BABAGANEWZ recently invited three lucky teens on an all-expense-paid shopping spree. Rachel Bender, Davida Silberman, and Adina Klein, tenth graders at the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville, Maryland, were the fortunate few whom we treated to the fashion fling. Oh, by the way, no one could spend more than $15.

"Impossible!" you snort. "You couldn't buy the glitter on a pair of sparkle jeans for 15 bucks."

Well, it's obvious you've never been thrifting! Thrift shopping is a funky way to find a bargain, indulge your fashion fantasy, and do something nice for the planet and your community.

Thrift stores, like the Upscale Resale Thrift Shop that we invaded, are home to the fashionable castoffs of complete strangers. There's nothing wrong with the clean used clothing you'll find there, except that some New York designer says they're not in style anymore. Instead of throwing them away, sensible folks donate their used duds to thrift shops, where eagle-eyed bargain hunters and the less fortunate snatch them up. "The trick is to look at everything," advises Davida. "Things are always hiding."

Rachel and her buddies understood the relationship between their outing and the important value of bal tashchit (avoiding waste). "Even though some people think something is not useful," she notes, "others might get some use out of it."

And besides, everyone agreed, "We had a blast!"

Mitzvah Mission

Buy something, use it, and share it with others when you’re done! That’s the idea behind the GeMaH, which stands for “gemilut hasadim.” A GeMaH lends things for free. The first GeMaHs lent money, and there are still many Jewish Free Loan societies today.
Your class can set up a GeMaH. Here’s how:
Decide what will be in your GeMaH. Here are some ideas: baby items, medical supplies (crutches, wheelchairs, etc.), furniture (folding tables and chairs), books and videos, musical instruments. Choose just one or two categories.
Ask families in your school to submit a list of items they can lend. Don’t collect anything. Donors keep the items until they are needed.
Publish a newsletter listing what’s in the GeMaH. Make a match between what someone needs and what is available.
Gemilut hesed is an act of kindness toward someone without expectation of reward. How can your class set up a GeMaH that protects the privacy of the user?