Educational Partners-Behalotecha

Educational Partners
Behalotecha


Summer is almost here! School will soon be out and students and staff alike will excitingly begin the summer break. After a full nine and a half months of school, everyone is ready for a more relaxed and stress-free schedule. An important question however is, what happens to the education of our children over the summer? Children are always learning, experiencing, and soaking up everything around them. By that token, if you divide the year into fractions, the students will be out for summer for 1/6th of year. That's a great deal of time to have no education! The summer months can be a time of growth, or it can go the other way G-d forbid.

In this weeks Parshah Behaalotecha, the Jewish people do something terribly wrong. They become "Misonanim" complainers. Rashi and other classic Chumash commentaries explain that the Jewish people were stuck in a mode of complaining, being ungrateful and more. The result of this behavior is that Hashem gets angry at them and they are punished. But what follows is perhaps even more telling. Moshe Rabbeinu has finally had it with them! He turns to Hashem and says (Bamidbar 11:11) "Why have You done evil to your servant; why have I not found favor in Your eyes, that You place the burden of this entire people upon me? Did I conceive this entire people... And if this is how You deal with me, then kill me now, if I have found favor in Your eyes". 

One can actually feel the pain and frustration in Moshe's voice. He is at his wits-end and cries out in frustration "I need some help!" Hashem's response to him is that He would provide him with support and help in the form of the Zekeinim (70 elders). These elders would stand by him and help him bear the burden of leadership. With some support, friendship, and assistance, Moshe is able to move forward and continue to lead the Jewish people.

Throughout the months of the school year, educators work terribly hard to engage, educate and inspire children. Sometimes, it can take weeks or months to have a breakthrough with a student and finally get him/her to a place and mindset of growth and learning. This year in particular, with children returning to school after being home for more than five months due to Covid-19, the social awkwardness of the children, their significant educational gaps and their learning mindset was very far from a educationally-focused positive growth mindset for many students. It has taken months of tedious and painstaking labor of love, to move the students slowly and surely to a good place, a place of healthy growth, learning and Torah. We are thank G-d finishing the year on a solid and positive footing.

And now, we turn to you dear parents and ask you to continue this growth and education. We implore you to continue to have your children read (in Hebrew and English) and grow. We encourage you to find modes of outdoor activities and fun, and not have the children spend hours upon hours of unsupervised screen and video game time. Together, if we support each other, we can work as a team, to make sure that "our children" are continuing to grow and develop in a healthy way throughout the summer. Let the summer-break be a time of family, adventure, fun, relaxation, and also a time of personal growth, responsibility, spirituality and love.

As in our Parshah, Moshe Rabbeinu and the Zekeinim partnered together to provide the best leadership possible for Am Yisrael. So too, we must join together and partner to provide the very best for our precious children.

I guess the African proverb "it takes a village to raise a child" says it all!

Shabbat Shalom and healthy, safe and educational summer.
Rabbi Y. Marrus