T orah P ortion
Staying Focused on the Destination
RABBI YISROEL ROSENFELD
Parshat Vayeilech
REB MENDEL FUTERFAS
was a famous Chasidic person-
ality who put his life on the line
to teach Judaism during the
time when communism had a
firm grip on the Soviet Union.

As a result, he was exiled to a
Siberian gulag.

While there, he became
friendly with many others who
were exiled, among them a
non-Jewish circus master. Reb
Mendel was fascinated by this
profession and, in particular,
the skill of walking a tightrope.

“Tell me,” Reb Mendel
asked the circus master. “How
is it that you can walk across a
Barrack Continued from Page 4
It starts with a focus on our
teachers and classrooms.

Engaging strategies to figure
out how we connect. It’s about
connection before content.

I want to focus on how we
create small spaces for students
to connect with teachers and
make learning come alive.

This is a relationship
business. Kids need to feel that
they have relationships with
people who are teaching them.

They allow for better teaching
to occur.

What’s the ultimate goal of this
student development process?
We are graduating young
people who are confident in
who they are.

They are connected and
committed to the Jewish
community and the larger
community. They are being
accepted to an unbelievable
array of institutions and the
ones that make the most sense
to them.

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string, at an enormous height,
and not lose your balance? You
must have tremendous skill
with your feet?”
“It’s my eyes,” replied the
circus master. “When I step
onto the rope I remain laser-fo-
cused on the pole at the other
end of it. When I keep complete
concentration on my destina-
tion, my feet and my hands fall
in line and they are guided by
my eyes.”
“What then is the most
difficult part of the rope walk?”
asked Reb Mendel.

“It’s the turn,” replied the
performer. “When you have to
take your eyes off the goal for
that split second.”
“So how do you not fall?”
pushed Reb Mendel.

“Ah,” said the performer.

“I am sure not to get confused,
and stay focused on my desti-
nation; during the transition, I
can easily refocus as soon as I
complete my turn.”
The name of this week’s
parshat is Vayeilech, which
means “and he went.” It
describes the last day of Moshe’s
life. Yet the Torah tells us that
even on the most difficult
day, Moshe kept an ambitious
approach, not leaving any
opportunity behind.

How could Moshe, on the
last day of his life, still “keep on
going?” The answer is simple:
When you keep your eye on
the goal and stay laser-focused
on what needs to be done, the
distractions and the stresses of
life do not get in your way.

We just celebrated Rosh
Hashanah, and we are shortly
going to be observing Yom
Kippur. For many of us, the
past year-and-a-half has been
tumultuous and unnerving. So
many unknowns and breaks
from routine — so much so
that for the second year in a
row, the High Holidays have
been upended by the unpre-
dictable virus.

We can easily get distracted
by the current predicament.

Until the virus broke out, you
may have had your eyes on a
goal. Your life may have had
a specific path, and you were
heading on with a very clear
destination in mind. Then
you had to make a turn. The
destination was not in sight
and you began to get confused.

Where were you going? Where
were you coming from?
The challenge becomes —
like it did for the tightrope
walker — to stay focused and
realize that these distractions
are temporary. If you concen-
trate on what your goals are,
very soon the distractions
will pass, and your destina-
tion will be once again in
plain view. l
According to your estimates,
Barrack had 60-65 kids per
grade when you were in high
school. Now it has about
50 students per grade. Do
you want to increase that
number? Yes. It’s about building
bridges and relationships with
our community partners:
K-five schools, K-eight and
other community leaders to
make Barrack known and
accessible to families who are
not yet in the school.

We have students from more
than 65 towns. We really are
a diverse, regional school. We
have kids traveling anywhere
from 10 minutes away to an
hour-and-a-half away. We have
kids from public schools, private
schools, Jewish day schools.

their name. They’ll be in a
warm and inclusive commu-
nity that is rich in Jewish
values, identity-building and
connection to Israel.

We know who our students
are and we’re here to support
them as they grow and journey
in life.

between students in classes.

All our employees are
vaccinated. We have been
encouraging vaccination from
the get-go.

We’re in a pandemic. It’s
constantly changing. We’ll do
what we need to do to keep
kids safe and school running.

How cool is it to be back?
I’m thrilled. But I’m trying
to prepare myself for winter
again. I moved for the job. Not the
winter. l
You’ve discussed personal
attention for students as a key
part of Barrack’s culture. And
according to your numbers,
the school has an 8-1 student-
teacher ratio. How do you
grow the student body
without sacrificing personal
attention? It’s a culture.

Whatever the size might be,
it’s important to have educa-
tors on the team who believe in
that approach, and who believe
What’s your pitch to a family in building systems that allow
that may be considering them to know every student.

Jewish day school?
Your child is going to get an What are you doing to deal
with COVID-19 as the new
outstanding education.

They are going to be in year begins?
Mandatory mask-wearing
an environment where every
educator they work with knows in the building. Distance
JEWISH EXPONENT
Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld is the
rabbi at the Lubavitch Center
of Pittsburgh and the executive
director of Chabad of Western
Pennsylvania. This column was
provided by of the Vaad Harabanim
of Greater Pittsburgh.

jsaffren@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0740
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