Confirmation Anchor

It was an absolutely beautiful Confirmation service. Friday night, 17 of our finest 10th graders led the evening service in front of their family and friends in our Sanctuary. During the course of the service we paused and the students presented expositions of Talmud texts they had studied over the past few months with me.

The students had studied in pairs and presented with their partners. Every presentation was moving. Each showed that the students had really wrestled with the texts trying very hard to apply them to their everyday lives. There is much that I could share from their teachings, but one particular statement stands out.

One 17 year old young lady told those assembled, "This year I have learned that there are two types of people in the world. There are people who always react to the world around them, changing as they go along. And then there are people who stand by their principles and values no matter what life brings their way. My Jewish learning has taught me the principles that will guide me in the future."

And that really is what Jewish education is all about. It's about digging deep roots so that the winds of change will not bowl over the individual. It's about tapping into a timeless tradition that has given us strength over time. It's about feel like a link in a sturdy chain of tradition that is anchored at Sinai.
Mazal Tov!