"Who should be honored? One who honors others." Talmud, Avot 4:1
The person who is lovely to look at.
The person who is best at putting a ball in the right place.
The person who wields the most power.
The person with the loudest voice.
The person who says the most outrageous lies.
All of these are thewrong answerto the question, "Who should be honored?" Yet, these are the people who most often receive honors. Often, these are the ones we put a microphone in front of, point a camera at or give awards to.
The real heroes are the ones who honor others. Period.
During the months of quarantine, Jeff took to running. He found a way to register these runs to help healthcare workers. In return he collected "Real Heroes" medals and ribbons.
For every half marathon (which took him about 3 hours) he collected impressive medals, which he planned to give out sometime in the future.
As part of Tour To The Wonderful, Rabbi Jeff and Mindy have sought out those who honor others.
When they present these awards, whether it be to a volunteer at a food pantry or the security guard at the Equal Justice Initiative, the recipients have been moved, sometimes beyond words.