For The Nachas Box

I'm marking finals. The last question is -

Write one thing from this class that helped you to grow in life -

Here are some answers -

"I liked the different mefarshim we learned, besides the usual ones, that gave me a new look at Sefer Breishit."

"You really opened my eyes to poetry, which I never appreciated before."

"It was good to be able to see what other people in the class thought and their opinions."

"For me Chumash was the best class this year and for one reason: you."

"I specifically would like to focus on the idea of bechira (for example not giving in to eishet Potiphar). It made me grow in that I am more aware of the opportunities and how I can choose to use them and do the correct and best."

"That a man does not have to be so hard in life."

"The idea we learned concerning the Yosef story of yeridah letzorech aliyah. This helps me understand that though bad things happen good things come soon after."

"This year, from you, I learned a respect for all kinds of people and religions. I loved your open - mindedness and generosity to your students. My favorite and most memorable lesson this year was the Torah and science article. I really loved it."

"The idea of Avraham doing lech lecha in the reverse order so he would gradually move on in his life. This idea is something that I need to help me grow in life. This is especially important now when I am leaving tenth grade and moving on in my life to another stage. I have slowly let go of the year, first the things that were distantly affecting me until I finally let go of one of the best and closest influences - this class."

"The haiku of the day helped me grow in life because it taught me how to see life in a beautiful way."

"The gorilla anecdote as it was applied to Noach taught me that there is a proper time and place for everything and something that is appropriate in one time and place may not be right in another context. You are such a kind and caring person. It was a pleasure to be able to learn and grow from you. P.S. stick with the haiku and publish another book, I can only read the first one so many times."

"This class allowed me to become a more free thinker, do independent research, and connect on a personal level with Judaism. I am learning and living each day instead of just heartlessly studying and memorizing biblical texts. I loved all of the creative forms of teaching to which I was exposed this year because these techniques made learning Chumash more fun. Also, this class felt like an escape from high school's drama and stress..."

"This class helped me grow in life because it didn't just teach me Chumash, but also valuable life lessons. I enjoyed every single day of this class. The things I learned in this class will stay with me forever."

"I enjoyed when you showed us what a haiku sounded like in Japanese. I really liked how you incorporated your Torah and everyday life into your classes and your poetry."

"It is in our hands."

"goodbyes are so tough

but I know it's not over

next year will come soon."