A School Needs People
May 12, 2009
As multitudes of people walked up the broad stairway leading to the temple in Jerusalem, Rabbi ben Zoma offered the following blessing: “Blessed is the intellect that solves all mystery, and blessed is the Creator who provided all these people to serve me.”
When his students heard the rabbi’s blessings, they did not understand how he could say something so arrogant. After all, their teacher was known for his humility. Finally, one man mustered the nerve to ask the rabbi to explain his words. (Bleefield and Shook, “People Need People,” Saving the World Entire.)
In this Talmudic tale, Rabbi ben Zoma goes on to describe all the difficult labors that the first human had to complete in order to taste a mouthful of bread, or to cover himself with a garment. From planting and tending to harvesting, threshing, winnowing, grinding, sifting, mixing, kneading, from shearing and cleaning to spinning, weaving, cutting and sewing, the first human being had to do it all by himself.
“But as for me,” the rabbi continued, “I have only to get up each morning from a good night’s sleep, and I dress myself. I eat bread. All that the first man had to do for himself is done for me by many others.”
While the story teaches us a lesson of humility and thankfulness in all aspects of our lives, it has come to my mind recently in the context of our religious school, as I consider all of the hundreds of hands, the scores of coordinated efforts, the hours and hours of work, that have gone into creating and maintaining and, ultimately, strengthening our children’s school.
So first of all, thank you. Thank you to the room parents, to the Religious School committee, to members of our new Parent Advisory Group. Thank you to all of the volunteers and helpers—adults, teens, our youngest children—who have supported Mitzvah Day, Purim Carnival, Family Shabbat; who have provided snacks, or meals; who have carpooled your friends’ and neighbors’ kids; who have picked up the phone, or sent an email, or stopped by my office, to let me know when you were disappointed, and when you were delighted. We are all greatly indebted to Naomi Dreeben, who has led the Religious School Committee with skill, vision, and great energy for the last two years—thank you, Naomi! Our job in the Religious School office would not be more difficult without each one of you; it would be impossible. I hope all of you who have helped will join us for recognition and celebration at our Volunteer Recognition Shabbat on June 19th (see this bulletin for more information).
And second, as we all prepare to take a couple of months off from our busy school-year routines, please consider the gifts you bring and can share. All of us have gifts that only we can give to the world. What are yours? And which can you share with Temple Emanu-El Religious School next year? From organizing a classroom party to listening to your child read her Hebrew homework, every time you touch your child’s Temple Emanu-El experience you have the opportunity to build community, enrich learning, and further our mission.
Don’t forget to register for Religious School—soon! And when you do, please let us know (using the volunteer form, or by any means you prefer) what you bring to our shared purpose of preparing our children to carry on our Jewish story, here on the North Shore, and beyond.
