Last week during Yom Ha’Atzmaut, a staff person came to see me in tears telling me that she observed two students who have been learning off campus all year join their class on campus for the Yom Ha’Atzmaut festivities. As the on-campus class saw the two students and realized that the entire grade was on campus together for the first time, they erupted in joy and cheers and showered one another with distanced hugs and high fives. The genuine love the students in this grade had for one another was beautiful to see.

In this week’s Torah portion, the famous commandment of “Ve-ahavta l’re-acha kamocha” (and you shall love your fellow as yourself) appears. Rabbi Akiva, one of the great Rabbis during the Tanaitic period famously said “And you shall love your neighbor as yourself, this is a fundamental principle of the Torah.” Teaching our students to love one another is not an easy task. It’s not something that happens overnight or is the result of a one off lesson around learning how to love your fellow. It is the product of years and years of shared experiences in a tight knit community environment.

I remember my own Jewish Day School experience fondly. In particular, I remember the ways in which our teachers helped cultivate a sense of community and love between myself and my peers. Believe it or not, when I was in middle school, some of the boys in my class, including myself, had some trouble with interpersonal conflict. After one incident got overly physical, we were all told to report to the board room the next morning before school. To our surprise, we were greeted with cake and tea and we were told that for the next 10 weeks we would have a special breakfast with the principal before school. At the time, we thought we had gotten away with our behavior and instead of being punished, we were rewarded. What I now understand is that our principal knew that what the boys in our class needed was to develop loving relationships between one another. And, his model of discipline was successful. There were no more fights for the balance of our time in middle school.

Although I know that many of us are tired of reflecting on the pandemic, I can’t help but think about our community in relation to this central Jewish proverb. On the one hand, our community was unified in our dedication to our students and the prioritization of the best education possible for Wornick learners. On the other hand, and especially during the early phases of in person learning, the integrity of our community was tested by the challenges of reintegrating into on-campus learning and differing levels of fears and at-home practices in relation to COVID-19 prevention. The realization that we were more interdependent than ever was empowering and on the other hand frightening.

It is my sincerest hope that our interdependence this year and the centrality of our school will not only strengthen the loving bonds between each member of the Wornick school. As adults know, our most loving relationships are not simple. They are complex and love is strengthened as relationships become deeper and more nuanced. I am sure that is what the commandment of loving our fellow meant in the Torah. Mitzvot are not meant to be simple. They are meant to be the product of hard work and overcoming obstacles. So, as vaccines usher us into a new phase of the pandemic, let’s enjoy the happy moments and deepen the loving bonds between Wornick community members.

In partnership,
Adam