Mollie Barnes age 15

莫莉·巴恩斯 15歲

IT WAS SUNDAY AGAIN and I could hear the coins clinking and clanking in the special can that the teacher had to collect money for needy people. I could tell it was getting heavy because the coins made a deeper sound as my classmates generously slid their coins through the slot. I proudly pulled two shiny quarters out of my coin purse and polished them on my skirt. Some of my friends recycled cans for the money that they brought and some took it out of their allowance， but every child brought what they could to help people in need. I was so proud to have fifty cents that week because I usually only brought a quarter. My teacher always told me that even a penny was a mitzvah and every little bit helped. As I dropped my coins into the can， I felt that I was doing my part and I smiled.

A mitzvah is like a simple random act of kindness， except there is nothing random about it. When I learned about what a mitzvah was， I was only five， and at that time， I didn't realize the importance it would play in my life. In kindergarten I learned that collecting money to help hungry people is a mitzvah. A mitzvah is an action that a person performs to make our world a kinder， safer， and more humane place to live.

As I have grown older， I have come to understand mitzvahs in a different way. I want to feel that I am doing my part every day， not just on Sunday. My law of life has become performing acts of kindness every day. Not only do I want to do mitzvahs， but I want to do them wholeheartedly and with grace. I want to help people without making them feel indebted to me. I have come to realize that mitzvahs are not about solving world problems， mitzvahs are about simple things that I can do in my life. Simple things like smiling at someone who looks lonely， reaching cereal from the top shelf for an elderly woman in a store， or helping my little sister study cell structures until eleven o'clock at night are examples of mitzvahs. In my life， I want to help people by being a special piece of today's busy， complicated puzzle.

Jewish tradition has stressed the importance of performing mitzvahs. I believe this is because acts of kindness lead to more acts of kindness. Mitzvahs seem to have the ripple effect because when I smile at someone， I often get a smile in return. When I do something kind for someone， they might pass the kindness on.

Although I have been taught the importance of mitzvahs， I have chosen to make kindness a standard of my life. Doing a simple mitzvah every day is not difficult， in fact it has become second nature. These things that I choose to do are not intended to benefit me. While personal recognition and gratification are not the purpose of doing mitzvahs， I am somehow left with a feeling of self worth and enrichment as well.

An important expectation that I have for my life is to control what I do by my actions. I truly believe that doing a simple mitzvah for someone is an amazing way to find my personal identity. Performing mitzvahs allows me to become closer to the person that I strive to be so that I know that I am living to my full potential. I feel connected to who I truly am when I show love and kindness toward other people.

Mitzvahs are an integral part of my religion and more importantly， they are a standard that I have set to live by. Mitzvahs have shaped who I am and how I interact with the people around me. In first grade， I always felt inspired by the way that my mitzvahs affected people around me. Some of the warmest feelings that I have ever felt have come from mitzvahs. These simple acts of kindness have sculpted my heart. At night， when I turn out the light and climb into bed， I need to have a feeling of self respect for who I am and what I do. Without my law of life， I would feel empty and alone because to me， a helping hand connects me to a world that needs the simple hand that I have to offer.

又是一個(gè)星期日，我可以聽(tīng)見(jiàn)那個(gè)特殊的罐子里硬幣叮叮當(dāng)當(dāng)?shù)捻懧?，罐子是老師為貧困的人們捐款用的。我可以斷定罐子漸漸地重了，因?yàn)橥瑢W(xué)們慷慨地將硬幣從投幣口慢慢放進(jìn)去的時(shí)候，錢(qián)幣發(fā)出的聲音更低沉了。我驕傲地從錢(qián)包里掏出兩枚發(fā)亮的二角五分的硬幣，在裙子上擦了擦。我的幾個(gè)朋友靠回收罐子賺錢(qián)，然后把得到的錢(qián)帶來(lái)，還有幾個(gè)是從他們的補(bǔ)助里拿的，但孩子們把能帶的都帶來(lái)了，來(lái)幫助那些需要幫助的人。這周我交了五角，感到格外自豪，因?yàn)橥ǔＮ抑粠Ф俏宸?。老師總是告訴我，即使是一分錢(qián)也是施樂(lè)行善，每一點(diǎn)錢(qián)都會(huì)起到它的作用。當(dāng)我把錢(qián)幣投進(jìn)罐里的時(shí)候，就會(huì)感到我正在盡自己的一份力，于是，開(kāi)心地笑了。

施樂(lè)行善就如同非常簡(jiǎn)單而隨意的善良之舉一樣，只不過(guò)不是胡亂去做的。我了解施樂(lè)行善的時(shí)候，只有五歲，況且當(dāng)時(shí)我并不清楚它在生活中有多重要。在幼兒園的時(shí)候，我知道捐款幫助挨餓的人是施樂(lè)行善。施樂(lè)行善是人的行為，它會(huì)使我們生活的世界更和善、更安全、更人道。

我漸漸長(zhǎng)大了，也逐漸從不同的角度來(lái)理解施樂(lè)行善。我每天都想感覺(jué)到自己在盡自己的一份力，而不僅僅只是星期日才有。我的“人生法則”是每天都要做善事，不但想施樂(lè)行善，而且想全心全意地、備感榮幸地做好事。我想幫助別人，并不想讓人家有感恩戴德的感覺(jué)。我已經(jīng)明白施樂(lè)行善并不是都要解決世界問(wèn)題，它是日常生活中可以做的小事。誰(shuí)感到寂寞了，對(duì)他笑一笑；在商店里，幫助老人從頂層貨架上拿谷類(lèi)食品；幫助小妹妹學(xué)習(xí)細(xì)胞結(jié)構(gòu)，學(xué)到晚上十一點(diǎn)，這些都是施樂(lè)行善的例子。生活中，我想成為今天忙碌復(fù)雜的社會(huì)當(dāng)中一個(gè)特殊而不可缺少的人來(lái)幫助別人。

猶太傳統(tǒng)歷來(lái)重視施樂(lè)行善，我想是因?yàn)橐粋€(gè)善行總會(huì)引出一連串的善行。行善就像水面的漣漪，一波一波地蕩漾開(kāi)去。我對(duì)他人微笑，他人也報(bào)以微笑。我為他人行善，他人就會(huì)把這善舉繼續(xù)下去。

人們一直對(duì)我諄諄教誨的是行善的重要，但行善對(duì)我遠(yuǎn)不止重要。我把善良作為自己的人生準(zhǔn)則。每天做好事并不難，因?yàn)檫@已成了我的本性。我做好事不為自己，也不求認(rèn)可和感激。我自有回報(bào)，那就是我得到一種充實(shí)感，找到了自我的價(jià)值。

我非常希望在生活中能用實(shí)際行動(dòng)來(lái)約束自己。我的實(shí)際行動(dòng)就是行善。我堅(jiān)信行善是認(rèn)識(shí)自我的良好途徑。因?yàn)槊孔鲆患剖露甲屛译x理想的自我又近了一步，讓我知道我在充分地發(fā)揮自我，盡情地生活。每當(dāng)我關(guān)愛(ài)別人、與人為善時(shí)，我會(huì)感到這才是真正的自我。

施樂(lè)行善是我所信仰的宗教當(dāng)中必不可少的組成部分，更重要的是，成了我遵循的準(zhǔn)則。施樂(lè)行善塑造了我的品德，也規(guī)范了我和周?chē)私煌姆绞?。一年?jí)時(shí)，我做了好事，影響了周?chē)娜耍?自己總會(huì)感到欣慰。自己有幾次心里感覺(jué)熱乎乎的，都是因?yàn)槭?lè)行善的緣故。正是這些簡(jiǎn)單的善舉塑造了我的心靈。夜晚，當(dāng)我關(guān)掉電燈爬到床上的時(shí)候，我都要反思自己：我是誰(shuí)?我做了什么?我需要在反思中肯定自己。如果沒(méi)有“人生法則”，我就會(huì)感到空虛孤獨(dú)，因?yàn)樵谖铱磥?lái)，是援助之手將我和需要幫助的人群聯(lián)系在一起，為了他們，我必須伸出真誠(chéng)的手。