Educational Message of Maccabiah
Machshava- Ideas
Certain leaders
inspire by giving voice to new ideas. They open up new possibilities in
the world and change the way people think about themselves and the world.
The most important example of this was the giving of the Torah by Hashem
through Moshe. This was a revolution of Machshava.
People were taught for the first time that the Creator of the
universe is also concerned with the morality and the action of the people.
Many other revolutions of thought have lead to other great
societal changes. Some examples include: the Baal Shem Tov and Chassidut,
Descartes and the Renaissance, the Rav and Modern Orthodoxy.
Ma'asei - Action
Action is about
making ideas real in the here and now; changing potential into actual,
dream into reality. Leaders know that ideas and plans need to be given
body and substance in the real world if they are to be meaningful. In
Judaism, we put special emphasis on the point that learning and Torah must
lead to action- mitzvot and better behavior.
