Prior to the ceremony, my niece shared part of her speech with me, leaving me in AWE of her spirit, once again. As I learned, Bar or Bat Mitzvah'd youth are expected to make a Tzedakah, which is best transliterated as sacred giving, and comes from the Hebrew root for "Justice." Our niece related Zack's educational experience with Tzedakah, and the fact that justice would be for him to have the education that he needs, as opposed to what the public schools are willing to give him.
She also talked about the tradition in Judiasm that (and I'm shaky on this, as I wasn't able to find a good online resource) wealth is meant to be shared and after 50 years, wealth should be re-distributed to avoid perpetuating the cycle of poverty. Furthermore, those who have much are expected to help those less fortunate. Rabbi Tannenbaum did expand on this, but it was a LOT to take in. He did look out into the audience and admonish (jokingly) the congregation that they are expected to give to those less fortunate.
As I sat, listening to the Rabbi and our beautiful niece who is SO wise, I was reminded of the story of the Starfish. As a teacher, I have heard this story about, oh, a million times. However, the version I have linked to, here, is one that I found version online and thought was particularly applicable to our situation.
There are days that I wonder if our fundraising objective is too small for people to believe in. This is especially true when I read stories on indiegogo and see the projects that are, globally speaking, so much bigger than ours. Yet, at the same time, I really believe that if he gets a Gow education, he will become so much MORE and be able to DO so much more, making a change in the world. Without it, he will survive and, for me, that just isn't enough. I want him to get what he needs so that he can realize his full potential and make a difference in the world
Below is the text from that Starfish link from www.ordinarypeoplechangetgeworld.com
The Starfish Story
A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.
She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”
The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied,
“Well, I made a difference to that one!”
The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved. - adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley
Perseverance against great odds and against the criticism of others is the very hallmark of value-based idealism, as is refusing to accept failure. The understanding that we hold in our hands the power to change a life, a mind, or a circumstance today – right now – is a powerful insight and motivator. At the same time, idealistic acts, even highly symbolic ones, have the power to inspire others to act, and sometimes in numbers significant enough to make a major or even complete impact on the problem at hand. Perhaps most inspiring of all is to witness the idealistic power of children and young people in action. The idealism of youth is a powerful force for leading change in the world. Often it is our youth who put into action values that we have instilled in them – but have failed to act on ourselves. The world, therefore, depends on the idealism of youth to lead the way.
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