I also told them about how my parents used riddles and humor to help the much-younger-me respond to school stress. If my parents could get me laughing, the stress would drop. I remember one time moving to a new elementary school - anxious about making friends, meeting new teachers, living in a new neighborhood - my parents gave me 101 Elephant Jokes so that I might chuckle away the stress.
Later I learned it was written by a ninth grader! Like the riddles on Laffy Taffy wrappers, that book and other elephant jokes still make me laugh, with classics like:
Later I learned it was written by a ninth grader! Like the riddles on Laffy Taffy wrappers, that book and other elephant jokes still make me laugh, with classics like:
Q: What time is it when an elephant sits on your fence?”
A: Time to build a new fence.”
Q: How many elephants will fit into a Mini Cooper?
A: Four: Two in front, two in back.
Q: How many giraffes will fit into a Mini Cooper?
Q: How many giraffes will fit into a Mini Cooper?
A: None. It's full of elephants.
Q: How do you know there are two elephants in your refrigerator?
A: You can hear them giggling when the light goes out.
Q: How do you know there are three elephants in your refrigerator?
A: You can't close the door.
Q: How do you know there are four elephants in your refrigerator?
A: There's an empty Mini Cooper parked in your driveway.
Laughs aside, elephants were also at the center of one of the books that JCHS educators and staff read this summer, The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt. He uses the coupling of an elephant and its rider as metaphor for how we navigate our lives toward happiness and fulfillment. Haidt invites us to picture an elephant and its rider. At first it seems the rider is in control, but the elephant is huge with instincts of its own. Haidt extends this observation to compare the rider to a person's brain, our explicit thoughts and intellect. In other words, the rider and the elephant live in each of us.
It may seem at times that our intellect is in charge, but then we find ourselves driven by an instinct or an emotion. At other times it may seem our emotions are in charge, but then we find ourselves able to manage stress or redirect a feeling. The rider carries the mindfulness and intellect, but the elephant carries the emotions and motivations. Either one could sabotage the other. Navigating the journey of life toward happiness and fulfillment, according to Haidt, depends on our capacity to align the rider and elephant inside each of us. [For a light-hearted explanation, check out Dan Heath's animated explanation of the rider, the elephant, and, an element that Heath adds, the path.]
A similar thought -- aligning intellect and emotion to navigate our life journey -- is embedded in this week's Torah portion. In Ekev, Moses is extending his farewell discourse as our ancestors prepare for the last phase of their wilderness journey into ancient Israel. He asks rhetorically, "What is being asked of you? That you walk in God's path and that you feel love and awe for God." (Deut. 10:12) In other words, that you align your mindful intention (deciding to echo divine behavior) with your emotions (having love and awe).
Commentators understand one cannot literally walk in God’s ways. They re-read this expression as meaning to behave in divine ways. They bring examples of divine conduct that we are to imitate as we "walk on God's path." Just as God shelters, clothes, and feeds the vulnerable, so we should rescue and nourish others. As God cares for the sick, so we should care for each other. As God offers comfort at times of distress, so we should have empathy and compassion. These are powerful lessons about setting our intention at all times and especially at the start of a new school year with new classmates, new teachers, and new challenges.
As the new school year starts, it is important to remember the lesson of the rider and the elephant: to align our intentions with our emotions. For the rider it is most natural to look forward and up. For the elephant it is easiest to look down and back. To navigate the year we need to do both -- for example, looking back to remember what we learned before, looking forward to applying that knowledge in new ways. That is the journey of high school.
It may seem at times that our intellect is in charge, but then we find ourselves driven by an instinct or an emotion. At other times it may seem our emotions are in charge, but then we find ourselves able to manage stress or redirect a feeling. The rider carries the mindfulness and intellect, but the elephant carries the emotions and motivations. Either one could sabotage the other. Navigating the journey of life toward happiness and fulfillment, according to Haidt, depends on our capacity to align the rider and elephant inside each of us. [For a light-hearted explanation, check out Dan Heath's animated explanation of the rider, the elephant, and, an element that Heath adds, the path.]
A similar thought -- aligning intellect and emotion to navigate our life journey -- is embedded in this week's Torah portion. In Ekev, Moses is extending his farewell discourse as our ancestors prepare for the last phase of their wilderness journey into ancient Israel. He asks rhetorically, "What is being asked of you? That you walk in God's path and that you feel love and awe for God." (Deut. 10:12) In other words, that you align your mindful intention (deciding to echo divine behavior) with your emotions (having love and awe).
Commentators understand one cannot literally walk in God’s ways. They re-read this expression as meaning to behave in divine ways. They bring examples of divine conduct that we are to imitate as we "walk on God's path." Just as God shelters, clothes, and feeds the vulnerable, so we should rescue and nourish others. As God cares for the sick, so we should care for each other. As God offers comfort at times of distress, so we should have empathy and compassion. These are powerful lessons about setting our intention at all times and especially at the start of a new school year with new classmates, new teachers, and new challenges.
As the new school year starts, it is important to remember the lesson of the rider and the elephant: to align our intentions with our emotions. For the rider it is most natural to look forward and up. For the elephant it is easiest to look down and back. To navigate the year we need to do both -- for example, looking back to remember what we learned before, looking forward to applying that knowledge in new ways. That is the journey of high school.
Then I welcomed all our students with echoes from the traditional blessing for protection and guidance when taking a journey: Tefillat Haderech -- The Traveler's Prayer.
Asking the new Class of 2020 to stand, I said, "tolee'cheinu ["cause our walking"] l'shalom - may you take time during the next four years to enjoy each step, learning how to walk, then racing ahead toward wholeness. Look back now and again to see how much progress you've made."
Asking the Class of 2019 to stand, I said, "tatz'ee-deinu ["cause our steps"] l'shalom - may you treasure each step along the way as you move from Zion National Park later this year to Zion, the national home of our people Israel next year, each step contributing something meaningful when we stumble and when we race."
Asking the Class of 2018 to stand, I said, "tad'ree-cheinu ["cause our path"] l'shalom - may you begin to find the path that will sustain and nourish you beyond JCHS, a path for your life toward wholeness and peace.”
Asking the new Class of 2020 to stand, I said, "tolee'cheinu ["cause our walking"] l'shalom - may you take time during the next four years to enjoy each step, learning how to walk, then racing ahead toward wholeness. Look back now and again to see how much progress you've made."
Asking the Class of 2019 to stand, I said, "tatz'ee-deinu ["cause our steps"] l'shalom - may you treasure each step along the way as you move from Zion National Park later this year to Zion, the national home of our people Israel next year, each step contributing something meaningful when we stumble and when we race."
Asking the Class of 2018 to stand, I said, "tad'ree-cheinu ["cause our path"] l'shalom - may you begin to find the path that will sustain and nourish you beyond JCHS, a path for your life toward wholeness and peace.”
Asking the Class of 2017 to stand, I said, "tagee-einu leem'choz chef-tzeinu ["cause to fulfill our heart's wishes"] l'shalom - may this final year at JCHS bring you ever close to both knowing and achieving your heart's fullest desire. We will miss you when we start school again next year and we will be proud of the choices of your hearts."
Finally, I asked the educators and staff to stand, saying, "We are grateful for all you do to encourage each student's journey as you empower them, enrich this community, and embrace our diversity. You guide our students toward "l'chaim u'l'simcha, u'l'shalom ["toward life, joy, and wholeness"] on a journey that we hope will be filled with life, joy, and peace.
And to for all of us, may the journey be filled with wonder and delight for all us -- the journey of a single year that can endure a lifetime.
And to for all of us, may the journey be filled with wonder and delight for all us -- the journey of a single year that can endure a lifetime.
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