Rambam, the 13th century Jewish philosopher, believed that there is no greater and more beautiful joy than gladdening the hearts of the poor. “It is even better for a person to increase his gifts to the poor than to make a larger meal or give more gifts to a friend. One who gladdens the hearts of those less fortunate is likened to the Shechina (the Divine Presence).” (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Megillah, 2:17)

Hunger remains a persistent challenge in communities across the world. As economic instability and the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic continue, new estimates point to some of the worst rates of food insecurity in years. It’s a crisis that’s testing our families, communities, and our social safety nets in ways that may have seemed unthinkable just a few years ago. 

How can we become more conscious of the food that we consume? How can we actively be thankful for the food on our table? And in the Rambam’s words, how can we gladden the hearts of those who are less fortunate than ourselves?

In this activity, we invite you to spin the wheel to take an action to uplift your own heart and the hearts of others. Try to set a realistic goal for yourself and complete your action within a week. 

The following websites can help you implement the suggested actions in the game: 

https://www.givedirectly.org/

https://mazon.org/take-action/