17 = טוב Moriah Years

It has been a wonderful nearly 17 years of my life altogether at Moriah—just under 12 years in my initial role during my early teaching career at Moriah Primary and Middle School, and nearly five more years leading the College as Principal. What an extraordinary roller coaster of an adventure it has been!

Upon stepping into the role of Principal, we unfortunately discovered a fraud. However, at the same time, I realised the phenomenal spirit and potential that the school possesses, largely due to the dedication and devotion of our teachers and support staff, as well as the extraordinary families and children who consider Moriah home.

The COVID Challenge

I have enjoyed every minute, through thick and thin. Even when we were one of the very first schools in Australia to go online due to COVID, and, as a result, received a stern letter from the Prime Minister’s Office telling us that we were causing public fear and pandemonium by closing – only to have all schools across the country close their doors three days later. We also took the lead in reopening amidst the pandemic and proudly became the first school worldwide to send our children back to Israel for those who missed out on IST, among numerous other extraordinary adventures.

I can’t wait to see Moriah continue to grow from strength to strength, educating and empowering proud Jewish children, leaders of today and tomorrow, who are deeply connected to Israel, connected to their heritage, knowledgeable in Torah and Mizrot, empowered to pursue their dreams and interests and make a huge impact on the world around them.

I’m just going to share a brief thought as I cannot help myself, both as an educator and a Rabbi.

Focus on Now, Making the Most of Today

Some people look at children as ‘adults in training’.

Some children cannot wait just to be an adult.

They forget to focus on the ‘here and the now’ and make the most of every minute of some of the most precious years of our existence, our childhood, pubescence, adolescence and young adulthood.

Becoming an adult is something that just happens with the passage of time.

Our Torah perspective helps us see each year, each day, each moment of our lives as precious. Life is so different when we see it that way.

Be the ‘Lights’

We find ourselves in the middle of one of our favourite festival’s, Chanukah. We start off by lighting one little Chanukah light and adding a light each night until we have a full Chanukiah. We’ve been lighting the same lights for well over 2,000 years, all over the world, whether in Australia or Israel, or anywhere else. We have even seen the videos of the soldiers lighting Chanukiah and singing together in Gaza. Yes, the Chanukah lights seem to be growing bigger and brighter, especially now as they light up the darkness. And just like those lights, our children are illuminating the world with their presence—filled with joy, menschlichkeit, a passion for mitzvot and chesed, a profound connection to our heritage, and a deep pride and love for Israel. These qualities are the lights that bring our world out of the darkness.

The Real Heroes

Now, as the year concludes, I ask each one of our children to think of one teacher or Moriah staff member who has done something nice for them. Whether it is a main classroom teacher, an ELC teacher, a subject-specific teacher in High School, a sports coach, a Hebrew or Jewish Studies teacher, music, library, art, or dance teacher, education support educator, a leader in the College, or even a grounds person or a person who opens your door and greets you every day, or an IT team member at the Kiosk who assists you when you need help. There are so many people that you can show your appreciation and adoration to, because they care about you. They make you feel good. They ensure that you are able to learn and be the best that you can be. They are the real heroes of Moriah.

It is extraordinary to see that the heroes of so many of the major stories of our People and our festivals were, in fact, teachers.

In the Purim story, the main hero who saves the day is Mordechai. He was actually a teacher of children, teenagers and young children. In the Chanukah story, the Kohen Gadol, the first Maccabee was Mattityahu, who led the Jews to beat the Seleucid Greeks – he was also a teacher. Even one of the greatest Jewish role models and leaders of all time, Moshe/Moses, is called Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses, our teacher). Teachers are the real heroes in Judaism and Jewish history, and we all know why.

We know that to win a war, you do need soldiers. You need brave, fearless, proud, positive armies like our army, Tzahal, the Israel Defence Force (IDF), heroes defending and protecting Israel. But the true secret to our enduring presence, the reason why the Jewish people have persisted on Earth for nearly 4,000 years, outlasting the great empires and overcoming historical persecutions, is not solely attributed to possessing formidable armies (although we are fortunate to have one of the best in the world). The real reason why we are still here, is because we had the best teachers, the best education.

When we learn, when we are educated, we outlast all those who have tried to harm and destroy us. Some invest in hate, violence, and conquest. We invest in educating our next generation to be strong and proud.

It’s hard to imagine that, just over a century ago, most people in the world were illiterate, they could not read. In fact, the very first alphabet in history that didn’t rely on pictures and images to depict words and items, was the ancient Hebrew alphabet. That’s why the term ‘alphabet’ is derived from Aleph-Bet. Extraordinary, isn’t it? The Jewish people introduced the world to the fundamental concepts of literacy and reading, essential tools for education and learning.

Two Golden Keys

You, our children, the students of Moriah, are so fortunate and blessed to learn two alphabets, the alphabet and the Aleph-Bet. You receive two golden keys that open doors of opportunity that are integral to our Modern Orthodox ethos and values – to be able to read English and gain so much knowledge from first-class educators and educational settings and opportunities and, at the same time, learn Hebrew, the key to being part of our 4,000 year old Jewish heritage and treasure. The resurrection of ancient Hebrew into a modern spoken language is what enables us to unlock the words of Torah and Tefillah, to have them imprinted on our hearts, and be connected to Jewish People all over the world.

Learning Hebrew and English and exploring all the possibilities they open for us, is the essence of the values of Moriah as a Modern-Orthodox Zionist school. We aim to mine the modernity of this world, to harness the knowledge of sciences, mathematics, English, and humanities in order to utilise them to serve our higher values, particularly the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam–improving the world and the lives of the people around us by making a positive impact on society.

At Moriah, learning Hebrew, Jewish studies, English, and all of the General Studies is like striking a match, with each of our children representing a candle. We’re not just handing them the match; we’re empowering them to ignite themselves, to burn ever brighter. As they add more candles to their Chanukiah through assimilating additional skills, knowledge, and values, they are encouraged to act on these elements and further illuminate their paths even brighter.

To my dear Moriah students, each of you can be a bright candle that chases away a lot of darkness in this world. Start with your friends and your family, bringing them joy and being kind to them. When others see you after school, whether in your school uniform or elsewhere, and they say, “There goes a ‘Moriah Mensch’! What lovely manners and extraordinary middot (behaviors and character traits),” that’s when you embody the spirit of a shining ‘Chanukah candle hero’ as well.

I leave you with some simple values

• Don’t look forward to the ‘what’s next?’. Enjoy and utilise every minute of every day to the maximum (small hint or a tip: screen time is not a great usage of your time, but a little bit is okay).
• Ensure you light up the world with your Moriah education as a Moriah Mensch.
• Always appreciate the real heroes in your lives and in our community. Your teachers, your educators, and your parents who have invested so much in you, to empower you to be the best you can be, and to be the next link in the golden chain of the Jewish people.
• Always remember, ‘ABC – Always Be Cind’ (alright, ‘Kind’ is with a ‘K’, but if you want, you can spell it with a ‘C’ just to remember this golden rule). Starting off with kindness to yourself, ensuring that you think positive. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt, and, at the same time, speak positive words encouraging yourself, having high expectations of yourself; when you fall, get up again and give it a go, knowing that you are loved, appreciated and you can make a big difference. Be kind to those in your immediate family, your siblings, younger or older, your parents, if you are blessed to have grandparents, cousins and beyond, make sure to reach out and be kind and connect with them. Be kind to your friends and teachers, those people in your everyday lives. Be kind to those people that you may not be so close with or so friendly with, knowing that just by acknowledging them, asking them how they are, empathising and connecting with them, you can lift them up. Be kind to those people that you meet outside of the College, outside of the community on the street – whether it’s in a shop, at the beach or at a party.
  Being kind as you go through life is a very fulfilling way to live. It’s one of the reasons why you see so much joy as people go shopping at the end of the year when so many people are buying each other gifts. Very often, most people go shopping for themselves, it does bring them some level of temporary short-lived satisfaction; however, when you shop to give to others, to bring other’s joy, to show kindness and love, the satisfaction you get from giving is so much more profound and lasts way beyond. So, live your lives in the most fulfilling manner, being kind to everyone. And remember, ‘ABC’.

Stay in Touch

Anytime you are in Israel, or just want to keep me updated about the joy and the nachas of your growth, your accomplishments, I would love to hear from you. My email address has been included in the school newsletter.

Sending you all love.

Chanuka Sameach, Hatzlacha Rabba. Enjoy a beautiful holiday and have a tremendously successful year next year, and a fulfilling, successful, and purposeful life.

Looking forward to seeing you all in Israel at one time or another.

Le’hitraoit = We will see you later, but until then, take care!

RYS

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About the Author

Rabbi Yehoshua Smukler is the College Principal at Moriah College in Queens Park, NSW.