Dear ShalomLearning Friends,
 
Now up to our fourth enduring understanding, it is no accident that our Jewish Studies program starts the secular new year off with the Jewish value of “Achrayut.”  While Achrayut translates to “responsibility,” we strive to bring this literal meaning into heartfelt actions by asking our students “What can YOU do to make the world a better place?”  This concept ties in so well to the recent American holiday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the approaching Jewish holiday, Tu Bishvat.  In our curriculum, Achrayut means both standing up for injustices in the world as well as taking care of the earth. As parents of two children, my wife and I have brought this idea home by asking, “ how we can make our home a better place?”
 
For us, there is no time more challenging than getting the kids off to school in the morning and getting through the dinner/ bed-time rituals, so we started a morning and an evening checklist. The kids really got into it, and it adds a profound level of responsibility to share the things that need to get done together.  This journey through life is not a solo act, but indeed a chorus of harmony when we are at our best.

Click here to read more >>

Current Unit: Achrayut

Responsibility.  Miriam-Webster defines it as “moral, legal, or mental accountability”.  As Jews, we also need to ask: to whom are we responsible or accountable?  To ourselves, our children, our neighbors, to God?  Is it asking too much to be accountable to all at once?

In the worlds of investing, business, politics and even sometimes parenting, acting or advocating on behalf on one’s self (or one’s children) is a vital skill.  However, in order to live as fulfilled adults, we also need to be aware of the responsibilities we share toward our communities, our country, the less fortunate around us, and even our planet.  Or, as Rabbi Hillel put it several millennium ago:

“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” (Pirkei Avot 1:14)

The fourth unit in the ShalomLearning curriculum is Achrayut.  The most common translations are responsibility and accountability. The root of the Hebrew word ‘achrayut’ actually means acher, ‘other’.   This might lead us to believe that the focus should be solely on others, but as Rabbi Hillel points out, our responsibilities to ourselves and our responsibilities to others are not always mutually exclusive.   The more nuanced meaning of the Hebrew word ‘achrayut’ is that we need to be aware and considerate of our responsibilities to others as we take care of the responsibilities to ourselves.  As our students are learning, this balancing act is not always easy.

Click here to read more >>

ShalomLearning Teacher Spotlight: Heidi Lovitz

Heidi Lovitz is a ShalomLearning teacher and a member of the curriculum writing team.
What is your background in Jewish education?

Check Out Our Podcast!