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Liberated To Learn

Pa rshat Ki Tavo: Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8;
Isaiah 60:1-60:22.

I

went to a yeshivah high school in
tells the people, "Listen, Israel: today
New Jersey and, like my classmates, you have become a nation." Later on, he
I took eight or nine classes at a
says, "God had not given you a mind to
time. There were four standard Judaic
understand or eyes to see or ears to hear
studies courses and four standard gen-
until this day." What exactly happened
eral studies courses; in junior and
that day?
senior years, we had one measly
Based on a midrash, Rashi
elective.
suggests that it was the day
As a result, when I went to col-
Moses gave a copy of the
lege, I had virtually no experience
Torah to the Levites and
choosing what I wanted to learn;
priests. The Israelites became
my curriculum had always been
upset; they, too, had been at
determined for me.
Sinai, but they feared that, in
The first time I registered for
the future, the priests would
Rabb
classes in college, I was so over-
say, "It's our Torah, not yours."
Jonat han
whelmed by the myriad options
They responded by insisting
Berge r
in the various departments that
that the Torah was theirs as
I gave up and registered for the
well — they wanted to study
same subjects I had always taken:
it, too — and in that way, they
some language arts, some history, some
took control of their learning. And it was
science and some math. My body may
this act that truly made a nation.
have been in Ann Arbor, but my mind
Our children are starting a new school
was stuck in high school!
year, and our community is gearing up
Thankfully, I realized by second
for the High Holidays. For all of us, it is a
semester that I didn't have to be confined time to decide: What do I want to learn?
like that; I got to choose what I studied.
May our learning guide us to powerful
What is the truest mark of indepen-
personal growth, and inspired, compas-
dence? Is it the right to vote or the ability
sionate action. *
to travel where we want or buy what we
want? All of these are good answers —
Rabbi Jonathan Berger is ray belt hasefer
but from my vantage as an educator, one
(rabbi of the school) of Hillel Day School of
of the truest signs of independence is
Metropolitan Detroit in Farmington Hills.
when someone takes control of his/her
learning.
CONVERSATIONS
Saying, "I want to know more about
•When have you taken control of
this" or "I want to learn how to do that"
your learning? What did you choose
and then following through — this is the
to learn?
sign of an independent human being.
•According to the Torah, the first
Learning enables growth and, when we
generation of Israelites had accept-
choose how to grow, we have truly taken
ed the Torah (or, at least, many of its
control of our lives.
commandments) at Mt. Sinai. Why,
Why didn't the first generation of
then, would Moses say that they
Israelites — the ones who left Egypt —
only truly became a nation in this
get to enter the land of Israel? A com-
week's parshah? Didn't they have
mon answer is that they possessed a
the Torah already?
"slave mentality." But what do we mean
•What are your learning goals this
by that?
year?
Midway through the parshah, Moses

B'NAI

1Z

MOSHE

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nwt3

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September 22 2016

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