This past summer I had the privilege of returning home to Boston for my 20th High School reunion. It was great to reconnect with old friends and to relive great memories. Many years have passed since we experienced our formative years together, and we have spread out all over the map. We have taken many different paths since our shared beginning, and we each have our own journey to pursue. But what was so great was remembering where we came from, reliving what inspired us, and reflecting on how far we each have come. In a certain sense, reuniting with old friends helped me recalibrate my route towards my own goals by remembering where I started and where I wanted to go.
As we approach the new year, with Rosh Hashana just hours away, it occurs to me that this too is a Reunion of sorts. It is a Reunion with our Creator, to whom we reaffirm our allegiance and rededicate our efforts. And it is a Reunion with ourselves, the true selves inside, the great person we know exists deep inside of us. It is a chance to reflect on who we are, where we come from, where we are heading, and how we want to get there.
So this Rosh Hashana I would like to challenge you. Take a few moments at some point in the Tefilla, and think of yourself when you were in High School. Ok, ignore the social awkwardness, the self-centeredness, and the thinking that you knew more than all the adults in your life. But think about your hopes, your insecurities, the people and moments that inspired you. Give yourself a virtual Reunion. And think about the journey you have taken since then. What have you learned since then? Where have you gotten off track? If you were starting your journey from scratch right now where would you want to go? What kind of person would you want to be?
Reunions can be a little uncomfortable. Have you aged well? Have you accomplished as much as your old peers? Will they be happy to see you? And maybe reuniting with ourselves is a little uncomfortable as well. But you know what, after the 1st 10 minutes it feels as if you were just there yesterday. It just feels right. This Rosh Hashana let us reunite with ourselves. If we do, I guarantee it will be the Reunion of a Lifetime.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014
May All Your Matzahs Be Whole
Sitting at a breakfast in shul this morning after a siyum for Taanit Bechorot, enjoying one last bagel before Pesach, I overheard two gentlemen discussing their latest idea for a business: selling insurance policies to protect against broken shmura matzot. After complaining that the best you can hope for when buying a box of shmura matza is for 6 of the 8 pieces to be unbroken, they laughed it off and wished each other a Chag Kasher V'Sameach. As they were leaving one friend said to the other, "I give you a bracha that this year all your matzahs should be whole." His friend thought he said "old" instead of "whole," while another thought he was wishing him matzot with lots of "holes," and everyone walked out with a smile on their face.
But it got me thinking, that that bracha, "may all your matzahs be whole," is actually a beautiful bracha. You see, matzah represents two contradictory ideas. On the one hand it is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate as slaves in Egypt. And on the other hand it is the bread of freedom that they ate as they left. Maybe the bracha our friend was really trying to give was that all the things in our life that seem contradictory, that don't seem to fit, should come together and make sense.
You see, to be Shalem, to be whole, does not mean to be one dimensional or simple. It means having different sides, like the 6 sides of a square. It means bringing together multiple perspectives, and letting each contribute to the greater whole. It means that all four sons add something to the Seder, and that all twelve tribes combine to make a Nation.
Shalem also has the same shoresh as Shalom, Peace. Because when we realize that by making room for opposing perspectives and meanings we create a greater whole, we are able to find peace instead of dispute, respect instead of resentment.
To the Jews, leaving Egypt must have seemed strange, and even ironic, to be eating the same slave bread they had eaten all those years, even after they were free. But maybe that was exactly the point. Matzah teaches us that the times of Avdut, of slavery, give meaning to the times of Geula, of Redemption.
Sometimes in life we wish we didn't have to go through certain experiences, and only later do we realize how they helped us grow. Sometimes we meet certain people who think differently than us, and only upon reflection do we sense that our thinking has become just a little bit more sophisticated after considering their perspective.
So this Pesach, among the many beautiful messages that we can learn, let us each receive the bracha that all our matzah should be whole. That we should find meaning and growth from every experience and every person. If we can do that then even those broken shmura matzot will truly have been a worthwhile investment.
Chag Sameach...
But it got me thinking, that that bracha, "may all your matzahs be whole," is actually a beautiful bracha. You see, matzah represents two contradictory ideas. On the one hand it is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate as slaves in Egypt. And on the other hand it is the bread of freedom that they ate as they left. Maybe the bracha our friend was really trying to give was that all the things in our life that seem contradictory, that don't seem to fit, should come together and make sense.
You see, to be Shalem, to be whole, does not mean to be one dimensional or simple. It means having different sides, like the 6 sides of a square. It means bringing together multiple perspectives, and letting each contribute to the greater whole. It means that all four sons add something to the Seder, and that all twelve tribes combine to make a Nation.
Shalem also has the same shoresh as Shalom, Peace. Because when we realize that by making room for opposing perspectives and meanings we create a greater whole, we are able to find peace instead of dispute, respect instead of resentment.
To the Jews, leaving Egypt must have seemed strange, and even ironic, to be eating the same slave bread they had eaten all those years, even after they were free. But maybe that was exactly the point. Matzah teaches us that the times of Avdut, of slavery, give meaning to the times of Geula, of Redemption.
Sometimes in life we wish we didn't have to go through certain experiences, and only later do we realize how they helped us grow. Sometimes we meet certain people who think differently than us, and only upon reflection do we sense that our thinking has become just a little bit more sophisticated after considering their perspective.
So this Pesach, among the many beautiful messages that we can learn, let us each receive the bracha that all our matzah should be whole. That we should find meaning and growth from every experience and every person. If we can do that then even those broken shmura matzot will truly have been a worthwhile investment.
Chag Sameach...
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
If Caine Is Able So Are You
I'm on a plane right now flying back from a great 3 day Yeshiva University School Partnership conference in NY and I have to jot down my reflections while they are still fresh in my mind.
1st and foremost, it is always powerful to get together with others and learn from one another. This conference had over 500 educational leaders from around the country (and the world) all seeking to learn new things, share ideas, and return inspired and invigorated to bring their school to the next level. There were experts giving sessions on 21st century learning, supporting diverse learners, and Day School sustainability. And there were also many opportunities to grab a coffee with a colleague and compare notes or collaborate on a project.
There were many highlights and insights from this conference, but when I reflect on the Big Idea that I kept internalizing again and again throughout the conference it was Promoting Children's Curiosity and Creativity.
It all started with an appearance by Nirvan Mullick the filmmaker of Caine's Arcade, a short documentary about an amazing kid whose dream of creating his own cardboard arcade became a reality beyond his wildest imagination.
http://cainesarcade.com/
After watching the film and hearing in person from Nirvan We had the opportunity to take on the Cardboard Challenge ourselves and build our own Jewish themed games using nothing but raw materials and our creativity. Our group created a Chesed Plinko game, not bad for a 45 minute activity.
In the 21st Century Learning Lab that I attended Heidi Hayes Jacobs exposed us to many web-based apps that kids can use to explore, observe, compare, contrast, predict, and teach. This focus on the child and inquiry-based learning was also emphasized in the presentation by Marie Alcock on the benefits and secrets of teaching through a flipped classroom.
During the conference we were privileged to hear from two amazing keynote speakers: Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and Dr. Tal Ben Shahar. Rabbi Sacks focused his talks on our mission to build future leaders telling us that "good leaders create followers but great leaders create leaders." And Dr. Shahar, an expert on Positive Psychology, encouraged us to focus on the positive with our children and ask them questions like, "What are you good at? What inspires/energizes you?"
Finally, in a breakout session Rabbi Dr. Gil Perl led a session on Developing a 21st Century Judaic Curriculum in which a consensus was reached that in order to inspire our students to grow into proud committed Jewish adults we need to empower them to take ownership of their Judaic development by giving them input into the curriculum and by making the learning experiential.
There were many many other things that we learned at this IJED conference. But as I ask my students to do at the end of a class, I take with me above all else one Big Idea. That every one of our students is a future Jewish Leader, and that, just like Caine, with encouragement, empowerment, a focus on the positive, and an unwavering belief in them, our students and children will develop their own God given talents and realize their amazing potential.
1st and foremost, it is always powerful to get together with others and learn from one another. This conference had over 500 educational leaders from around the country (and the world) all seeking to learn new things, share ideas, and return inspired and invigorated to bring their school to the next level. There were experts giving sessions on 21st century learning, supporting diverse learners, and Day School sustainability. And there were also many opportunities to grab a coffee with a colleague and compare notes or collaborate on a project.
There were many highlights and insights from this conference, but when I reflect on the Big Idea that I kept internalizing again and again throughout the conference it was Promoting Children's Curiosity and Creativity.
It all started with an appearance by Nirvan Mullick the filmmaker of Caine's Arcade, a short documentary about an amazing kid whose dream of creating his own cardboard arcade became a reality beyond his wildest imagination.
http://cainesarcade.com/
After watching the film and hearing in person from Nirvan We had the opportunity to take on the Cardboard Challenge ourselves and build our own Jewish themed games using nothing but raw materials and our creativity. Our group created a Chesed Plinko game, not bad for a 45 minute activity.
In the 21st Century Learning Lab that I attended Heidi Hayes Jacobs exposed us to many web-based apps that kids can use to explore, observe, compare, contrast, predict, and teach. This focus on the child and inquiry-based learning was also emphasized in the presentation by Marie Alcock on the benefits and secrets of teaching through a flipped classroom.
During the conference we were privileged to hear from two amazing keynote speakers: Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and Dr. Tal Ben Shahar. Rabbi Sacks focused his talks on our mission to build future leaders telling us that "good leaders create followers but great leaders create leaders." And Dr. Shahar, an expert on Positive Psychology, encouraged us to focus on the positive with our children and ask them questions like, "What are you good at? What inspires/energizes you?"
Finally, in a breakout session Rabbi Dr. Gil Perl led a session on Developing a 21st Century Judaic Curriculum in which a consensus was reached that in order to inspire our students to grow into proud committed Jewish adults we need to empower them to take ownership of their Judaic development by giving them input into the curriculum and by making the learning experiential.
There were many many other things that we learned at this IJED conference. But as I ask my students to do at the end of a class, I take with me above all else one Big Idea. That every one of our students is a future Jewish Leader, and that, just like Caine, with encouragement, empowerment, a focus on the positive, and an unwavering belief in them, our students and children will develop their own God given talents and realize their amazing potential.
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