Weekly Story: The Star Student

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon 

Before I begin with this week’s post, it should be noted that this Shabbos is the 80th yahrzeit of the Rebbe’s father, HaRav Levi Yitzchok. I would recommend that everyone listen to Rabbi Dovid Dubov’s weekly post where he explains a thought of HaRav Levi Yitzchok on the weekly parsha.

Additionally, the Rebbe wrote that it is his duty to recommend that on or close to the yahrzeit, everyone give tzedokah in his father’s honor, as well as learning his father’s teachings.

Rabbi Dubov is sending  to print a sefer of Reb Levik’s teachings on Purim.  I feel that participating in helping Rabbi Dubov cover the expenses of this project, is an appropriate tzedokah in honor of Reb Levik and publicizing his teachings. One can participatein this  by going to http://Princetonchabad.org/donate 

As I noted last week, I will be posting a few articles concerning my thoughts about chinuch. In this week’s post I am continuing this series.

However, first I would like to address a point concerning last week’s post, that a reader asked about.

There is no question that our goal is that each and every student should be a chossid, yirei shomayim etc. However, my point is, are we going to accomplish that by utilizing the exact same tools and approach to each one? In my opinion the answer is that you have to deal with each situation individually. 

Or to put it in an educational perspective, you are a masterful teacher, and you prepared excellent worksheets, power points etc., can those same sheets be used for the next ten years? Or, depending on the class, some modifications will have to be made?

For example, one year I may not be able to cover all the material and another year, I will be able to add additional material.

As always, your feedback and comments are greatly appreciated and welcomed. 

Educators divide students in various categories. In general, every class can be divided into three groups: the top, middle, and bottom. Obviously, each educator has their own vocabulary to describe each one of these words. For example, some divide it according to the students’ scholastic skills. There are some gifted students that always receive high grades on their tests, some receive a good mark while others struggle to succeed.

Others define it by behavior or personality.  Easy going or obedient, stubborn or disruptive and those who in general are well mannered, but occasionally may participate in a disturbance. [In the business world, it is the high achievers, the very successful salespeople, the average achievers, or salespeople and the underachieving ones.]

In this article I am focusing on which student the teacher and school honors. It can be for the student of the week, the honor roll at the end of the semester or year, or for more prestigious honors as to which student speaks at a function where parents are in attendance or are given the coveted positions on student councils.

Let us begin with the star student of the week. There are around 38 weeks in a school year. If there is a class of 25 students, all of them will receive the recognition once and half of them will receive it twice (and to be honest a few students may receive it three times).

The question is what criteria is used to decide who should be singled out for that honor. Obviously, the answer is the best student.

But who indeed is the star student for that week, month or semester? Is it the one who is gifted with wonderful intellectual abilities etc, or is it the student that is toiling on improving their abilities? In other words, are we rewarding one who was gifted by Hashem, or the one who through their perseverance is succeeding in improving themselves and making advances, whether academically or in their conduct? 

Personally, I believe that both need recognition. Therefore, at the two or three honor rolls a year, I would choose one from each group. Otherwise, the majority of the class is automatically excluded from these honors and can become discouraged.

I have heard this from parents and numerous students who expressed their frustration saying, “Why is that student always being singled out for his/her’s achievements? Are there no other success stories in my child’s class?!”

What message may a student who feels they were overlooked, take from this approach? Is the school unintentionally informing the majority of their students that they are a failure?

The student that receives the student of the week after almost everyone else in the class already received it, realizes that their teacher gave it to them, in order to not belittle them. Can there be a bigger insult than that?!

In other words, is this the only quality we look at, or should we focus on other attributes as well? As we can see later on in life, sometimes the student that had the best marks isn’t the most successful and the weaker students may be tremendously successful. 

This discussion becomes more focused when students are appointed to certain positions. Obviously, we all would agree that the best person for that position should be appointed. For example, this past Lag b’omer, when it came to making the float, you wanted the students that are the best artists to make the exhibits and so on. However, when it comes to saying a speech, there are two points to look at. On one hand, you  want the student who has excellent public speaking skills as they are natural orators. On the other hand, you would want the orator/speaker to personally exemplify the school’s ideals. In that case, while you must have a good speaker, nevertheless that is not the primary criteria. First and foremost, the speaker must conduct themselves in accordance with the school’s ideals.

There is no question that any  principal or teacher would  intentionally insult a student, especially in such a blatant manner. However, we must realize that when a student thinks that their teacher feels that they are not as important or capable as others, this becomes their perception, and to them that is the reality. 

We must strive to bring out an aspect in each child in which they excel. For the truth is every individual does excel in one or more aspects.

Next week’s topic, What are the three main goals  a mechanech or mechanechos should have for their students? [We are not discussing the numerous methods each teacher uses to accomplish these goals.]

A Taste of Chassidus 

V’uchalta V’suvahta 5733

This possuk instructs us to say a brocha after we ate a satisfying meal. The Zohar notes that not only does this apply to saying a blessing after we enjoy the food, but it is also instructing us to say a blessing on everything we benefitted from or enjoyed.

The question one may ask, if this is so, why does the Torah specify that we are to say a blessing on food, if it applies to any benefit.

In fact according to the Talmud, the obligation to say a blessing on other enjoyments is only rabbinical.

Additionally, we have to understand, although all blessings begin with the same words, Boruch atah Hashem…, nevertheless, the Zohar states that when they are said after a meal, the words Boruch… are intended to draw down a G-dly revelation into the world, so it is beginning from the top (chochmah). Whereas, in davening its intent is first to elevate and then to bring down a revelation, so it is beginning from the middos (attributes). As we see that when Yaakov Avinu prayed he saw in his dream a ladder with its feet on the earth and angels first going up to heaven and then descending down to the earth, so there also it began from the lower parts. 

But yet the law is that one who is drunk is allowed and in fact should say the blessing after a meal, while they are not allowed to pray, so from that halacha we see that prayer is higher than a brocha on benefit.

Chassidus explains that the higher something is the lower it can fall. So while prayer is much higher than the blessing after enjoyment, but the fact that food comes from the lowly ground, that means that the source of food is higher than mankind itself. As we see that in order for mankind to survive it must come on to animals, vegetation and the ground, while animals are depended upon the two levels below it, whereas the earth is not depended on any of the three above it. And only the higher level can sustain the lower one, as we see the receiver is dependent upon the giver.

The reason why food is able to sustain us, is that in its source earth is higher, and as we see that was the order of creation, first earth then vegetation followed by fish, fowl and animals and only then was man created. The reason they were created in this order is because in this aspect they come from a higher level, meaning their source was created first.

So food which comes from the earth, whose source is higher than the source of the enjoyment one receives from smell of spices etc.

The same think is by prayer. The purpose of prayer is to draw down a G-dly power that it should manifest itself in this world. But as noted, the person who is praying, comes from tikun, a lower level than the food etc, which comes from Tohu, where there is a tremendous revelation of G-dliness. Therefore, the Boruch Atah of bentching begins at the highest level of intellect, while the Boruch atah of davening begins in the lower level of emotions.

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their chassidim. He is available to farbreng in your community and can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com