We spend a lot of time during the High Holidays thinking about mistakes we’ve made in the past year. This call-and-response reading reminds us of something equally important: the good we’ve done, the kindness we’ve shown, and the values we’ve tried to live by. It’s especially powerful when read aloud with a group.
Call and Response
Call: For the mitzvah we have done when we held back a sharp and critical tongue.
Response: We give thanks for the good we have brought into the world.
Call: For the mitzvah we have done when we gave a compliment and a hug.
Response: We give thanks for the good we have brought into the world.
Call: For the mitzvah we have done when we gave charity to causes that needed our help.
Response: We give thanks for the good we have brought into the world.
Call: For the mitzvah we have done when we helped strangers or friends in need.
Response: We give thanks for the good we have brought into the world.
Call: For the mitzvah we have done for giving unconditional love.
Response: We give thanks for the good we have brought into the world.
Call: For the mitzvah we have done when we put the needs of the community ahead of our individual needs.
Response: We give thanks for the good we have brought into the world.
Call: For the mitzvah we have done when we thought well of ourselves in situations where we used to shame ourselves.
Response: We give thanks for the good we have brought into the world.
Call: For the mitzvah we have done when we gave loving attention to children.
Response: We give thanks for the good we have brought into the world.
Call: For the mitzvah we have done when we took action for the sake of Tikkun Olam, the repair of the world.
Response: We give thanks for the good we have brought into the world.
Call: For the mitzvah we have done when we opened our homes in hospitality to guests.
Response: We give thanks for the good we have brought into the world.
Call: For the mitzvah we have done when we chose not to use products which harm the environment.
Response: We give thanks for the good we have brought into the world.
Call: For the mitzvah we have done when we took action in the face of hopelessness.
Response: We give thanks for the good we have brought into the world.
Call: For the mitzvah we have done when we acted or spoke out in the face of racism, sexism, and homophobia, and acted as allies to those who face discrimination.
Response: We give thanks for the good we have brought into the world.
Call: For the mitzvah we have done when we resisted addictive use of alcohol, drugs, food, or sex and instead acted in loving and responsible ways toward our bodies.
Response: We give thanks for the good we have brought into the world.
Together: May we carry these acts of goodness into the year ahead, and may they inspire us to do even more.
— Author Unknown