Parshat Chayei Sarah - How Do You Create a Jewish Hero?
Parshat Chayei Sarah is one of my favorite parshas in the entire Torah...
but not really.
Let me explain.
The parsha is kind of short.
The main story is repeated twice.
The character development is relatively bland.
And it's topped off by a dull list of genealogy.
In short, it just doesn't compare with the complexity and excitement of so many other parshas in the Torah.
So why is it one of my favorites? In this week's parsha Avraham (Abraham) purchases the land which includes the Meirat HaMachpelah (The Cave of Machpelah), the burial site of six out of seven of the matriarchs and patriarchs of the Jewish people, in the holy city of Chevron (Hebron).
Every time I read this parsha I can't help but think about all the times I visited Chevron, about the amazing historical sites, and about how when I went to these places I literally stood at the center of some the key locations of the earliest moments of my people's long and incredible past.
And that's enough to make this parsha great for me.
But I'm a teacher...
- And my students are by and large not from very observant families.
- And this isn't anywhere close to enough to make this parsha exciting for them.
- And I once again find myself asking a question for which I do not yet have an answer: - How do I create in the impressionable young minds of my students a sense of ancient Jewish heroism? I'm willing to bet if you ask the average kid in my school to name their favorite heroes throughout the history of the world you would hear such deserving names as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King.
But unfortunately you are far less likely to hear such names as Avraham Avinu, Yosef HaTzadik (Joseph), Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses), and David HaMelech (King David).
The simple mention of these names stimulates my interest.
Looking at a picture of a location where they once lived gets me excited.
I recognize and appreciate all their accomplishments, and how different my life would be if they hadn't done the things they did.
But my students don't.
If I show them a photograph of the place where Avraham is buried, they'll just see a nice building.
It might as well be in Detroit.
Why am I failing where the average history teacher is succeeding? Where does the disconnect originate? How can I create Jewish hero?
but not really.
Let me explain.
The parsha is kind of short.
The main story is repeated twice.
The character development is relatively bland.
And it's topped off by a dull list of genealogy.
In short, it just doesn't compare with the complexity and excitement of so many other parshas in the Torah.
So why is it one of my favorites? In this week's parsha Avraham (Abraham) purchases the land which includes the Meirat HaMachpelah (The Cave of Machpelah), the burial site of six out of seven of the matriarchs and patriarchs of the Jewish people, in the holy city of Chevron (Hebron).
Every time I read this parsha I can't help but think about all the times I visited Chevron, about the amazing historical sites, and about how when I went to these places I literally stood at the center of some the key locations of the earliest moments of my people's long and incredible past.
And that's enough to make this parsha great for me.
But I'm a teacher...
- And my students are by and large not from very observant families.
- And this isn't anywhere close to enough to make this parsha exciting for them.
- And I once again find myself asking a question for which I do not yet have an answer: - How do I create in the impressionable young minds of my students a sense of ancient Jewish heroism? I'm willing to bet if you ask the average kid in my school to name their favorite heroes throughout the history of the world you would hear such deserving names as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King.
But unfortunately you are far less likely to hear such names as Avraham Avinu, Yosef HaTzadik (Joseph), Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses), and David HaMelech (King David).
The simple mention of these names stimulates my interest.
Looking at a picture of a location where they once lived gets me excited.
I recognize and appreciate all their accomplishments, and how different my life would be if they hadn't done the things they did.
But my students don't.
If I show them a photograph of the place where Avraham is buried, they'll just see a nice building.
It might as well be in Detroit.
Why am I failing where the average history teacher is succeeding? Where does the disconnect originate? How can I create Jewish hero?
Source...