I couldn’t agree more with Rabbi Sack’s sentiment, “if we truly wish to hand over our legacy to our children we must teach them to love it.â€
The question then is, how can we effectively cultivate love for Judaism?
One path surely is to equip students with the skill set needed for 'active practice' of Judaism, which opens the door to meaningful engagement and a sense of ownership of Torah study and mitzvah observance.
Furthermore, as a Jewish educator, I'm always on the lookout for opportunities to share insight into the wisdom and benefits of Torah engagement. Role modeling can be such an important tool in this regard. Over my decades of teaching, one thing that has remained constant is the more genuinely excited I am (and students know when it's genuine)---the more connected and excited my they are about the subject too. Always cognizant that the group in front of me links our past to our future, I'm driven to stay creative and continue working to inspire a love for our heritage in them. I can only hope that by infusing love and passion into the classroom, the link to our collective legacy will hold strong for the next generation.
The Rambam's interpretation of the mitzvah of Ahavat Hashem also comes to mind. He writes that we can accomplish this mitzvah by reflecting on the good that Hashem has done for us, thereby sparking a natural sense of appreciation and love. I have always believed in the power and importance of gratitude, an 'attitude of gratitude' as it's called in my classes, and see how it has the potential to impact students' lives in so many ways.
Rabbi Dr. Moshe Drelich
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2018 09:57AM by mlb.
