Tazria

In this week's Torah reading, Tazria-Metzora, it is noted that after a woman gives birth she is tameh (spiritually impure). Even after she cleanses herself of this impurity, she is still not ready to consume the terumah (sacrificial meat) because she has only eliminated the negative; she hasn't yet gone beyond this level to an actively positive level of serving Hashem, which is ultimately the purpose of our lives. She is not ready for this level until she brings an offering of atonement for the past and dedication for the future.

In much the same way, when students are challenged to be excellent leaders, we are asking more of them than simply not getting in trouble. Only in mathematics does the absence of a negative imply a positive. Instead, we are asking our students to actively give back to the community, start a tutoring program, encourage others to daven with kavanah, and generally reach beyond themselves to positively affect the lives of their peers and others. At this self-centered teen age it is asking a lot of students to look beyond themselves and act positively, but students are absolutely capable of doing so. Just as it is not enough for a woman to cleanse herself of the impurity, it is not enough for student leaders to avoid trouble; both must actively seek to be of service.

May we all learn from this model of positivity and strive to reach further than simply avoiding negatives in our lives.

Shabbat Shalom--
Paul Oberman