From Tiffany’s to Torah: The Value of Being a Jewish Educator
By Sapphira Fein
The job of the Jewish educator is to make being Jewish engaging and valuable in a time when there are so many distractions.
Tell what you were doing at 10:00 this morning. I dreaded ice-breakers in general, but this one in particular was a nightmare. It was bad enough that at every Friday night Shabbat dinner the first line of conversation with anyone — whether someone new or a regular in the havurah — would be about our professions. Weren’t we supposed to refrain from work on Shabbat? Nonetheless, we went around in a circle, each sharing a glimpse into is or her life. After several people mentioned their patients or promotions, their successful legal cases or loving family, it was my turn. At 10:00 that morning, I had sold a $35,000 diamond ring at Tiffany & Co. I really wanted to make up something like I was working with homeless families on a mural for the public library or I was signing a contract to be a tap dancer for a South American cruise company. But, if I had lied, I may not have become a Jewish educator.
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What a beautiful article Sapphira, reflecting your beautiful soul!!! Thank you so much for all that you do for your family, your students, and Judaism! Love you! Susan (and mazel tov to Seth!)
“How do we use the hands we were given in this world?” What a thought-provoking question. Thanks, Sapphira, for using your hands to write this article.