10 Positive Judaism Tips for Teens

Hey, we’re a group of New York City high school kids at Tamid: The Downtown Synagogue. We’ve been studying Positive Judaism with our rabbi and wanted to share some tips with you about ways to increase the positivity in your own life, and how to have a positive impact in the world around you.

Did you know that being positive is a choice? You can choose to be a negative or you can choose to be a positive force in the world. The choice is yours. Here are a list of 10 ways to increase positivity. Enjoy!

1. Be curious, be interesting, challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone.
   ”The great live to satisfy their curiosity. (Yiddish Proverb).”
2. Be a learner, master new knowledge.
   “Call out for insight and yearn for understanding. (Proverbs 2:3).”
3. Be brave and act on your beliefs even if they are unpopular. Visualize and conquer it.
   “I shall fear no harm for You are with me (Psalm 23).”
4. Be honest, speak the truth and take responsibility for your actions. Have faith.
   “Do what is right and just and fair (Proverbs 1:3).”
5. Be resilient, be strong and bounce back from failure, be flexible.
   “Not by might, not by power, but by spirit alone (Zechariah 4:6).”
6. Be a loyal, caring and kind friend.
   “And you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Leviticus 19:18).”
7. Forgive others with ease, be the bigger person.
   “Forgive your neighbors mistakes and transgressions. (Ben Sira 28:2).”
8. Have good judgement.
   “One who strays from the path of good judgement will rest in the company of ghosts. (Proverbs 21:16).”
9. Be optimistic and have hope that good things will come for you and for others.
   “And I shall always hope, and I shall add to all of Your praises. (Psalm 71:14).”
10. Have a good sense of humor. Be funny. Share your joy.  
    “A joyful heart makes for good health; despondency dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22).”

In the words of Moses Maimonides, “we decide whether to make ourselves learned or ignorant, compassionate or cruel, generous or miserly. No one forces us. No one decides for us, no one drags us along one path or another. We are responsible for what we are.” And we the authors of this post add, “and we are responsible for making the world a positive place.”

Thanks for reading and for increasing your positivity!

Contributors include: Jonah Bitman, Jack Crovitz, Jacob Kohn, Rubin Parker, Charlie Pomerantz, Nicky Pomerantz, Guy Tallent, and Chet Weissberg