Education and Sharing Day: A Call to Strengthen Moral and Ethical Education
Contributed by Rabbi Mendy Greenberg, Mat-Su Jewish Center Chabad
In 1978, the United States Congress established Education and Sharing Day in honor of the birthday of the global spiritual leader, the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson. Every year, the day is observed four days before Passover, and this year it falls on Sunday, March 29.
Here in Alaska, Education and Sharing Day is officially recognized through proclamations by Mike Dunleavy, Governor of Alaska, as well as the Alaska State Legislature, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly, the Mat-Su Borough School District School Board, and the cities of Palmer and Wasilla.
The Rebbe teaches that education must go beyond memorizing facts or preparing for a career. True education focuses on building character, nurturing moral values, and helping each person develop a sense of responsibility toward others.
Central to the Rebbe’s teachings are the Seven Noahide Laws, which were given by God to Noah after the great flood and then reinstated to Moses at Mount Sinai. These laws provide a timeless framework for a moral and just society, guiding us to honor the Creator, respect life, reject violence, act honestly, value family, promote generosity, and create a compassionate and ethical world. They are as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago.
Education and Sharing Day is about the conversations we have every day—around the dinner table, in classrooms, and in the small moments where we interact with our children and students. These interactions shape how young people think, how they act, and how they see their responsibilities to others.
In the Mat-Su Valley, public schools begin each day with sixty seconds of quiet reflection. During this moment, students are free to pause and consider their thoughts. Parents can use this time to guide children in focusing on positive intentions, setting the tone for a day of kindness, integrity, and responsibility. The Rebbe emphasizes that awareness of the Creator—“an Eye that sees and an Ear that hears”—helps children understand that they are never alone and encourages them to act with compassion and mindfulness.
The Rebbe also stresses the importance of action. In 1974, he introduced a global campaign encouraging daily acts of charity. Families are encouraged to place a charity box in their homes, and children are encouraged to give each day. The innovation of this idea is in its focus on the influence giving has on the giver. Even small amounts—a dime, a nickel, or a penny—when given consistently every day have a profound impact. Performing a selfless and positive act daily helps shape character and brings forth the inherent goodness within each individual. In other words, the campaign is not just about supporting those in need, but about cultivating the giver, training the heart and mind to naturally act with kindness and generosity.
On that note, whenever Education and Sharing Day is formally declared each year—at a Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly meeting, a school board meeting, the Palmer or Wasilla City Council, or at the Alaska State House or Senate—small yellow boxes called ARK, which stands for Acts of Routine Kindness, are distributed to everyone in attendance. Each box is accompanied by a card explaining its significance and its connection to this special day. The idea is simple but powerful: if we want to positively influence our young people, the most successful way is by being a living example—demonstrating through our own daily acts of selflessness and kindness what it truly means to care for others.
While March 29 is the formal observance of Education and Sharing Day, its message applies every day. It reminds us of our ongoing responsibility to nurture moral and ethical education in our children and communities through both example and action.
In Alaska, the Rebbe’s birthday—observed as Education and Sharing Day—will be celebrated in several ways. On Wednesday, March 11, the Alaska House of Representatives and the Alaska State Senate will open their sessions with a prayer delivered by my father, Rabbi Yosef Greenberg of the Alaska Jewish Campus, and myself, focusing on the Rebbe’s teachings regarding education, character, and making the world a better place.
In the Mat-Su Valley, a community event will take place on Monday evening, April 27, at b., at the historic Palmer Train Depot. The evening will feature a lecture and fireside chat with a world-renowned author and lecturer, along with dinner and a simultaneous children’s program. The event is open to the entire community and will highlight how the Rebbe’s guidance continues to actively shape education, values, and community life in our valley today.
Education and Sharing Day reminds us that through thoughtful education, meaningful conversation, and consistent acts of charity, we can bring more goodness, kindness, and ethical responsibility into our world every day.
May God bless our efforts to strengthen our communities, and may our collective work hasten the ultimate redemption through the revelation of Moshiach—speedily in our days. Amen.