Today the journey of a new school year began at JCHS (Jewish Community High School of the Bay). That journey is in harmony with the Torah portion this week about the road ahead. In Re'eh we are taught: "See, I set before you today blessing and curse." (Deut. 11:26) In other words the full range of possibility lies ahead. As illustrated by the story of Reb Mendel Futerfas below, when you have the vision to see the road ahead you know where to put your feet.
The spirit of embarking on a journey animated our first day of school beginning with Tefillat Haderech
(the “traveler’s prayer”) and its expression of hope for a safe, whole, and
complete journey. The journey of a single year that will endure
for a lifetime.
Asking the new Class of
2018 to stand, we applied the framework of Tefillat Haderech with “tolee’cheinu l’shalom --
that their journey through the next four years bring them to wholeness and
peace.” Next the Class of
2017 stood. “Taztee’deinu l’shalom -- that their steps over the
next three years set them in the direction of completeness and peace.”
Then the Class of 2016: “Tadree’cheinu l’shalom” -- that
their steps over the next two years guide them toward peace.”
When the Class of 2015 stood it
was a sweetbitter moment of recognition that when we gather next August the
paths of their journeys will take them away from JCHS: “Tagee’einu
leem’choz chef’tzeinu -- that their steps in this final year at JCHS bring
them ever closer to fulfilling the wishes of their hearts.”
Then the Professional Community
stood in commitment to empowering students, enriching community, and embracing
diversity: “ l'chaim, u'l'simcah, u'l'shalom -- toward fullness of
life, toward joy, and toward peace.”
Next I described the book we
read this summer, “Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning”
highlighting the lesson that enduring learning depends on effortful practice
that is spaced, interleaved, and varied. I shared a Chasidic story that
amplifies this message and connects it to the theme of journeys.
(Clearly, the authors of “Make It Stick” did not access to Chasidic
literature or they for sure would have used this story!)
Reb Mendel Futerfas was held
for 14 years as a political prisoner in a Soviet labor camp during Stalin’s
regime. He spent most of his free hours in meditation and study. But a
few hours each day he would talk with other inmates. One fellow inmate, in
particular, intrigued Reb Mendel, a circus performer. His claim to fame
was extraordinary skill as a tightrope walker.*
In the labor camp it was
impossible to set up a high-wire and keep up his skills. So the tightrope
walker used all sorts of other tricks and practice techniques to preserve his
learning. He walked across logs or the tops of low railings. He
finger “walked” his hand delicately across pipes. Each time Reb Mendel
observed the tightrope walker he was trying something different to practice or
test himself.
Years later when Stalin died
the prisoners celebrated with a patchwork circus. The tightrope walker
was the final act in this circus. Two really tall poles were hoisted up with a
slender wire running between them. Reb Mendel cautioned the tightrope
walker, “Be careful it’s been so long since you did this!” "Don’t
worry. It’s not dangerous,” he replied, “besides I have been practicing
for years, just not on a high wire.”
With that he raced up the pole,
steadied himself with one foot on the wire, then another. Slowly at
first, then with more confidence, he moved across the wire from one pole toward
the other. As he approached the other pole he slowed, hesitated, then
gracefully turned and headed back to the first pole. Completing his act
to thunderous applause he climbed down and ran to Reb Mendel.
Reb Mendel stared in amazement
at his friend asking, “Was it your hands or your feet that enabled you to do
this?” His friend replied, “Not my hands as you could see sometimes they
were at my side, sometimes catching things thrown up to me. And not my
feet sometimes they were straight and solid on the wire and other times barely
hanging on.”
Reb Mendel thought for a
moment, “Hmm, I watched your eyes. They were fixed with determination
just as they are when I watch you practice. Was it your eyes?” “Right,”
his friend replied, “it was my eyes. When you see your destination in
front of you, you know where to put your feet.”
“And the most difficult step?” asked
Reb Mendel. “Was it the last one?” “No,” his friend answered, “not the
last one but the turn right in the middle. The most difficult step along the way is at
the turn. Because at the turn one needs to take one’s eyes off the
destination losing sight of the goal. It takes a few seconds to turn and
refocus one’s eyes on the destination of the journey.”
So it is with us. Each of us needs to carefully consider our goals for this year, keep them in
mind, then we will know where to put our feet. At moments when we lose
sight of the goal, or when we stumble, or when we try something new or
encounter something unanticipated it could be too scary to continue. We
might feel unsure where our journey is headed. It is important to
remember, especially at those moments, that at JCHS each of us is embraced by a
community of friends, of fellow students, and of adults who will help us, guide
us, and support us each difficult step of the way.
May it be a year when each of
us takes more powerful steps on the path of our lives, supported and encouraged
by this special community.
Finally, because our world is
so fractured these last few weeks with so much conflict and violence -- far
from home and, for some, close to home; in and near our people’s home -- it
seemed important to end this morning’s Hakhel with an adaptation of Reb
Nachman’s prayer for peace.
Prayer for Peace based on Reb Nachman
Source of Peace; Sovereign of Peace . . .
May it be Your will to put an end to violent conflict, war and bloodshed everywhere
And to spread a great and wonderful peace over the whole world, “so that nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war anymore.”
Help us and save all of us that we may always merit peace and hold on to it tightly as a virtue to pursue
And let there be great peace between one person and another . . .
And let there be no discord between any people even held secretly within their hearts
For You make peace in the heavens and You unite two opposites . . . making peace between them.
Likewise may You send peace to us and the entire world so that all opposites may unite in a great peace and in great love.
. . .
God, Source of Peace, bless us with peace
And with that students took a deep breath and headed off to A
Block classes.
* This adaptation of the story of Reb Mendel Futerfas is based on this and other variants.
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