Teaching is so Jewish

You know how is goes...a good friend asks for a bit of help and of course you say yes...and the next thing you know you are teaching an online course that requires you to visit Grand Rapids MI in January. Beyond cold. And too dark for words. And did I mention cold? Sunrise around 8:30 should be illegal. 

So there we were...facilitating a class on Leadership for cultural change for the Ferris University  Doctorate in Community College Leadership Program in Grand Rapid MI...in January. Of course the wedding dress had to go with me. Teaching and learning are so embedded in the Jewish tradition that this seemed like a perfect fit.

In fact, Jews are called the people of the book, and value learning and study as much as prayer. The book we talk about is not just the Torah (the first five books of the bible) but the entire Tanach and the Talmud, as well as other commentaries and writings. We study as a way to understand what G-d is saying to us. Learning leads to right action...or should.

And study is more than divine recapitulation; it is interpretation and critical thinking and even innovation. Learning is what humans are programed to do. We are wired to adapt and change, and to listen to the world around us in a way that helps us grow. So Jews see study as the listening side of prayer. We do not only ask, we listen, learn and grow. 

The wedding dress on this trip was a reminder to study and learn, even as a "bride" and as a way to welcome in the Shabbat Bride, the Shechinah. It was wonderful to share Shabbat (yes I lit candles at dinner and wore a hat to class) with this group of learners who are opening themselves to change. We had heart-warming moments and I was able to share stories about the Exodus and changing cultural change. There was a reason the generation of slaves had to stay in the desert...they did not embrace change. We talked about Joseph and the "ish" he met on that way to find his brothers and how one personal interaction can set history in motion. We talked about the way that our deeply buried...and often unknow fears prevent us from becoming who we wish to be and creating the world we wish to live in. 

And yes...it was a bit chilly in the wedding dress. Warmer trips to come.