Shabbat Greetings

This week’s Torah portion, Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23:1-25:18), Abraham’s and Sarah’s story comes to a close, but the Torah’s story does not end with them. The portion focuses on continuity: finding a partner for Isaac, securing a future for the family, and ensuring that the values of Abraham and Sarah will live on in the next generation. That is also at the heart of teaching. Every educator plays a role in carrying wisdom, values, and possibility from one generation to the next.

There is a beautiful detail in the portion that captures this responsibility. When Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac, the servant encounters Rebecca at the well. He is looking for someone whose character will help carry Abraham’s legacy forward. Rebecca reveals herself through her actions: she offers water not only to the servant but also to his camels. She demonstrates kindness, initiative, generosity, and a willingness to do more than what is expected.

Rebecca teaches us that character is revealed through what we do, not simply through what we know. And isn’t that one of the deepest lessons of education? We don’t just want our students to master academic content. We want them to become compassionate, thoughtful, curious, and responsible human beings. We hope that the lessons they learn in our classrooms will shape the choices they make long after they leave us.

These last two days as well as this weekend is the annual NJEA Convention. Some families will take this time to look at college choices and others will travel to Disney World (More New Jerseyans visit Disney this week than any other time of the year). The convention offers educators an opportunity to step away from the daily demands of the classroom, learn from colleagues, encounter new ideas, and return to their schools with renewed energy. It reminds us that teachers, too, must remain learners. Just as Abraham’s legacy continued through Isaac and Rebecca, the work of education continues through each generation of teachers and students.

There is also a powerful lesson in the name of this week’s portion: Chayei Sarah – “The Life of Sarah.” The text begins by telling us about Sarah’s death, yet it is called the life of Sarah. The Torah is teaching us that a person’s life is measured not only by the years they live, but by the goodness they leave behind and the people whose lives they influence.

We can say the same about a teacher. The impact of a great educator cannot be measured only by test scores, report cards, or lessons completed. It is measured in the student who discovers a love of learning, the child who gains confidence, the young person who learns to stand up for someone else, and the countless small acts of kindness that students carry into the world. 

While this weekend is a break for many in New Jersey, we applaud the teachers who take the time to recharge, to learn, and to reconnect with the purpose that brought them into education in the first place. When they return to their classrooms, may they remember Rebecca at the well: that sometimes the most important lessons are taught not through what we say, but through what we model. Ultimately, the greatest measure of our teaching is not simply what our students learn from us, but what they carry forward because of us.

SHABBAT SHALOM