As we near the seventh day of Sukkot, Hoshana Rabba, “Yom Ha-Chotam,” we hope that God has heard our tefilot and will grant us a good year.

To encourage our students to continue to think about the upcoming year and all that it can be for them, we invited Rabbis Avi Weiss, Mordechai Becher and Emanuel Vinas, respectively, to speak to the different grades. We traditionally have these lectures at this time of year with the hope that our students will be inspired and with renewed vigor will make personal commitments that will be personally fulfilling and will also benefit others.

To listen to the different drashot and to appreciate their messages, please visit ramaz.tv and click on “Media Selections” “Drashot on Teshuvah – 2006-5767.”  

Rabbi Avi Weiss spoke to the juniors and seniors about the concept of rights and that of responsibilities. He cited two images that came to mind when he thought about heroes, people whose allegiances to the notion of responsibility guided their altruistic choices. He asked that Ramaz students think about their responsibility to the Jewish community and also consider teaching and the rabbinate as professions.  Rav Avi also urged us to move forward with our responsibility toward our kidnapped soldiers and to demonstrate, on a regular basis, at the Iranian Mission, to demand their release.

Rabbi Mordechai Becher addressed the sophomores and taught through his marvelous sense of humor and personal anecdotes about the power of free will. Our decisions, the Rabbi explained, should be ones that are not made based on “the lesser of two evils” or on “choosing between good and evil” but rather are choices that will move us from “good to better than good.”

Rabbi Emanual Vinas’ personal experiences with prejudice as a Cuban Jew have set him on his mission in life. Rabbi Vinas is a sofer who also serves in an orthodox congregation where he welcomes people from diverse cultures. Congregants hail from Central America, El Salvador, Argentina, Venezuela, Africa, Columbia, Poland and the Soviet Republics. The stories he shared showed us the positive effect one person can have on many and that reaching out with compassion and understanding can heal wounds and also help to bring many Jews back to Judaism. The Rabbi called upon the students to work in ways that will reduce prejudice and to strive to build a community based on a love for all Jews.

We wish you all a year filled with good health, much happiness and the time to enjoy those gifts with family and friends.