Up until this past week, I was unaware that the word “rabbi” actually means “teacher”. This trip was filled with brilliant teachers from all over the country, and I found myself consistently humbled by the vast knowledge each individual possessed. Yet one moment potently stood out to me that changed my perception of what being a teacher means.
When our group stood around a memorial grave pit in Treblinka, we had the privilege of hearing a rabbi tell a story about a dilemma faced in the Holocaust. While I cannot retell it with the same quality and elegance that he did, I will provide a summary as best as I can:
When Treblinka was an active death camp and the Nazis were burning people alive in a pit of flames, a young boy and a rabbi stood at the edge of the pit and were approached by an officer. They were told that if they could jump across the burning pit, they could survive– but this was impossible, as it was enormous. The rabbi and the boy considered this offer, took a few steps back, and the rabbi said to the boy, “PRAY!”. After a few moments, he grabbed the little boy’s hand, told him, “RUN!”, and once they reached the edge of the pit, “JUMP!”. Defying all odds, they both soared across the pit of fire and into the future together. After they survived, the boy asked the rabbi what his prayer was. The rabbi explained that he prayed classic Jewish prayers, and then asked what the boy’s prayer was. The boy said, “rabbi, I couldn’t pray. I was too afraid. All I could do was hold your hand”. And so the rabbi held the boy’s hand, and they jumped together into the future.
This story really struck me, and I realized that being a teacher isn’t only about education– it’s about holding your students’ hands when they need it. I hope one day I can do for a student what this rabbi did for the boy, even if it’s not leaping over a pit of fire.