Tzedakah boxes!

As I head downstairs to my dungeon pottery studio each day I have one goal in mind lately...

Tzedakah boxes!! Tzedakah boxes!!

I have been commissioned by the local Hadassah organization to create 25 of these boxes...and I have been busily working on these for the last few months.

These will be displayed and, hopefully, sold, at the organization's annual "Tzedakah Luncheon" on November 16. A percentage of the money that I make on these will be donated to the organization...so, I am actually creating something for others to use for charity while also "giving" myself.

"Tzedakah" is a Hebrew word that is commonly translated as "charity". The actual 'root' meaning of the word is "justice" which, to me, really helps to define its meaning.

One of the tenets of Judaism is the emphasis on the religious obligation to perfom charity and philanthropic acts as an important part of living a truly spiritual life. Giving anonymous donations to unknown recipients is said to be one of the highest forms of giving. I love that.

The boxes that I am creating are basically banks to hold money to be given as charity. The first pictures above are painted boxes that have not been fired yet...while, the other two pictures are some of the finished ones. Each box is hand-built and hand-painted and one of a kind.

I am such a perfectionist when it comes to my pottery...so, I spend a great deal of time creating and finishing each box. After a while, there are some days when the last thing I want to look at is another one of these boxes!

Luckily, today is not one of those days....so, it is back down to the dungeon for me to get my hands in the clay and start creating!!! : )