Many examples of heroes put forth so far have been fictional. However, there are so many examples in our very real world. You just have to look a little bit.

I was ‘introduced’ to a new hero of mine just a few months ago. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, the former chief Rabbi of the UK from 1991 to 2013, gave a wonderful 1.5 hour interview on the Tim Ferriss podcast. It’s well worth the listen.

Why? First of all, the man’s voice is hypnotic. But the message and the stories were captivating and inspiring. In a very short time, Rabbi Lord Sacks has become one of my heroes who kindly, thoughtfully and courageously speaks to what is right and good (in the oldest sense of both words) and includes all.

Sadly, Rabbi Lord Sacks passed away earlier this week after battling cancer. He led an amazing life and left behind an incredible legacy, one which I’ll continue to study.

Me vs. Us

In his 2017 TED Talk, Rabbi Lord Sacks spoke of danger of focusing on ‘self’, ‘me’ and ‘I’ rather than on ‘us’ and ‘we.’ He speaks of ‘us’ in three ways: relationship, identity and responsibility. If you’d care to watch or listen, it is twelve minutes well spent:

At Weequahic, we are blessed to be a community of very different people – different backgrounds, ages, faiths and cultures. This makes us better.

At Weequahic, we all know what drives us: to create an amazing experience for everyone we meet through gratitude, attitude and courage. Our values guide everything we do each day.

Finally, at Weequahic, our counselors and staff realize that by working together to care for our campers, they are also caring for each other. The really cool part is that the campers pick up on this idea and start imitating the whole process.  

Thank you, Rabbi Lord Sacks for all the good you put into this world. You’ve been a hero to many and an example for all. May we all learn from his wisdom.