ETGAR: MEETING THE CHALLENGE

Several months ago on our LIBERTY ski trip, I threatened two of our teens that if they did not behave on the trip they would have to come to my office once a week to study Torah with me. To my shock (and awe), they replied, “Actually that sounds like fun!”

So I decided that perhaps there were a handful of individuals among our high school students that would be interested in studying Torah in an intellectual and challenging setting. I embarked on creating such a group and gave the group the name ETGAR, which is the Hebrew word for “challenge.” ETGAR, for our purposes, also stands for Elite Torah Guardians And Readers. I invited seven students hoping that perhaps four would accept the challenge and begin studying Torah with me on a regular basis. Again I was surprised when all seven accepted and felt honored to have been chosen! In the future, we plan on nominating and accepting more interested students to this group so that more of my office hours will be filled with teens learning and breathing Torah!

Our study began several months ago and we have been meeting every other Wednesday before Hebrew High School. In a relaxed and spirited environment, we meet in the comfort of Rabbi Bennett’s office and steal his candy. But we also delve into Talmud Torah (the study of Torah) - we are now studying the Book of Exodus along with its accompanying commentaries by the greatest Torah commentators of our tradition. It is truly remarkable how the students involved have become familiar with the theology, agenda and philosophy of great Torah scholars such as Rashi and Ibn Ezra. While we have been studying together for months, we have only completed one Torah portion because we are dedicating so much time to understanding each and every concept imparted in Scripture. This is truly the way that Torah is supposed to be studied.

I am so proud of the students in ETGAR and know that this program will continue to grow in the future. However, I would love to see this program expand beyond our high school students. Not only should we be teaching Torah to our children, but we should be learning it ourselves. I hope you will consider coordinating a group of three or four of your friends to create your own ETGAR group, and come to the Temple to study. We will create a tailor made program based on the interests and needs of your group.

This is a challenge - It may be easier to get three other to people to play tennis or golf twice a month. Nevertheless, please think about putting together an ETGAR group of your own. Then call one of our clergy members and we will set up a time to delve into the sacred words of tradition. I guarantee you will be glad that you did!

L’Shalom,
Jeremy Barras