Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow - Rabbi Owen's Operational Dinner Remarks - Monday, September 17, 2018

You may have noticed that we have two new huge street-side banners on White Station Road. One of them says, “Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow”.

What do we mean by this? How does learning prepare for leading?

The distinctiveness and difference of the Jewish People is a theme that appears regularly and intensely throughout the Yom Kippur prayers. On Yom Kippur afternoon, we read the section of the Torah dealing with immorality. The Torah says, “Do not act in the ways of the land of Egypt in which you lived; and do not act in the ways of the land of Cana’an to which I, Hashem, am taking you – and do not follow their customs. Follow My laws and guard My customs to walk in these ways – I am Hashem your G-d.”

The Torah is teaching that Egypt and Cana’an represent spiritually harmful elements of each culture in which the Jewish People will find themselves over the centuries and instructs us to separate from the temptation to assimilate these ideas. The Jewish People dwell alone. Hashem commands us to hold ourselves to a different standard of holiness than that of the ambient secular or religious culture.

But, if we hide away, cloister ourselves and do not prepare to meaningfully engage the world at large, we will have forfeited our people’s mission.

We also read Sefer Yonah, The Book of Jonah, on Yom Kippur. In this story, the prophet describes Jonah’s attempt to flee his Divine mission to preach to the wayward city of Nineveh, an ancient city located in modern day Iraq. Jonah boards a boat sailing to Tarshish – not Nineveh – a boat that experiences a turbulent storm at sea. To help determine the cause of the storm, the captain casts lots. Jonah’s lot was picked. The captain asks Jonah, “Because of whom has this evil occurred? What is your work and from where do you come? What is your land and from what people are you?”

Jonah answered these questions succinctly and matter-of-factly, “Ivri Anochi – I am a Hebrew. And I fear the Lord G-d of heaven Who made the sea and the dry land.”

What a response! Ivri Anochi – I, Yonah, like Avraham, the first Ivri, am on one side and the rest of the world is on the other side. I, Yonah, am different. I am distinct and set apart. I do not accept your culture and your norms. I have a special and unique perspective – I fear Hashem Who created the world.

But, we, who have read the story understand – ivri anochi is only the beginning of Yonah’s story. It, alone, is not enough. Jonah’s mission was unfulfilled. The Targum translates the word ivri – a Hebrew, as yehudi – A Jew. Yonah was a “Proud Jew”, yes, but he did not completely understand what being Jewish means! What did Yonah not yet understand?

The word Yehudi – Jew – is a name derived from the blessing that Jacob gave to his son, Judah – ata yoducha achecha – you, Judah, your brothers will give you the mantle of leadership. The medieval scholar Rabbenu Bachaye makes an astounding observation regarding this section of the Torah which describes Judah’s leadership. This small section contains every single Hebrew letter, aleph, bet, gimmel, dalet through tav, except one – the letter zayin. Besides being the name for the seventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the word zayin means a weapon of war. Rabbenu Bachaye teaches that by omitting this letter in the description of Judah’s leadership and by including every letter but the one that refers to a weapon of war, the Torah is conveying a fundamental idea about Judah’s leadership and about the leadership of the Jewish People – our best weapon is not military might. Judah leads by advancing the understanding of Hashem within the Jewish People and globally. The Jewish People, the descendants of Judah, show leadership on the public stage by teaching and demonstrating morality and the understanding of Hashem’s law.

What did Yonah not yet understand? Yonah’s answer, ivri anochi – I am a Hebrew – was an immature understanding of the mission of the Jewish People. Only at the end of the book, after Hashem has taught Yonah the lesson through different experiences, does Yonah understand that Hashem’s mercy extends to all human beings and that, as Jews, we have a unique responsibility to help mankind advance. The Jewish People are different, yes. But our differentness positions us to lead mankind to greater perfection. By ignoring this calling, Yonah was abandoning his mission as a Jew.

Our students are the descendants of Judah. They are Yehudim. Being students of our outstanding Judaic Studies and General Studies programs, they are firmly grounded in the Torah and are prepared to be leaders in the Jewish and even in the greater society. Our greatest power is to use words to teach ideas and to help the entire world to recognize Hashem. This recognition will ultimately eliminate evil from the earth.

Yehuda, the ideal Jewish Leader, must be rooted in ivri anochi – the Hebrew, the descendant of Avraham. Our students learn today. But the Yehudi, the Jew, as the inheritor of ideas, values, and ideals, must teach his or her inheritance and lead the world. Our students must lead tomorrow. Learning today does not only prepare our students to lead tomorrow. Our students know that they – as members of the Jewish People – are compelled to lead tomorrow. On behalf of our students, thank you for understanding the impact of Jewish leadership and for supporting Margolin Hebrew Academy-Feinstone Yeshiva of the South. Your leaderships is helping us prepare our students to Learn Today and Lead Tomorrow!