Good morning class of 2023!    

I’m not sure what’s more daunting - standing in front of 25 of you in 7th grade Derekh T’filah ZK on the first day of my teaching career, or standing in front of all of you now, attempting to deliver a meaningful message as you conclude your studies at JDS.

Actually - the first was definitely scarier.

But, today is still intimidating - you’ve already learned so much during your time at JDS. What could I possibly say that could wrap up this learning, that could inspire you as you head off onto the next chapter of your journey? Where do I even start? It turns out that unlike writing a d'var Torah for Kab Shab, there’s no Sefaria equivalent to turn to for writing a graduation speech.

However, there actually is one phenomenal primary source I can turn to - the very words that I heard at Siyyum as a graduating senior from our beloved English teacher Mrs. Davison. And while I unfortunately don’t quite remember how to MLA-cite a previous Siyyum speech, I nevertheless want to echo Mrs. Davison’s words.

When I sat here at B’nai 10 years ago, somewhere around where Shell and Sheintal are sitting right now, Mrs. Davison shared two pieces of advice with us: to embrace the “I don’t know,” and to understand and accept that life doesn’t always move in a straight line. Before I add my own spin to these life lessons, I do want to emphasize that I have seen you all embrace these lessons head-on already. I’m sure you are all sick of hearing about resilience for the past few years, but - I have seen your grade manifest that trait throughout your high school experience. 

You all experienced much of 9th and 10th grade virtually, you never won Zimriyah or even the Hanukkah Hullabaloo, and you had to wait two extra hours to come home from the last Shabbaton, yet I have always seen you with smiles on your faces. This year, many of you have seen me wander by the alcove countless times throughout the day. I promise this is not because I’m trying to check who actually has a free period and who’s just trying to watch the World Cup - it’s because I know that whatever conversation I’ll end up getting involved in will leave me with interesting perspectives and a brighter day.

So, regarding these valuable lessons of embracing the uncertainty of life and all of its winding paths - what can I add? There are four lenses we can use to gain an extra understanding about these lessons, and they are four areas where I’ve spoken to all of you countless times over the past few years.

First - baking. It might seem like all you have to do to bake is to follow the recipe, but it’s actually a lot harder than that. You need to riff on the recipe to add your own flair and you need to react to imperfect circumstances and roll with the punches. Similarly, life after high school may have some basic instructions, but it’s really up to you to fill in the blanks when necessary.

Second - baseball. Baseball is unique among sports in many ways, but one way is that you don’t move forward, like in football or basketball. Just like life, sometimes you need to go around in circles before you succeed.

Third - the weekly Parshah. In Parshat Yitro, Bnei Yisrael will receive the ten commandments before setting off on a winding journey of 40 years that is anything but straightforward. Many times we read explicitly that Hashem chose a longer, non-linear path so that they could learn along the way.

And lastly, of course - math. I’m sure you are sick of hearing the analogy that life is more sinusoidal than linear, but it’s true. The lesson of a sinusoid that a line could never teach us is that, even when you’re at your min, you must be concave up. In fact, the path you take in life might not even pass the vertical line test, but you will still come out on top in the end.

So, Mrs. Davison, I hope you now see that the close-reading skills you taught me have been put to good use. Not only do I understand the many symbolisms of the green light in Gatsby, but I was also able to take your message from 10 years ago and renew it.

But it would be wrong of me to only address how Mrs. Davison impacted me. Look around at your amazing, amazing teachers, many of whom were also my teachers 10 years ago, and some of whom have been at JDS even longer than that. I promise you that they have not stuck around because they love waking up early, grading finals, getting stuck in the carpool line while trying to leave, or spending half their day waiting for the printer to un-jam. All of your teachers are here because they love sharing their passions with you, coaching you along whatever winding path you take, and seeing you grow. Seeing this dedication from my teachers left such a mark on me that I wanted to become one of them! Now, I’m not saying that you have to do that, but please - thank your teachers. They are in this for you.

And of course, you wouldn’t be here for us to teach without one other important group of people - your parents. I hope it goes without saying that what your parents have done for you goes far beyond driving you to soccer games. Seniors, as you head off on your winding journey, which is hopefully easier than 40 years in the desert, please reflect and realize that your parents have been that “outstretched arm”, performing miracles at every stage of your life. Parents, your success in raising such wonderful students and mensches is a testament to your unwavering dedication - I’m sure that at times, it felt like splitting the sea would’ve been easier than getting your children to this point, but you did it. Seniors, I hope that you can find a moment this weekend to offer genuine gratitude to your parents.

Now, you might be thinking that these lessons sound familiar, and you might be wondering about where you’ve heard them before. And the answer is: from yourselves at Kab Shab. This semester you have delivered D'vrei Torah about focusing on the parts of life you can actually control, opening your heart like a Sukkah or like Avraham’s tent, showing gratitude to your community, grappling with the inevitable ups and downs of life, recognizing a person’s potential regardless of their position, and overcoming stubbornness.

In this sense, you are all living the following quote from Masechet Ta’anit:

דְּאָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: הַרְבֵּה לָמַדְתִּי מֵרַבּוֹתַי, וּמֵחֲבֵירַי יוֹתֵר מֵרַבּוֹתַי, וּמִתַּלְמִידַי יוֹתֵר מִכּוּלָּן.

Rabbi Chanina said: I have learned much from my teachers, and from my friends even more than from my teachers, but from my students I have learned the most.

It is this attitude - of taking the ups and downs and the “I don’t know”s and turning them into moments to teach and to learn, moments to smile and to laugh, moments to show ruach and respect, and moments to give thanks and to grow - it is this attitude that will continue to sustain you no matter where life takes you.

I am flattered to have been chosen as your siyyum speaker. Mazal Tov, B'Hatzlacha, and may you continue to go from min to max and from strength to strength.