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Oct 01 2026 Taking Responsibility

Categories:
Character Building, Grandparent, Jewish Values
Ages:
6-10, 9-12, Tween and Teen

Situation: Breaking a Neighbor’s Window

You’re playing with a ball outside when your throw accidentally breaks a neighbor’s window. They are away on vacation and no one sees what happened. You have a choice: tell your parents and the neighbor when they return, knowing you may face consequences, or keep quiet and hope no one finds out. What would you do? 

Jewish Wisdom: Achrayut, אחריות, Responsibility

Taking responsibility, for ourselves and for one another, is a core Jewish value.

Personal Responsibility:
“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for me, who am I? If not now, when?” (Pirkei Avot 1:14)

“Hineini— Here I am.” A biblical response that expresses readiness to step forward and act.

Responsibility to Others:
Kol Yisrael areivim zeh ba’zeh” — All Israel is responsible for one another. (Talmud)

“What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.” (Hillel)

Text Study

In Bereshit (Genesis), we read that Adam and Eve eat from the Tree of Knowledge even though God tells them not to. When God confronts them, Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent. As a result, God banishes them from the Garden of Eden. The story reminds us of the importance of accepting responsibility for our actions. 

Building Skills and Character

Accepting responsibility for our actions can be hard to do. It may mean admitting a mistake, telling the truth when it’s uncomfortable, or making amends for something we’ve done. Taking responsibility requires you to be honest and brave, and to show integrity.

Talk about it. 

Grandparent:
Share a time when you made a mistake that affected someone else. Did you take responsibility right away, or did you try to avoid it? What happened, and what did you learn?

Grandchild:
Can you think of a time when you had to decide whether to admit a mistake or keep it a secret? What did you do? Looking back, how do you feel about your decision?

Continue the conversation:

Together, think of other situations in which someone must choose between accepting responsibility and hiding the truth.

What does it mean to you to be a mensch in those moments?

Ilene Cardin Vogelstein is a Past President of the Jewish Grandparents Network. She has been a Jewish professional and lay leader for over 40 years. Ilene has been a director, consultant, and professional development educator to Jewish early childhood programs at the national and local level. 

Photograph courtesy of Pexels