As our calendar turns to both Elul (the Hebrew month leading up to the High Holidays) and to September, we are ready and poised for new beginnings, for change, for learning. For many in our community, September brings the start of a new school year, whether you are starting school for the very first time (or the parent of a new student!), returning to the classroom as a teacher, or anything else in between. Judaism reminds us that each and every one of us is a lifelong learner. Our learning, whether Jewish or secular, is not completed upon b-mitzvah or graduation. We always have new opportunities to learn something new about Judaism, about the world, about a topic that we’re curious about.
For those starting a new school year, I hope it was a smooth start to the year! I share below a beautiful blessing for the start of school written by my colleague, Rabbi Phyllis Sommer.
I offer this prayer for the beginning of the school year… And so begins a new year….
May it be a year of learning and growth, a year of new experiences and understanding. May they outgrow their shoes and may they not lose their jackets.
May each day bring something new and may routine guide their steps.
May their pencils be sharp and their minds even sharper.
May they revel in the joy of each new fact learned, each right answer, each small accomplishment. May the erasers on their pencils get as much use as the tips.
May they learn that wrong answers can be just as important as right ones.
May they ask questions, lots and lots of questions, and may their teachers be patient. Very patient.
May they make friends and build relationships, and may they make lifelong connections.
May they be kind and polite and each one a mensch of the highest order. And may this year be filled with blessings…
