Asking the Clergy: Honoring teachers' faith lessons
Rabbi Art Vernon, Anu Jain and The Rev. JoAnn Barrett Credit: Art Vernon; Anu Jain; JoAnn Barrett
Tuesday is National Teacher Appreciation Day, dedicated to honoring caring, committed educators nationwide. This week’s clergy discuss influential family members, fellow clergy and public school teachers who have transmitted vital faith lessons.
The faith lesson that comes to mind was from my high school social studies teacher. He was the first person in my life that was very comfortable with not only who he was, but with what he believed. His class on world religions changed my life. My family kept a closed circuit of friends and relatives, which created an air of fear over faith. All of this was held together by the threat of the wrath of God. This questioning teenager would say, “If you had faith, why fear?”
Then I met this teacher. He opened my eyes and taught me not only the vastness of Christianity, but that there were so many other faiths. He taught that people who are comfortable with themselves, who really believe and are okay with what they believe, have the greatest faith of all, no matter what path they chose. He never disclosed his beliefs, but he floored this teenager when he very calmly shared that, if he heard that an atomic bomb was heading towards us, he was just going to sit on his roof and watch the show. That man’s conviction opened my mind and made me want to have that kind of faith.
I was born into a Jain family, and my grandfather and my mother were the first teachers who introduced me to Jainism and its core principles. Jains believe in ahimsa paramo dharma, meaning nonviolence toward all living beings, and in jiyo aur jeene do, which translates to “live and let live.”
Subsequently, Jain gurus and teachers in school emphasized the core principles of nonviolence, truthfulness and compassion. They explained the importance of nonviolence towards all living beings, which extends to diet, lifestyle and interactions. They also taught the concept of karma, in which actions influence future consequences and the cycle of rebirth. Additionally, they emphasized truthfulness, striving to always speak the truth and avoid misrepresentation.
Compassion is another fundamental value, leading Jains to practice kindness and empathy towards all conscious beings. Moreover, Jains follow a path of self-discipline and detachment, seeking to minimize their attachment to material possessions and desires.
Through these teachings, Jains aim to attain spiritual liberation and enlightenment, known as moksha, by purifying the soul and freeing it from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Central to Jain teachings are the ideas of compassion and respect for all living beings, and advocating for a lifestyle that minimizes harm.
I had the pleasure of studying with Rabbi Eugene Borowitz, of blessed memory, in rabbinical school. Rabbi Borowitz was a big proponent of reason informing faith, and that true ideas were formative for faith. But, for Borowitz, faith was more about a relationship with God than “believing” in God. I did not fully understand or appreciate Borowitz then. It has taken decades of study and thinking for me to understand and, essentially, agree with his teaching. It was an “aha” moment for me when, all of a sudden, it became clear. Borowitz would have called that a moment of revelation as much as a moment of insight. In rabbinical school, every week there was a service practicum at which a senior student would give a sermon. The faculty and student body would gather over lunch to critique the sermon. Often the sermon dealt with a current issue in Jewish life. Borowitz always offered the closing remark, “Well, if God wants the Jewish people to survive, She will have to do something about it.” Those words still echo with me and many of his students.
Tuesday is National Teacher Appreciation Day, dedicated to honoring caring, committed educators nationwide. This week’s clergy discuss influential family members, fellow clergy and public school teachers who have transmitted vital faith lessons.
The Rev. JoAnn Barrett
Senior Officiant, Gathering of Light Interspiritual Fellowship, Huntington Station
The faith lesson that comes to mind was from my high school social studies teacher. He was the first person in my life that was very comfortable with not only who he was, but with what he believed. His class on world religions changed my life. My family kept a closed circuit of friends and relatives, which created an air of fear over faith. All of this was held together by the threat of the wrath of God. This questioning teenager would say, “If you had faith, why fear?”
Then I met this teacher. He opened my eyes and taught me not only the vastness of Christianity, but that there were so many other faiths. He taught that people who are comfortable with themselves, who really believe and are okay with what they believe, have the greatest faith of all, no matter what path they chose. He never disclosed his beliefs, but he floored this teenager when he very calmly shared that, if he heard that an atomic bomb was heading towards us, he was just going to sit on his roof and watch the show. That man’s conviction opened my mind and made me want to have that kind of faith.
Anu Jain of Jericho
Trustee, Jain Center of America
I was born into a Jain family, and my grandfather and my mother were the first teachers who introduced me to Jainism and its core principles. Jains believe in ahimsa paramo dharma, meaning nonviolence toward all living beings, and in jiyo aur jeene do, which translates to “live and let live.”
Subsequently, Jain gurus and teachers in school emphasized the core principles of nonviolence, truthfulness and compassion. They explained the importance of nonviolence towards all living beings, which extends to diet, lifestyle and interactions. They also taught the concept of karma, in which actions influence future consequences and the cycle of rebirth. Additionally, they emphasized truthfulness, striving to always speak the truth and avoid misrepresentation.
Compassion is another fundamental value, leading Jains to practice kindness and empathy towards all conscious beings. Moreover, Jains follow a path of self-discipline and detachment, seeking to minimize their attachment to material possessions and desires.
Through these teachings, Jains aim to attain spiritual liberation and enlightenment, known as moksha, by purifying the soul and freeing it from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Central to Jain teachings are the ideas of compassion and respect for all living beings, and advocating for a lifestyle that minimizes harm.
Rabbi Art Vernon
Congregation Shaaray Shalom, West Hempstead
I had the pleasure of studying with Rabbi Eugene Borowitz, of blessed memory, in rabbinical school. Rabbi Borowitz was a big proponent of reason informing faith, and that true ideas were formative for faith. But, for Borowitz, faith was more about a relationship with God than “believing” in God. I did not fully understand or appreciate Borowitz then. It has taken decades of study and thinking for me to understand and, essentially, agree with his teaching. It was an “aha” moment for me when, all of a sudden, it became clear. Borowitz would have called that a moment of revelation as much as a moment of insight. In rabbinical school, every week there was a service practicum at which a senior student would give a sermon. The faculty and student body would gather over lunch to critique the sermon. Often the sermon dealt with a current issue in Jewish life. Borowitz always offered the closing remark, “Well, if God wants the Jewish people to survive, She will have to do something about it.” Those words still echo with me and many of his students.
