Sadie was a star student at the Kornheiser Hebrew Academy. She had the best grades of anyone in her class and was the starting point guard on the basketball team. Sadie also had the best voice of all the girls in the eighth grade, earning her solos in the choir. Despite her talents, Sadie was also humble and kind, earning the respect of all six of her classmates.
Although Sadie enjoyed her small school experience at Kornheiser, she and her parents felt it was time to move on to bigger (and maybe better) things. Sadie was hoping to branch out beyond her six classmates (did I mention that the six were two sets of identical triplets?), and going to a larger high school seemed like the best move.
So, in the fall, Sadie entered Machon Miriam High School. Sadie’s grade alone had 110 students, with only two sets of twins and no triplets. It was weird not knowing the name of each person she passed in the hall. However, Sadie made three new friends on her first day, so there was no complaining about that. Things seemed great to start, and Sadie was happy. And then, she had her first Gemara class.
“Can anyone name the six … yes, Zoey?” Mrs. Rabinowitz was surprised at how quickly Zoey’s hand shot up. “Zera’im, Mo’ed, Nashim, Nezikin, Kodshim, and Taharot!” answered Zoey. “Correct,” responded Mrs. Rabinowitz. “Now, can anyone tell me which … yes, Zoey?” This time, the surprise registered on Mrs. Rabinowitz’s face. “Masechet Sanhedrin, which we are learning this year, is in Seder Nezikin,” replied Zoey, with confidence. “Wow, correct again!” exclaimed Mrs. Rabinowitz. “One last question … yes Zoey? Do you have a comment?” Zoey smiled. “The Sanhedrin is the Jewish Supreme Court, which was active while the Beit Hamikdash stood, and a bit afterwards.” Mrs. Rabinowitz was too stunned to do anything but nod. The students gave Zoey a standing ovation.
Fortunately, not every student was as brilliant or eager as Zoey. However, Sadie still felt a bit intimidated by some of the particularly bright girls. Standing out at Machon Miriam wasn’t going to be easy. Sadie had similar experiences at basketball and choir tryouts. She was accepted to both, but expected to sit on the bench on the basketball team and not to receive a solo in the choir. Sadie felt disappointed. Really disappointed. Sadie started to daydream about switching to a smaller school. Then, she met Doctor Bernard Robert Lancaster.
Sadie’s regular math teacher was going to be out for a month and Doctor Lancaster was covering the class. On his first day, Doctor L (as the students referred to him, even though he demanded they call him Bernard Robert Lancaster, Ph.D.) began by displaying all of his awards and honors to the class. Teacher of the Decade here, Lord of Math there, a picture teaching algebra to Ronald Reagan’s children in the Oval Office … you get the point. Finally, the time came to teach, so Bernard Robert Lancaster, Ph.D. handed out a few worksheets with math problems. Each sheet was handwritten with the word problems in perfect script. “Dr L! I can’t read this!” “Dr. L? Can you type the next one?” “Dr. L? Are you going to post this on Google Classroom?” One by one, the students called out questions that Bernard Robert Lancaster, Ph.D. had no interest in answering. He seemed frustrated, and so did the class, which was not a good combination. This went on for a few days, until one Friday afternoon when Doctor Lancaster suddenly stormed out of the classroom, not to return.
When Sadie’s class returned to school on Monday, they did not expect to see Bernard Robert Lancaster, Ph.D. again. However, there he was, with typed-up worksheets, notes displayed on the smartboard (along with his email address), and his name written on the board as “Doctor L.” He addressed the class. “Good morning, youngsters. I would like to apologize for last week. I have led a very successful math career and although I have not been in the classroom for years, I expected to succeed with you as I always have. However, I realized that all successful people must face difficult situations to learn how to adjust and improve. So, let’s learn some math.” Sadie smiled, finally realizing that she made the right choice.
In Parshat Lech Lecha, Avram chases after the kings who kidnapped Lot, eventually saving his nephew. Avram also recovers all of Lot’s possessions, as well as those belonging to Sodom. However, recognizing Avram’s effort, the king of Sodom acts as if he owes Avram nothing. “You can take the possessions, as long as I get my people back.” Why does this king think he can negotiate with Avram? Why does he act as if he’s doing Avram a favor? The answer is simply that people who are used to winning have a hard time accepting a loss. Although this is natural, Avram’s reaction towards the king shows us that he has no interest in a relationship with someone like this.
This is an important life lesson. Be humble, accept that you won’t always win. View failure as a growth opportunity, as did Sadie, valedictorian of Machon Miriam, Class of 2026.
Yair Daar is the director of Student Life at Bicultural Hebrew Academy High School. He can be reached at [email protected].
