunities, each with an accompanying description. Print the menu, check the boxes next to the mitzvot you want to do, and send it to the Temple Office.
For an updated listing of community organizations and their contact information, click here.
And this is just the beginning of the Year of 613 Mitzvot. As you or your family completes each of your mitzvot, we would like you to write up a brief reflection of your experience on a Mitzvah Journal page. You can get blank copies of the Journal page and, after completing them, drop them off in the designated box located in the Krieger entrance. With your permission, your reflection will be placed in a “Book of Life” and your service tallied on our “Mitzvah-mometer,” which will be on display at Temple and on the Temple website.
