Obviously, as yet not having read the book, I will be responding only to this idea, rather than the overall portrayal of the protagonist.
I have long believed that a teacher of any subject, let alone Jewish studies, teaches "himself" as he presents subject matter. If one of the objectives is to inspire students to become passionate, and even life-long learners, vis-a-vis what is being taught, then a teacher must be introspective with regard to how honestly he believes in what he is teaching, since young people are equipped with what Neil Postman, in Teaching as a Subversive Activity, categorized irreverently as well-developed "crap detectors." In the passage presented, it was the teacher who brought up the distinction between Ashkenazic and Sephardic Poskim's attitudes regarding a particular Halacha, and, in my opinion, his own "lukewarm" attitude towards the topic was detected by the student challenging the issue. Of course, the school's pre-set curriculum might have required the distinction to be made, but then again perhaps not.
On the other hand, it seems to me that the situation is even more interesting when the teacher, realizing his own predisposition towards the topic, has studiously avoided it, but it was brought up entirely by the student. Now the dilemma facing the educator is whether to "punt" on the topic, or to attempt to address it, being fully aware that his approach may be flawed due to his own deeply-held reservations. I would think that the teacher would be well-served by not answering off the cuff, but honestly telling the class that he would address the topic the next day, after having given it some thought, thereby allowing himself some time to reflect upon not how to think about the topic himself, but rather to offer a responsible and appropriate response for the members of the class.
In general, one of the pleasures in teaching that I have always found is the truism of the Ma'amar ChaZaL quoting R. Chanina's observation, in Ta'anit 7a: Harbeh Lamadeti MeiRabbotai, U'MeiChaveirai Yoter MiRabbotai, U'MiTalmidai Yoter MiKulam. Like it or not, the interaction between teacher and student will inevitably expose either areas that require further study and reflection, or even inconsistencies and weaknesses of which one may not have been aware. Instead of dreading or resenting such occasions, they should be embraced and cherished as opportunities for increased personal development and self-understanding.
Yaakov Bieler
Silver Spring, Md
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2017 06:40AM by mlb.
