1. October: Lovingkindness The Hebrew word for Lovingkindness is Chesed Lovingkindness is bringing your love and caring into the world. We can think of lovingkindness as consideration of another’s feelings. We can also think of this middah as love or kindness in action! What does the Jewish tradition say about Lovingkindness? According to mystical tradition, God created the world simply to bestow kindness and love on all creation (The Way of God, Rabbi Moshe Chaaim Luzzato) We are God’s partners in creation, but how do we contribute to the continual creation of the world? One way that comes to mind is through inventing and building new things. But Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe taught that we create through Chesed, and that each act of lovingkindness builds the world. The renowned book of the mishna, Pirkei Avot (Ethics of Our Fathers) teaches us to greet each person with a warm smile (1:15) This is one, simple form of lovingkindness that we can practice each day.

2. Ideas for Growth We can practice Chesed in lots of ways. When we visit a sick relative, we are showing lovingkindness. When we bring a meal to a new parent, we are showing lovingkindness. When we approach someone who is standing alone and invite him or her to be a part of a group, we are showing lovingkindness. When we ask a friend how we can be helpful, we are showing lovingkindness. Mindfulness Guide The act of showing kindness to another person can bring good feelings to that person and to ourselves. Try an experiment: smile at a stranger you pass on the street or in the hallway at school. Then notice what you are feeling. Do you notice an inner feeling of happiness? Discomfort? Nothing at all? There is no correct way to feel. Mindfulness just asks us to pay attention to what we are experiencing. Repeat the experiment over the month and see if your inner experience changes.

3. Questions for Family Discussion Some of us are very engaged at B’nai Jacob, attending services, Religious School, and special events on a weekly basis. Others of us prefer to be involved on the periphery and may know fewer people at CBJ. How can we increase our personal Chesed/lovingkindness to make all who enter the building feel welcome and included? Think of a time when someone reached out to you in a gesture of lovingkindness. How did it make you feel? Think of a time when you showed someone else lovingkindness. How did that make you feel? What do you think it means that we “build the world through Chesed”? How can we show lovingkindness to our parents? To our children? How can you show lovingkindness to a new student in school? A new colleague at work? How does God show us lovingkindness? Portions of this month’s packet are taken from The Tikkun Middot Project Curriculum, Draft, October 2013