By Yonah Reback
SHA Class of 2006
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graduates, I’d like to thank all of you for joining us this evening.
As I stand before you tonight, I am filled with gratitude to the many fine
Rabbis, teachers, aids and administrators who collectively have made
these past eight years at the Academy so special for me. I feel truly
blessed to have had the opportunity to receive such a well rounded
Jewish education and would like this evening to reflect a little on the true
value and importance of this education.
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| Yonah Reback ('06) |
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focus on Limudei Kodesh, Judaic studies. But in truth, a Jewish education goes much further
than just teaching Jewish texts. It develops our inner Jewish selves and helps prepare us for
all aspects of life in the Jewish and secular worlds, helping us at a most core level to
understand what it means to live as a Jew and how to properly represent our people by
carrying out our unique responsibilities.
So if there’s more to a Jewish education than textual learning through our classes in Limudei
Kodesh, what is it? What is this secret to Jewish education? We can get a glimpse by looking
at the life of the first Jew, Avraham Avinu, and how he learned to live as a Jew and how he
successfully transmitted this message to his son Yitzhak and beyond.
In Parshas Vayera, G-d decides that He will destroy the cities of Sodom and Ammorah
because of their wickedness. But before He does this, He explains why He will inform
Avraham of His intentions.
In Perek Yud Ches, Pasuk Yud Tes, G-d states the main reason why Avraham could merit to
be informed about G-d’s intentions. The Pasuk reads as follows:
First, what’s the connection between Avraham teaching his children in the ways of G-d
and meriting to have G-d share His plans for Sodom and Ammorah with him?
And second, what does it mean that Avraham displayed “Tzedakah and Mishpat” and
how does this play a role in Avraham meriting to hear G-d’s actions?
To answer these questions I will turn to two of our Meforshim:
The first is a Rabeinu Chananel in which he quotes Rabeinu Bechai as follows:
What Rabeinu Bechai is ultimately saying here is that Avraham’s teachings were based
on and were being passed on through oral tradition. And although he communicated
with G-d, and we, his offspring, would eventually get the written Torah, this concept
of oral tradition is of equal importance to that of a written one. So already from the
time of the first Jewish educator we see the importance of the oral tradition in
developing and sustaining the character of the Jewish people.
Now let’s look at what the Seforno says regarding G-d showing Avraham the concepts
of Tzedakah and Mishpat in relationship to Avraham:
All this G-d says He shall do in order so that Avraham can witness G-d’s love and
kindness even toward the wicked, but still see His justice against those who don’t
repent.
Meaning, G-d shows Avraham these two parallel ideas which are used in the balance
of this world. On the one hand He shows him His Chesed, His Tzedakah, in order to
relate to Avraham that if he is able to continue to grow as a person and as a teacher
that G-d will reward him through His attributes of Chesed and Tzedakah. But on the
other hand, G-d demonstrates the need for Mishpat, for judgment.
So what is it that Avraham needs to draw out from these ideas.
G-d is saying this: At this point in Avraham’s education, he has truly grasped the
ideas that lie within Derech Hashem, the ways of G-d: He has been able to understand
that he needs to learn from G-d’s judgment that he puts into the world, in order so that
he can take the lessons he learned from there and use them as tools to help further his
education. So then what is G-d stressing here more than before? What He is stressing
is that yes, Avraham, you are on the correct path. But if you want to merit to be
rewarded by having a nation, it takes more than being on the right path. It takes a
commitment and effort to deeply inspire your son with My message; the message of
Tzedakah and Mishpat. And only through this commitment to Me, and this commitment
to teaching My ways to your offspring will you merit to have the Jewish people. This
helps clarify the meaning of the end of the pasuk when G-d says, “In order that Hashem
might bring upon Avraham that which He had spoken of him.”
Putting these two commentaries together we understand from this pasuk the viewpoint
of the first Jewish educator. It was clear already to Avraham that a successful Jewish
education requires a proper combination of formal Torah learning together with the
teaching the oral tradition through mentoring and individual instruction. And that if we
would succeed at this Holy act of providing our offspring a proper Jewish education
we would raise generations that merit G-d’s Chesed and Tzedakah.
At SHA the idea of living a proper Jewish life has been taught to us in a way that
beautifully honors the example set by Avraham Avinu. We have learned here through a
proper combination of formal Torah studies and the sharing of the Oral Tradition, an
Oral tradition that has continued to grow and evolve to this very day as our rabbis and
teachers have strived to mentor us and provide us with important lessons in character
development and proper action.
We, the graduating class of 5766 have learned much from our Rebaim and teachers
about G-d’s righteousness and justice in the world. And as we say farewell to SHA, I
pray that we may all continue in our commitment to Jewish education and Jewish
character development, and that we may all merit G-d’s continued Chesed and
Tzedakah.
I would like to say thank you, to all of the teachers that I have had throughout
elementary and middle school. Each one of you has played an instrumental role in my
education and I cannot thank you enough for the contributions that you have made to my
education and life. Thank you.
While I can’t talk about all of the teachers that I’ve had, I would like to take a few
moments to thank the two Rebaim that we as a class have had over these past three
years, Rav Dov, Mr. Jeff Alhadeff, and Rabbi Menachem Goldberg.
Mr. Alhadeff started teaching at SHA at the same time we began Middle School.
Although some of us have had him more often than others, everyone has had the chance
to have him for Chumash, biblical study, for three straight years. Words cannot
describe Mr. Alhadeff’s caring demeanor towards his students. When you learn under
his wing for even a day you feel that you are being taught something by a person who is
emotionally connected to you, and this makes him not only a special teacher but a
special friend to all of his students.
Of course, let me not forget to mention Rabbi Goldberg. You see, Rabbi Goldberg has
a special place in my heart as a teacher and as a friend as well. As a teacher, he is a
veteran at his job and is there for you as a Rabbi to help you learn. But additionally,
Rabbi Goldberg does so much in our community to help reach out to youth and
teenagers. Between his onegs, teen minyan, and his overall generosity, he has a
tremendous impact on our lives, so thank you to him as well.
May many future generations merit to learn from these to great Rabeim who have made
an impact on each of our lives for the better. Thank you.
Above all a gigantic thank you to my family; especially to my mother and father for
their patience, guidance, and caring throughout these elementary and middle school
years.
Thank you and good night.
