Just this week, our email newsletter from the Association of Reform Jewish Educators referenced a book called, “Raising A+ Human Beings: Crafting a Jewish School Culture of Academic Excellence and AP Kindness.” How amazing it is, that others have published about the importance of creating a culture of kindness steeped in Jewish values like the one we are lucky enough to experience every week here at the Rabbi Leslie Yale Gutterman Religious School.
This week will be our third Sunday session in-person and we have already experienced so much joy. Here is a glimpse into what we are hearing from our families:
“Thank you so much for a fabulous start to a new adventure and journey into Jewish life. My son just started the religious school kindergarten class and while drop off was emotional, I am overjoyed that he marched in and never looked back.”
“From ‘Grandma and Papa’ in Virginia: We look forward to the weekly Tefilah available to us via Zoom. Such a joy to be ‘sharing’ this wonderful and meaningful opportunity with our daughter and grandson. Best regards and thanks for all you are doing to build the next generation of our collective Jewish community.”
“Our son has truly loved going to Hebrew School, thanks to you and the community that you have worked so hard to create! I'm just so happy that his experience on Sundays is so different than mine was.”
“We just moved here about 6 weeks ago from out-of-state. Our daughter has really enjoyed the Hebrew classes and we are so excited to be a part of the community.”
“My son came home from Religious School and said, ‘Mum, normally I sing on Zoom, but this time, I WAS IN REAL PERSON AT THE TEMPLE’. They were thrilled to be back in the space.”
Whether it is in the form of the feedback we receive from families or the feedback we provide our students each week, positive reinforcement provides a sense of instant gratification and promotes a more collaborative approach with better outcomes. In order to create a culture of kindness, we also need to embrace that the journey of learning can be its own reward. Torah Lishmah, learning for its own sake, is one of the values we work hard to instill in our students.
In this week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha, God sends Abram on a journey, “to a land that I will show you” (inspiring one of our favorite Debbie Friedman songs). He embarks on this journey to settle in the land of Canaan and become a father of nations. He also gets a name change, becoming Abraham.
The phrase lech lecha can be translated as “go for yourself.” It shows us that, like Abraham’s odyssey, our voyages are both external and internal. We are grateful to be on this journey with all of you. We believe that the instant gratification of catching God’s attention is sweetened and prolonged as we continue to better understand and become our best selves.
Shabbat Shalom! Rachel & Carl
Services
Minyan will be online ONLY until further notice.
Samuel Jaocb Cohen Ellen H. Jacober Milton Walkin Ira Silverman Lawrence Hoffman Gladys H. Jacober Dr. Henry Gewirtz Janet Engelhart Gutterman
Melvyn Blake Joan Adler Mark Bernie Levine Anna Cohen Haberman Herman Haberman Donald David Jaffa Jean Moverman Jaffa Sloan Myles Jaffa Farrel A. Jaffa
YIZKOR ELOHIM The Congregation joins in mourning the death of
Sheldon Licht Jan Marc Orenstein Marion "Toby" Yale Matthew Willi Orenstein Cheryl A. Clavin Brown Remi Weiman
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Temple Beth-El 70 Orchard Ave Providence, RI 02906 401.331.6070
