Hanukkah 2011

 

It was a chilly Friday morning preceding Rosh Hashana and instead of resting my voice and keeping a low profile gearing up for the big day, I agreed to participate in a monumental event called project blastoff at Associated Hebrew Schools.  All three Associated campuses gathered at their northern branch to break the Guinness world record as students, teachers and parents blew a total of 1406 shofars simultaneously for five minutes.  The previous record was held by the Lappin charitable foundation with 796 shofars in Salem, Massachusetts. 

 

When I received the call from principal of the school, Eric Golombek, to see if I would consider blowing shofar to kick off the event, sing along with a band of noisy drummers and throngs of screaming children blowing their shofars, I laughed.  My teachers would have thought I was out of mind.  According to tradition, in the days leading up to Rosh Hashana, Hazzanim are resting in the shvitz and gargling honey, salt water and raw eggs along with other bubbe-meises from yesteryear.  I mentioned it to my children (who attend Associated) over dinner and they encouraged me to participate.  I am so glad that I did.  Each child arrived with their own shofar that they had made at school.  The energy of the morning was electrifying and the magical feeling of playing an important role in this historic moment for the children was incredible. 

 

Although I am a Cantor, we are no different from other Jewish families.  My wife and I yearly weigh the pros and cons of giving our children a Jewish education.  The cost is prohibitive and it is only getting more expensive.  We often contemplate how differently we would live if we did not have the monthly tuition to pay.  It is a bill that thousands of Jewish families struggle with, but choose to make the sacrifice for the sake of their children’s Jewish future.  I always joke with Melissa that in Sudbury, (where I grew up) I went to public school and I can read and write.  I even learned enough Hebrew attending the local shul’s after school program three days a week to eventually go to Israel and become the Cantor at Beth Sholom Synagogue.  (I can assure you that I never blew a shofar at my school growing up.)  Whenever I become cynical about the cost of Jewish education, my children say or do something that reminds me why so many take on this financial burden.  It usually shows itself in a song, a prayer or sometimes a Jewish value that they learned that week in school. 

 

The other day, my son said to me the following profound words: “Dad, when I grow up, I’m not going to be Jewish.” I think it was his way of saying that he is not going to be religious. My daughter said to me: “Dad, I’m going to keep kosher in the house but not outside of my house.” While they are too young for me to respond in earnest…my answer, when they are old enough to understand it, is that the choice is theirs. Clearly my son will be Jewish for the rest of his life and my daughter will choose whatever level of observance she is comfortable with in her adult life. Most important to me is that they will make informed choices. The more tools that they possess, the greater their ability to make rational, thought filled decisions.

 

The greatest threat facing future generations is the lack of knowledge. A Jewish education is the greatest resource we have to educate our children and to preserve our traditions. I am grateful for having the opportunity to provide my children with a Jewish education. It isn’t perfect, but nothing ever is. As a teacher myself, I appreciate my children’s honesty in expressing themselves. Their inquisitive minds teach me how to improve as a teacher and become a better parent. As it is said in the Talmud: “I have learned much from my teachers; from my colleagues more than from my teachers; and from my students most of all.” 

 

Thank you to all of our families who make the sacrifice to make those monthly tuition payments. You are investing in the future of the Jewish people. Thanks to you, I had the privilege of participating in a historic moment in September. That's one for the record books!