A number of years ago, I became aware of the popular show, “America’s Got Talent.” The concept was for average people to perform their specific talent in front of a live audience and judges. Depending on the reaction of the crowd and the opinion of the judges, the individual could either move on to the next round or be sent home.
The longer I have been teaching, the more I believe that every person has some type of talent. For example, I have had students who struggle with a pasuk of Chumash but have incredible artistic ability. I have seen others who have difficulty answering pretty basic questions in the classroom but have demonstrated tremendous leadership skills during a school event such as color war. In other words, one can’t always judge a book by its cover. Just because someone seems to be limited in many ways does not mean that they cannot accomplish great things.
Enter Paul Potts. In the rabbit hole known as YouTube, I was once looking for an inspirational clip to show my class, when I stumbled upon a short clip featuring this man who is a cell phone worker in Wales. Looking at this man coming out on stage with a very ordinary face and humble/shy demeanor, I was not expecting anything great.
That was the point. Apparently, the judges were not anticipating anything great either, especially after he told them he was planning to sing opera. What followed was truly amazing: This man hit notes that he did not look like he could hit on his very best day! When he was done, he looked exactly like before but now everyone knew how talented he truly was.
Several years passed and the story of Paul Potts was pushed to the recesses of my mind. That is, until a couple of months ago when my daughter Devorah went on a Yachad Birthright trip to Israel. My wife and I thought this trip would be so good for Devorah on many different levels, mostly because she had never been to Israel before and because there was a three to four week gap between the end of school and the beginning of camp.
Little did we know how good the trip would be. We received reports each night of what they had done that day and it was wonderful to hear how much of Israel she was experiencing. Then came the night when the trip participants performed in a talent show for Israeli family members who came to visit them. Devorah put on a performance that blew them (and us!) away.
It wasn’t the quality of the voice or her presence in front of the crowd; objectively, they could have both been better. It was her ability to get up in front of people and take a risk. When at home, Devorah will usually choose staying put and doing nothing over doing just about anything. However, her time on this trip allowed her to feel comfortable getting out of her comfort zone. When we shared the video with her grandparents in America, they could not believe that this was the same granddaughter they had seen in the house just a week before. The poise and the confidence which she displayed just blew them away.
We daven that she should continue to step out of her comfort zone so she can tap into the talents which Hashem has given her. When looking at Devorah each day, it’s so easy to want to see improvements in a variety of areas. We now know that the ability is there, we just need the right key to unlock it!
Rabbi Yehuda Minchenberg is a fifth-grade rebbe during the school year and teaches Torah at Camp Regesh during the summer. At home, he (together with his wife, Laurie), is the parent of six children, four of whom have varying special needs.
