The mishna in Pirkei Avot relates that Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai asked his students to tell him what defines a good path for a person to chart for himself. Rabbi Yose answered “a good neighbor.” And in our morning prayers prior to Psukei Dzimra, we beseech G-d to deliver us from a “bad neighbor.”
Throughout our moves into different neighborhoods, our family has been consistently blessed with good neighbors. They have been of different religions, races, ages, and political leanings, but have almost invariably been kind, empathetic, and helpful, and I hope that we in turn have been the same for them. So when I found out that our current neighbors were participating in the March of the Living with their temple, I was concerned about both the physical toll this trip would take on them and the emotional impact. Being interested in their journey, I tuned into the live broadcast of the event and watched in awe as thousands of marchers proceeded in the pouring rain to the gates of Auschwitz. I listened to people from all walks of life being interviewed. The most moving part for me was the duet of “Oyfn Pripetchik” sung by the chief cantor of the Israel Defense Forces with a 90-year-old survivor.
The challenge of making the Holocaust relevant to a younger generation is considerable. In my youth, we would watch film after film of graphic footage, which was certainly impactful, but also probably damaging. And we were being taught by survivors and children of survivors, thus having a stronger connection to the events. Our current students need more nuanced methods, being one generation further removed from the horror.
I was so glad to see our own commemoration of Yom HaShoah this year, run by our tenth grade class, take traditional as well as new approaches to making the story connect with all students. The sophomores related stories of relatives who perished, and spoke about the fate of entire communities which disappeared. But they also presented other angles to relate to the destruction, including a student who displayed and spoke about her art creation, depicting a large Magen David being held up by six skeleton-like figures. Using different modalities to reach diverse audiences is at the root of the pasuk in Mishlei, “חנוך לנער על פי דרכו” - teach each child according to his own way.
The idea of acknowledging the horrors of the past but looking forward to the future is part of our tradition, and gives us some insight into dealing with our current crisis, brought on by the massacres of October 7, 2023. Masechet Makkot, the tractate which daf yomi adherents have just concluded (including several of our own Middle and Upper School students), mentions a few stories of Rabbi Akiva, who tended to laugh at seemingly inappropriate times.
The most famous of these stories is on the concluding page of the masechet, where Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues witnessed a fox running through the destroyed site of the קדש קדשים, the Holy of Holies. All his colleagues wept, but Rabbi Akiva rejoiced, saying that since he saw evidence of the negative prophecies of Uriah, he could also look forward to the positive prophecies of Zechariah, that “old men and women will once again sit in the streets of Jerusalem.” We do not deny the tragedies we experience, but we use them to strengthen our faith and our trust in G-d of a brighter future.
When our graduates spend a year in Israel, many of them take a week’s trip to Poland to get a first-hand glimpse of the life that flourished prior to the war, and the destruction brought on by the Nazis. Their expert guides manage to make the trip relevant and meaningful, and the students come away with an invaluable experience, returning to Israel with a fresh perspective on the gift of our homeland.
I’ve always dreaded this trip on behalf of my own children, since in their place I could never manage it. But seeing the Yom HaShoah presentation and the March of the Living ceremony, I understand the value of looking at destruction through the lens of Rabbi Akiva. I need not worry about my neighbors’ journey or my children’s trips to Poland. Following Rabbi Akiva’s colleagues Rabbi Gamaliel, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, and Rabbi Yehoshua, who replied to Rabbi Akiva “עקיבא ניחמתנו,” I thank the tenth grade students and all the participants marching to Auschwitz for providing not a sense of dread, but rather comfort and hope.
כה אמר ה' צבקות עד ישבו זקנים וזקנות ברחבות ירושל͏ם ואיש משענתו בידו מרב ימים | 