Editorial 16th June 2022

Dear Parent,

In this week’s parsha, we learn about the role of the kohanim when lighting the menorah on a daily basis. We are told that, when the kohen would light the lamp wicks, he had to keep the flame next to the wicks until the fire took hold and was able to burn independently. Rabbi Wein brings a beautiful idea about this: this is a metaphor for Jewish education. Every parent and teacher is responsible for a child until they are able to sustain themselves. This could be spiritually, socially, financially or psychologically. As we know, this can take many years!

Rabbi Wein goes on to ask an important question: how long do we need to carry on taking this responsibility? He says that the goal of parenting and of education is to produce young people who are well-balanced, self-reliant, resilient and independent and, thereby enabling them to steer their own path once they reach adulthood.

We try to instil these key characteristics in our students regularly and it has been an absolute pleasure to see our Year 11 and Year 13s taking their national examinations; they have shown their ability to cope under stress during a very long exam season. We wish them all much hatzlacha over the next few weeks.

Have a peaceful Shabbos,

Mrs D Lebrett
Headteacher
Hasmonean Boys’ School