Jewish educators recognize the critical importance of creating moments of inspiration for our children. Jewish day
schools today work tirelessly to facilitate these dazzling moments of inspiration for our students. From Shabbat onegs to
chagigot, from chesed programming to tzedkaha drives, our schools are packed with activities designed to engage and
inspire our students toward a lifetime of meaningful religious observance.
Yet, we also recognize that religion can't be relegated to fun and games. Most significantly, religion serves as a roadmap for our lives. At times, religion can be challenging, placing great demands on our time and intellect. The upcoming recitation of Selichot is a prime example. It is certainly challenging to wake up, even earlier, during these days leading up to the yamim noraim. While Selichot place additional demands on our time, they can also serve as a springboard for our ever developing relationship with Hashem. We understand that the more we invest in any relationship, the more that relationship will mean to us.
This theme is reflected in a seemingly unusual verse in this coming week's parsha. Among the litany of items that are associated with the curses of the tochacha, the Torah tells us (Devarim 28:47) these items will occur "because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, with gladness and with goodness of heart, out of an abundance of everything.”
Many commentaries are puzzled by this connection. Could it really be these devastating events can be linked to not serving Hashem out of love and devotion? After all, the pasouk doesn't say people stopped doing mitzvot, only that they stopped performing them with love.
Some of our baali Mussar and Hasidic masters have explained this paradox in the following terms. Indeed, if someone does not develop a true love or passion for an idea, eventually they will stop engaging with that pursuit. For example if someone doesn't enjoy dancing, they will likely not pursue dancing as a lifelong goal.
The converse is also true. As we grow up, we find our true passions and try to incorporate them into our lives. Thus, if someone views Torah and mitzvot as inherently enjoyable, it is far more likely they will be actively involved in Torah study and mitzvah observance into adulthood. With this insight, we can understand the pasuk to mean that since they didn’t perform the mitzvot with love and affection, eventually they grew to not observe them at all!
One of our chief goals as parents and educators is to enable our children to develop their own passion for yiddishkeit. For some it may be learning Torah, for others tefillah and for some acts of chesed. All of these concepts combine to create a well-rounded Jew. However, most critically, we need to provide the opportunities for our children to explore all of them.
Together let's provide those platforms for our students to develop their own paths, and eventually their passion for a life dedicated to Torah and mitzvot. Wishing us all a year of growth, nachat and success!
B’vracha, Rabbi Jonathan Knapp
Yet, we also recognize that religion can't be relegated to fun and games. Most significantly, religion serves as a roadmap for our lives. At times, religion can be challenging, placing great demands on our time and intellect. The upcoming recitation of Selichot is a prime example. It is certainly challenging to wake up, even earlier, during these days leading up to the yamim noraim. While Selichot place additional demands on our time, they can also serve as a springboard for our ever developing relationship with Hashem. We understand that the more we invest in any relationship, the more that relationship will mean to us.
This theme is reflected in a seemingly unusual verse in this coming week's parsha. Among the litany of items that are associated with the curses of the tochacha, the Torah tells us (Devarim 28:47) these items will occur "because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, with gladness and with goodness of heart, out of an abundance of everything.”
Many commentaries are puzzled by this connection. Could it really be these devastating events can be linked to not serving Hashem out of love and devotion? After all, the pasouk doesn't say people stopped doing mitzvot, only that they stopped performing them with love.
Some of our baali Mussar and Hasidic masters have explained this paradox in the following terms. Indeed, if someone does not develop a true love or passion for an idea, eventually they will stop engaging with that pursuit. For example if someone doesn't enjoy dancing, they will likely not pursue dancing as a lifelong goal.
The converse is also true. As we grow up, we find our true passions and try to incorporate them into our lives. Thus, if someone views Torah and mitzvot as inherently enjoyable, it is far more likely they will be actively involved in Torah study and mitzvah observance into adulthood. With this insight, we can understand the pasuk to mean that since they didn’t perform the mitzvot with love and affection, eventually they grew to not observe them at all!
One of our chief goals as parents and educators is to enable our children to develop their own passion for yiddishkeit. For some it may be learning Torah, for others tefillah and for some acts of chesed. All of these concepts combine to create a well-rounded Jew. However, most critically, we need to provide the opportunities for our children to explore all of them.
Together let's provide those platforms for our students to develop their own paths, and eventually their passion for a life dedicated to Torah and mitzvot. Wishing us all a year of growth, nachat and success!
B’vracha, Rabbi Jonathan Knapp
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