* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
A new school year has begun, and I wish you all much success!
I’m sending a picture of myself as a little girl along with advice that I’m happy to share with students, parents, and teachers - important words that appear in this week’s parasha: “…you will not be able to ignore.”
Our parasha describes a man who finds a lost object on the road. He could keep on walking — pretending he didn’t see it — and not try to return it to its rightful owner, but something inside him will not allow him to continue on his way.
Notice how the Torah doesn’t say, “It’s not nice to ignore it” or “Please don’t ignore it.” Instead, it proclaims, “You will not be able to ignore it!”.
In other words, God is intimately familiar with you and knows that, deep inside you, you have a pure soul that wants to help others and will not allow you to turn away.
Our commentators explain that these three words (“Lo Tuchal Le’hetalem — You won’t be able to ignore it”) do not only refer to a lost object but to everything we see in our surroundings: It is a commandment to live with a heightened awareness and sensitivity to the world around you.
After school and at home, don’t adopt the motto: “Live and let live” or “Let it go, this is none of your business.” Instead, remember that at our core we are caring and good people, and that is the way the Torah expects us to behave.
Millions will be passing through school gates this week. While it is important to focus on your studies this year, I encourage you to embrace this attitude — not to ignore what you see around you, but to look out for ways to help others: from the boy who just moved into a new apartment, to the girl who is sitting alone (and has yet to find a friend). And we, as adults, should keep this commandment in mind too, wherever we go.
