Judaic studies is a high-stakes undertaking for teachers who aspire to cultivate in their students not only deep knowledge of texts and traditions that shape Jewish identity, but also a personal relationship with the Torah and with God. Either of those objectives without the other misses an opportunity to foster in children a love of their heritage and the desire to keep it vital in their lives.
Teachers are often driven by idealism. The meaningful and impactful work of educating youth can be truly gratifying. This personal sense of fulfillment, however, is not always enough to keep teachers in the field, or at their particular workplaces, when the work may be satisfying but also draining and seemingly limitless. As with any other profession that is mission-oriented, it would be highly misguided to conflate the desire to “do good” with an impulse toward selfless voluntarism; we should not expect teachers to embrace the nobility of their commitments without enjoying explicit appreciation for their accomplishments.
