Mar 1st, 00:00

   It was a normal Wednesday afternoon, with students arriving for Hebrew School. One of the seventh graders was sitting in the chair across from my office, and I was standing nearby greeting the children as they gathered around and chatted. I flipped on the light switch, and the playful seventh grader reached up and turned it off. I turned it on again, and thus began a game between the two of us that included tickling, arm wrestling, tumbling on the floor, and a lot of laughter.   

The following day I was talking with another parent and she mentioned that her daughter had seen what went on the day before. The child’s comment was that I was the most “well- rounded” person she knew. I have never thought too much about how well-rounded I was (other than before joining Weight Watchers!), but the comment brought a smile to my face.    

My colleagues in the Jewish educational world are in constant dialogue about curriculum, textbooks, staff development, and other pedagogic subjects that make up the bulk of what we call “Jewish education.” While these areas are definitely high on the list of priorities, my philosophy of Jewish education has always been focused on building relationships between the children and those with whom they come in contact while here at our beloved TBT. Once a relationship is built, the students will be much more receptive to the “material” we seek to teach. In the few hours a week and the few years we have the students here in our classes, we can only scratch the surface of the myriad of subjects and the depth of all that Judaism has to offer. They can always pick up a book or search the internet later in their lives when they need an answer or want to dive into a particular subject. But the memories that become the foundation of their Jewish identity will be formed by the role models they meet as children. The informal time that the students spend talking to Jewish educators, discovering that we are “real” people who love our Judaism enough to want to spend the bulk of our time sharing it with others – that is what I want our children to remember as they leave at the end of their formal Jewish education.   

So, if “well-rounded” means that I can wrestle with a seventh grader, maybe what is really happening is that I am wrestling with God (or one of God’s creations) – the true meaning of yisrael. And when at the end of our game I embrace a child, maybe what is really happening is that I am embracing yisrael, God, and my Judaism. Whatever it is, literally or symbolically, there is nothing quite so precious in my life than to be a part of our Temple family, and to spend my days working and playing with our rich heritage.   

May the upcoming festival of Pesach, holiday that symbolizes our freedom from slavery, bring each of you and your loved ones a feeling of rebirth in embracing your own Judaism.