Rabbi Jim: Still Learning

      Getting Into College: A Prize to Be Won, or a Match to Be Made?       The  Torah  Readings on the two days of  Rosh  HaShana  present Abraham-the-parent in two very different ways. In the first day’s reading Abraham’s wife Sarah pushes him to drive away Ishmael (and his mother Hagar) because Sarah feels Ishmael will be a bad influence on their son Isaac.  Abraham delays sending them away because his love for Ishmael blinds him to the boy’s faults. The second day’s reading is the “ Akeidah ” - the “binding” of Isaac. God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, the child born of his true love Sarah, the son God promises will take over for Abraham.  In this story, Abraham is so eager to carry out God’s command, he appears blind to the feelings of his son, and unaware that Isaac’s death would be the end the nascent Jewish People.       As parents, we are often caught in a struggle between our overwhelming love for our children and our “agendas...

  Casting for Talent in Jewish Education   Within a mile or so of my workplace in L.A. there are 13 talent and 9 casting agencies, as well as the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), the Writers Guild, the Directors Guild, and the Producers Guild. These people are, or represent, the “above the line” talent in a movie – they are the ones who most influence the creative process, and success, of a movie. Their salaries are negotiated before filming begins, and their combined, guaranteed payment is listed first on the budget, above everyone else.   In Jewish Educational settings we also, in our own way, have our “above the line” talent. We even use Hollywood language to describe them: we have Heads of School who are “rising stars;” administrators are always on the lookout for “talent;” parents want their children to have a “star teacher.”  We know that great “performances” ensure continued enrollment and employment.   One day, after hearing a Head of School ...