In Parshat Behar, Hashem instructs Moshe in the laws of shmita. When Bnai Yisrael enter the land He has given them, they are to sow their fields, prune their vineyards, and gather their crops for six years, but, in the seventh year, they are to let the land rest. In the Jubilee year, every seventh shmita year, the land reverts to Hashem. Why is that? Because the land ultimately belongs to Him. The Jewish people are His partners in taking care of the land while it is in their possession. Rest assured, however, when the land lies fallow, Hashem will provide enough food to support them and their families.
On the surface, shmita refers to the agricultural calendar, yet beneath the surface there lies a deeper message. Hashem reminds us that what we possess, even our own children, is not ours. They belong to Him. We are their caretakers whom He has placed in our safekeeping to nurture, guide, educate, and support. Our sacred responsibility as parents and educators is to nourish our children’s neshamas and endeavor bring out the best in each one.
In every issue of Ohr Chadashot, we feature ways in which we at OCA fulfill our holy obligation to care for and nurture our students’ neshamas. In this issue, you’ll read about how our ECC and ES science students, alike, are captivated by the life cycle of a butterfly, through which they develop the skills of observation, inquiry, and wonder. You’ll be inspired by the warm sense of community as the 5th-8th grade mothers and daughters join together in song and divrei Torah to welcome Shabbat. Our 8th grade girls put their halacha learning into practice, treating their 7th grade peers to delicious food they made themselves as they modeled the concepts of Ikar and Tafel. And OCA leads the way in offering a Yom Haatzmaut celebration that is second to none for the entire Baltimore Jewish community to enjoy!
I invite you to catch a glimpse of many of the ways in which we, at OCA, look for novel ways to stimulate our students to love learning and be inspired by Torah and Hashem’s world all around them. Our role as partners with our parents in nurturing and educating Hashem’s children is what inspires us every day!
Shabbat shalom!