September 8, 2014
What will be YOUR Tekiah Gedolah?
The best part of being a rabbi’s daughter was listening to my dad’s inspiring sermons. One year on Yom Kippur he spoke about the tekiah gedolah, the great shofar blast. He challenged everyone in the congregation to think about creating their own personal tekiah gedolah…to think about the great impact that they hope tomake in the coming year. Every year about this time, I think about that sermon and contemplate what my own Tekiah Gedolah, my Great Impact will be during the year to come.
This year, that deep thinking coincides with the thousands of hilarious and meaningful videos being posted to Facebook of people pouring ice buckets over their heads. And so we got to thinking. What if people were inspired by their friends, relatives, neighbors and co-workers to think about their Great Impact? And thus, the Mirowitz Tekiah Gedolah Challenge was born.
Reb Scott and I kicked off the challenge yesterday. We challenged the 5th graders to sound the shofar (or a kazoo or horn or whatever makes a blast), to share their Tekiah Gedolah, and to challenge others both inside and outside of the Mirowitz community. They have already begun to challenge one another.
Among the most fulfilling parts of my job is hearingyour children share their desire and intentions to make a difference. Yesterday, the fifth graders spoke passionately about helping a homeless person with supplies and food; about making Ferguson a safer and happier place for the children; about protecting the environment; about helping cure disease by hosting a lemonade stand and donating the proceeds as tzedakah. Check out some of them in the sidebar.
Reb Scott and I are so lucky to be inspired by the depth of our incredible students every day. It’s our hope that they will grow to be passionate about being doers and helpers, and that they will inspire others to do the same.
Better start thinking about your own Tekiah Gedolah. You just might be challenged by some precious Mirowitz student soon! Watch our kickoff here!
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Cheryl Maayan