Read why WaterAid is one of our chosen charities in George’s words (written in 2013), and what the others said about Tikkun Olam at the time…
Once upon a time, there was a wise man who had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he saw a distant figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone dancing to the sun. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that he was not dancing at all. He was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.
The wise man said: “Good morning! Can I ask what you are doing?”
The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”
“I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the somewhat startled wise man.
To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”
Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, “But, young man, do you not realise that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”
At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, “I can make a difference for that one.”
Retold from ‘The Star Thrower’, by Loren Eiseley
We can’t change the world in one go but if we all do a small act, that’s ultimately going to make a big difference.
This story really emphasises how important it is for everyone to do their fair share of healing the world. It’s true the young man couldn’t save all the starfish, but that’s not a reason not to save any. Each CD we sell will go towards saving an innocent child who couldn’t survive otherwise. Despite the fact we can’t save everyone who is extremely ill from contaminated, or no water, by creating this CD we feel we have at least done something to raise money for as many of these people as we can.
Noam: I believe in equality and feel extremely bad for the poor African children who don’t even have clean water. Tzedakah actually means justice. This is what Tikkun Olam is all about, as well as Shutafut (partnership), Darchei Shalom (the ways of peace), and Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of God’s name). Our small partnership (of The Four Sons) is hoping to create a big partnership by helping others. I hate racism and anti-semitism and peace is the way to stop it. It is also necessary to have a good relationship with God and we should sanctify Him.
Jamie: Tikkun Olam is a concept that looks to us to make the world better and we can all make a contribution in our own way to improve things. I hope that the music we have created can help in some small way to healing the world.
To obtain a copy of our CD, please donate generously to our chosen charities and we’ll gladly send you a copy in the post
All enquiries are welcome by email: music@the4sons.com
