There’s no time like Rosh Hashanah to think about the big picture. God created the world with great potential and only the creation of humans on the sixth day enabled that potential to be realized. A midrash in Chullin 60b reveals to us that while the earth brought forth grasses on the third day of creation, they grew underground, unable to sprout above soil until the needs and will of a human being to pray for rain brought vegetation to fruition. All of creation hovered in potential until Adam was created and developed a relationship with the Creator.
And so we carry that legacy now thousands of years later. We carry the responsibility to bring forth potential from our world. From the most mundane material object to a divinely created soul we are blessed to care for, we are tasked with developing the potential of each in its fullest form.
“...do not underestimate your uniquely human qualities that can build a lasting foundation for a child or teen, carrying them through life with high Jewish self esteem.”
For Jewish educators the energy of this season is particularly opportune for introspection, rejuvenation, and imagination about the coming year. Starting with the blank slate, this is a moment to think deeply about your role in educating future generations of Jews and how your talents can empower you in this holy work. While technology abounds, as it should, do not underestimate your uniquely human qualities that can build a lasting foundation for a child or teen, carrying them through life with high Jewish self esteem. Imagine waking up each morning clear that your primary goal every day is to foster positivity about Jewish identity; covering material and grading are secondary. What if your motivation as an educator was to imagine? How would you imagine the ways you could empower your students so they emerge from the school cocoon equipped with the foundational tools of Judaism needed to build the strongest next generation possible?
Imagination is something we often associate with children, but the sacred work of educating children takes “holy imagination!” It may feel like a stretch at first because we aren’t used to the idea of imagining with adults. But once you practice and engage in this kind of imagining, the clarity comes. There is no better place to remove the smudges from our lens and see clearly that the priority in Jewish education is building a human being based on divinely given values, mitzvot, and traditions. This is the clarion call of a Jewish educator. With holy imagination, it is possible to embrace the challenges faced in and out of the classroom with renewed vigor and commitment. Make this new year one of innovation and adaptation in which you tap your uniquely human, indispensable, and essential talents to the holy work of Jewish education.
Manette Mayberg is a Trustee of the Mayberg Foundation, which is committed to proliferating Jewish wisdom and values in the contemporary world. As part of her work as a Trustee, she founded the Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC) in 2012 and MyZuzah in 2017.