Their lessons live on in us
Highest compliment a student can offer their teacher
One of my favorite parts of Rabbi Harold Kushner’s introduction to Overcoming Life’s Disappointments is the way he credits the teachers who helped make him into the person he was.
In addition to his wife and a handful of friends and colleagues, he highlighted three specific individuals who contributed to his education: Rabbi Israel Levinthal, his childhood rabbi; Professor Modecai Kaplan, Professor of the Philosophies of Religion at the Jewish Theological Seminary; and Rabbi Mordecai Waxman, senior rabbi at Temple Israel in Great Neck, Long Island.
As a former teacher myself, I can attest that the statement, “I would like to think that their memories live on in my thoughts and that their teachings are given new life in my writings,” is as high a compliment as any educator could hope to receive.
Teachers and mentors show us who we can become
This got me thinking about all of the educators who have helped make me the person I am today. Like Rabbi Kushner, I was blessed with a variety of clergy, teachers, and professors who helped shape me into the person I have become. That list also includes Scout leaders, coaches, and colleagues who mentored me along the way.
Unlike Rabbi Kushner, however, I am not brave enough to try and name them all publicly for fear that I will forget someone. What I will say is that every encounter with wise individuals like these changed me for the better. They offered insight, encouragement, and called me back when I began to wander off the straight and narrow.
More often than I can remember, I have found myself quoting them without even thinking about it. In much the way children subconsciously become their parents, the things I have learned from my teachers, pastors, coaches, and professors became so internalized that they shaped the way I view the Scriptures, my faith, and the world around me.
Even in the moments I fail to live up to their example, the messages of grace, justice, and wisdom they provided remind me of precisely who I would like to become. Any success I have in my career is a direct reflection of the things I have learned from them. They helped me into the person I have become and I am incredibly grateful for the impact they have made.
Today’s prayer
It is my prayer today that you have such individuals in your life. May your world be filled with the kind of wise, caring, and compassionate teachers Rabbi Kushner had in his career, and may you also be able to live out the lessons they have taught you.
