June is a time for celebrations, graduations, promotions and the excitement that comes before the summer break. This academic year, as anyone involved in schools, will attest to has probably been one of the most challenging years for administration, faculty and students alike. Learning how to master technology, hybrid classrooms, masks, emotional well-being, all became part of an educators and students portfolio. I think that being resilient, flexible and maintaining a positive outlook, were the keys to our being successful.
At Sha’arei Bina we will be hosting our 8th grade promotion ceremonies on June 8th followed by our 12th grade graduation on June 9th. A parent reached out to me and basically wanted to know if her daughter would receive an award at graduation. Many schools hold special award nights or at the graduation ceremony will cite students who were outstanding in particular disciplines.
I always had a bit of a quandary over this. If a student is particularly gifted in art, should she receive an award for her G-d given talent? If a young woman excels in math, perhaps she was born with a math gene that others may be lacking. If a young woman comes from a Hebrew speaking home should she receive recognition in her Ivrit class? Based on what are these achievement awards granted? Many schools seek to give everyone of their graduates an award so that no one goes home upset. In that case, what is the value of an award? “When everyone’s a superhero, no one will be!”
In this week’s parsha Shlach, we learn about the Sin of the Spies. What exactly did they do wrong? After all, Moshe (and at least on the surface Hashem) gave them the green light to go up and spy out the land. These were not some ordinary guys either - these 12 men were handpicked, they were the cream of the crop, referred to as Nesiim נשיאים, princes. These men were strong physically and spiritually and were looked up to as the leaders. All but two, Caleb and Yehoshua, however, failed at achieving their mission. While they were instructed specifically what to look for, perhaps for strategic military planning, or to bring back positive accolades about the land they were going to soon inhabit, they are blamed for causing the nation to rebel against Hashem. The meraglim instilled in the people such a fear of what lay ahead of them that the crying of Bnai Yisrael from that night has been sustained and we are still crying today. This is referred to as the Bechi L’Dorot בכי לדורות- A Cry for the Generations.
So what went wrong? What we have here is a crisis of faith - faith in G-d and faith in their own abilities. It seems that success has so much, maybe even everything, to do with attitude. If you believe you can- you will and if you think you can’t - you wont. Caleb and Yehoshua believed whole heartedly that Hakadosh Baruch Hu would not forsake the Jewish people -ever! Just as He was with them in Egypt, and Yetziat Mitzrayim, so too, would He lead them and protect them once they entered the promised Land. Caleb and Yehoshua had the strength of their faith, fortified by a positive perspective, which gave them the courage to describe the Land as “ flowing with milk and honey”, as opposed to the picture painted by the ten others - that Israel was a desolate land that “ate its inhabitants”.
For Calev and Yehoshua faith in G‑d and faith in one’s own abilities go hand in hand. If you know that there is a safety net beneath you and a harness to keep you tethered, then walking on the tightrope of life can be done with confidence.
Which brings me back to the question of awards. Perhaps awards should be given, because we all have within us special talents and abilities. We have various intelligences- not all the same - but equally motivating. Students who use their talents successfully and purposefully are those that achieve. Students who do not have a positive attitude will falter. I think that our most important function as mechanchim and parents is to instill in our children the knowledge that they can achieve anything they set their minds to. We need to have the strength of our emunah in Hakadosh Baruch Hu to guide us and propel us forward. We are all given the opportunities to succeed and to achieve, albeit at different activities, if we actually use our abilities. So students who actualize their strengths may be deserving of more recognition than those students who don’t put in the effort or who lack faith.
So what do you think? Who is deserving of an award? This is an interesting point to ponder and discuss at the shabbos table.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom
Rochelle Brand, Ed.D.
Head of School
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