This week’s d’var Torah is written by Rabbi Asher Yablok, Dean of Judaic Studies at Yeshiva Atlanta.
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This time of year students are more and more anxious about the end of the term. Teachers are increasingly approached with questions such as “what do I need to get on the final in order to earn an A,” “Do you drop the lowest grade,” and “If I average above a 90 do I still have to take the final?” Feelings of accomplishment that should come as a result of a year’s worth of effort seem mitigated by the eagerness to earn a good grade. How are students to balance their justifiable focus on grades with the arguably more important emphasis on true accomplishment?
Coincidentally, I have been fielding a number of similar questions for an entirely different reason. Many students have been asking questions such as “can I still count the Omer with a blessing if I forgot to count last night,” “Do I still count even though I am no longer entitled to say a blessing,” and “Can one count the weeks separate from the days?” Here too, the goal of the counting seems unfortunately lost in the details of proper counting.
With this in mind, an insight of the Ksav Sofer (R. Avraham Schreiber, 1815 -1871) on this week’s Torah reading might help us address both concerns. The Torah reading presents the mitzvah of counting the omer with the curious phrase of counting "for yourselves.” It reads as follows: “You should count for yourselves – from the morrow of the day of rest, from the day when you bring the Omer – seven complete weeks” (Lev. 23:15). What does the Torah intend by indicating that the counting process is in some way “for yourselves?”
The Ksav Sofer explains that “for yourselves” in the Torah means that the modified item will be for your personal benefit. The counting of the Omer is not simply a process of counting the days; rather it represents a process of purification and sanctification for the benefit of the Jewish people as they prepare to accept the Torah on Shavuot. Those engaged in the counting of the Omer have the opportunity to measure not just the quantity of their days but also the quality of them. Each day that goes by on the calendar, which brings a person that much closer to the receiving of the Torah, represents another day of refinement of character, better relationships with each other, and accomplishment in the service of Hashem.
Similarly with our students’ preparation for exams, each time a chapter is reviewed, an equation is practiced or analysis is applied, the work will lead not only to greater scores but greater mastery of the material. There certainly is a role for the simple value of the grades our students receive, but it is important that we recognize the true meaning behind the numbers: Our students have worked so hard, learned a great deal and accomplished so much throughout the school year. May we all merit to continued success both academically and spiritually and may we always make the most of the time we have to do so.
Shabbat Shalom--
Rabbi Asher Yablok
We are proud to announce that for the second year in a row Yeshiva Atlanta has raised the largest amount of donations for the Hunger Walk of any Jewish school, day school, or high school in Atlanta. In recognition, Yeshiva Atlanta has been awarded $250 from Federation to donate to a worthy Jewish Hunger Community Cause. We are pleased to designate Yad L’Yad as recipient of these dollars.
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This time of year students are more and more anxious about the end of the term. Teachers are increasingly approached with questions such as “what do I need to get on the final in order to earn an A,” “Do you drop the lowest grade,” and “If I average above a 90 do I still have to take the final?” Feelings of accomplishment that should come as a result of a year’s worth of effort seem mitigated by the eagerness to earn a good grade. How are students to balance their justifiable focus on grades with the arguably more important emphasis on true accomplishment?
Coincidentally, I have been fielding a number of similar questions for an entirely different reason. Many students have been asking questions such as “can I still count the Omer with a blessing if I forgot to count last night,” “Do I still count even though I am no longer entitled to say a blessing,” and “Can one count the weeks separate from the days?” Here too, the goal of the counting seems unfortunately lost in the details of proper counting.
With this in mind, an insight of the Ksav Sofer (R. Avraham Schreiber, 1815 -1871) on this week’s Torah reading might help us address both concerns. The Torah reading presents the mitzvah of counting the omer with the curious phrase of counting "for yourselves.” It reads as follows: “You should count for yourselves – from the morrow of the day of rest, from the day when you bring the Omer – seven complete weeks” (Lev. 23:15). What does the Torah intend by indicating that the counting process is in some way “for yourselves?”
The Ksav Sofer explains that “for yourselves” in the Torah means that the modified item will be for your personal benefit. The counting of the Omer is not simply a process of counting the days; rather it represents a process of purification and sanctification for the benefit of the Jewish people as they prepare to accept the Torah on Shavuot. Those engaged in the counting of the Omer have the opportunity to measure not just the quantity of their days but also the quality of them. Each day that goes by on the calendar, which brings a person that much closer to the receiving of the Torah, represents another day of refinement of character, better relationships with each other, and accomplishment in the service of Hashem.
Similarly with our students’ preparation for exams, each time a chapter is reviewed, an equation is practiced or analysis is applied, the work will lead not only to greater scores but greater mastery of the material. There certainly is a role for the simple value of the grades our students receive, but it is important that we recognize the true meaning behind the numbers: Our students have worked so hard, learned a great deal and accomplished so much throughout the school year. May we all merit to continued success both academically and spiritually and may we always make the most of the time we have to do so.
Shabbat Shalom--
Rabbi Asher Yablok
We are proud to announce that for the second year in a row Yeshiva Atlanta has raised the largest amount of donations for the Hunger Walk of any Jewish school, day school, or high school in Atlanta. In recognition, Yeshiva Atlanta has been awarded $250 from Federation to donate to a worthy Jewish Hunger Community Cause. We are pleased to designate Yad L’Yad as recipient of these dollars.
