Guest post by Rabbi Barry Kornblau

Barry Kornblau is rabbi of Young Israel of Holls Hills – Windsor Park in Bayside, Queens, NY, and serves as Director of Member Services at the Rabbinical Council of America.

Halloween is coming up this Sunday.

Rabbi Michael Broyde has written about Halloween and halachah. He concludes that going out to collect candy is forbidden, and that distributing candy from one’s home to trick-or-treaters is permissible “if one feels this is necessary.” What makes many feel that it’s necessary is the awkwardness of saying no to innocent neighborhood kids who come to the door seeing candy, and related issues. In order to address that issue, for many years now my family has posted the sign below to our front door, along with a pen on a string we attach to the door. The trick-or-treating kids usually like signing it (sometimes an explanation is needed for little ones), as do their parents. This approach also lets Jewish kids inside the house not feel that they’re missing out on anything and, to the contrary, makes them feel good by participating in a mitzvah. Feel free to use it if you’d like, changing the family name, the tzedakah amount per signature, or the length of the signature list as you see fit. Don’t forget to send in the tzedakah check afterwards!

Let the Ohr La’goyim illuminate the spiritually dark night of Halloween – a vacuous holiday whose central trick-or-treat ritual is having kids (gently) threaten their neighbors to get candy – with the power of the bright light of the mitzvah of tzedakah.

ATTENTION

ALL TRICK OR TREATERS!!!!

Instead of taking money to buy candy and treats to give to all of you, our family takes that money and gives it to an organization which takes care of poor and sick children.

We do this because we want to help other wonderful kids who are not as lucky as you because they don’t have enough money to buy fun things (like Halloween costumes), because they are sick, or because their parents don’t live with them anymore.

For each kid that signs below, we will give $3 to help poor and sick children. The more kids who sign, the more money we give, so please sign!

THE KORNBLAU FAMILY

Sign this page if you want us to give $3 to poor and sick children

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

9)

10)

etc.