Mayor Oscar Leeser has proclaimed today, April 7, 2017, to be Education and Sharing Day in El Paso. This follows an American tradition of proclaiming the Rebbe’s birthday, 11 Nissan, as a day of reflection and commitment to the values of education and good deeds in the United States. Every US President since 1978 has made this annual proclamation for Education and Sharing Day, USA.
This is a tribute to the Rebbe's life long efforts and advocacy for the betterment of education for American youth. The Rebbe emphasized that education should not be limited to the acquisition of wisdom and pursuit of a career, but rather, the education system must focus primarily on building good character and ethics.
Why is it that the Rebbe’s life and vision is summed up by the virtue of education? His contributions to Jewish life were vast, larger than life. So, why the emphasis on education?
On Monday evening we will all sit down by the Seder table to celebrate Pesach - the Festival of Freedom. The Seder was designed with the intention of quipping the child’s curiosity, bringing about the realization that this night is different from all other nights. After the child unabashedly expresses puzzlement with the goings on by asking the Ma Nishtana, the parent is obligated to respond by explaining the dynamics of that historic event in our history.
Even if there are no children at the table – the genre of the story remains the same: Educational. Geared to engage the innocence of youth and a sensory experience throughout. At the Seder we are all teachers and students.
The message of education pulses through the theme of the entire festival. The freedom granted to us over three millennia ago was the opportunity to educate. I am not referring to literacy and mathematics, of which the Jews had a thriving educational system during the two centuries of Egyptian slavery.
However, it was an education devoid of meaning and purpose, steeped in the local cultural swamp of idolatry and the promotion of self.
The Exodus was not merely a correction of a terrible wrong, rather an urgent call to allow a nation to realize their full potential. The opportunity to transcend the self and connect with the divine. We were not granted a vacation from harsh labor, rather we were empowered to accomplish a loftier mission.
In our generation the Rebbe emphasized that we are all teachers. To bring the awareness of G-d to every corner of the globe and to empower all of humanity to achieve their full potential in bringing more goodness and kindness to our world.
Please join me in observing Education and Sharing Day by reflecting on the fact that educating others is not only for professional teachers. The Rebbe often quoted the Chassidic saying, “If you know Aleph, teach Aleph!” Today, reach deep inside and find the “Aleph” that will be meaningful to someone else.
