Back-to-school signs are starting to go up, and teachers are preparing for the coming year. The world of education is coming to life. This makes us stop and reflect on the responsibilities of teachers—do they ever rest? Here at Chabad I see our teachers preparing for next year – and this is just for preschool – so it’s hard to imagine what teachers are doing for the older grades.
This week’s Torah portion talks about “cities of refuge.” The purpose of these cities was for people to find sanctuary if they had inadvertently killed someone, and as a result, were wanted by the family of the deceased. The Torah teaches us that not only was the killer able to run away and be protected, their comforts of life were to be brought to them, including family and belongings. What is interesting is that the Talmud says that even a person’s teacher could be required to go along.
Talk about teachers not getting a break!
So why should teachers be required to go along?
If one is a prized student, we might argue that the student is doing well, and a special bond has developed with a specific teacher, so it is worth our effort to keep this teacher and this student together. But in our example, clearly this student was not internalizing the teacher’s lessons, as we have seen, because they killed someone. Even mistakes start off with irresponsible behavior! Why should the teacher invest time and energy into such a “weak” student?
This is the point that the Torah is making. We are not meant to look out only for the “strong” students, the goody-goodies. We are here to inspire the seekers. To inspire students to seek. To nourish the souls of the young. The good and the not-so-good. The great and those who are not yet great. Every child and every adult deserves to have a teacher, a mentor who will help lead them in the right direction. Even the person who ends up in a city of refuge deserves a chance to learn from their mistakes and correct their ways, and get a second chance at having a meaningful and productive life.