There was a great joy in returning to school after two weeks of Chag and what seems like a month of being in the kitchen, every day being erev shabbat or erev yom tov. The students, faculty and administration are definitely all happy to return to the routine of a work week and school responsibilities. Of course, at Sha’arei Bina, and as I well know from previous experience, no school day is ever routine and it is always exciting and brings with it a multitude of emotions. In a sense, we all have the opportunity now to begin from The beginning - m’bereishit. How nice to be able to have a second wind, a new slate, so we can continue on our journey as if today - hayom - is really the first day of the rest of our lives.
In the Talmud Sanhedrin (4:5) our sages ask, “why was only one man created alone - why only Adam Harishon?” Why did Hashem not create an entire community? The Rabbis answer with a number of reasons:
This is to teach us that THE individual is extremely important. How so? Chazal say:
לפיכך נברא אדם יחידי, ללמדך שכל המאבד נפש אחת מישראל, מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו איבד עולם מלא. וכל
המקיים נפש אחת מישראל, מעלה עליו הכתוב כאלו קיים עולם מלא
If one destroys one life it is as though you have destroyed an entire world. Equally true, if you help one person, it is as though you have helped a whole world.
The Rabbis also explained that this was to ensure peaceful coexistence: no one should feel superior to the next and say “my father was greater than yours” - we all come from the same father!
ומפני שלום הבריות, שלא יאמר אדם לחברו אבא שלי גדול מאביך.
Therefore, our Rabbis say that because each individual person is so vital, each person is required to feel that the world was created specifically for him or her. The Hebrew expression for this is בשבילי נברא העולם - BISHVILI NIVRA HA’OLAM. – The world was created for me. Some people may think that this is an arrogant statement. Imagine, G-D created the world Just For Me! Nothing could be further from the truth. BISHVILI NIVRA HA’OLAM means Hashem has placed a heavy responsibility on me - as the sole individual responsible for the well being of the world. If a person understands that the world was created for him/her alone, then he/she would understand how important their role is in sustaining the world. Additionally, our motto for this year, as it is written in Perkei Avot - the world rests on three pillars, Torah, Avodah & Gemilut Chasadim. This means keeping mitzvot, praying and performing acts of kindness.
We are all implored to take upon ourselves the understanding that “the well being of the world rests on my actions.” This means that one should not being a by-stander when they witness wrongdoing. One needs to be environmentally conscious. One should be supportive of Eretz Yisrael - not thinking it is someone else's responsibility. Learning and following the Torah, sincerely praying and doing acts of kindness are all my responsibility. Because BISHVILI NIVRA HA’OLAM!
This Shabbat that we read about creation is so fitting. We, too, can be be created anew. As such we can say- individually - I understand and accept my responsibilities to the world, the Jewish community, my family and myself- b’shvili nivrah haolam
Have a Shabbat Shalom and a Chodesh (Mar Cheshvan) tov!
Rochelle Brand, Ed.D
Head of School
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