At this weeks Shabbat Assembly we talked about the influence our parents, teachers, siblings, and friends have on on us. In last week's Parsha we had the meeting of Eliezer and Rivka at the well. Rivka did all the things that Eliezer was looking to find. She gave water to Eliezer and the animals she showed great chesed. Rav Soloveitchik asked a simple but powerful question. Where did Rivka learn these great Middot. She lived in Bethuel's house with Lavan. These people are not the best example of Chesed. The Rav answered that it was her nurse, Devorah, that influenced her the most. Later in Sefer Bereshit we see the description, "Devorah, the nurse of Rivka died".
We see that people learn from everyone they encounter. You learn from you parents and siblings and they learn from you. In school the younger students teach and influence the younger students. As a school we influence each other. In the Lunchroom when someone comes to the table and there are no more seats available what we do influences our school community. We should offer to find a seat with this person at another table. The same could be true of situations at recess. What do we do when someone want to play baseletball or football but the teams are full? We should figure out a way to include everyone.
These decisions set a tone and a culture for the school community. They influence others in how to act in our school and in the world. The influences from child to child might be more powerful than from parent or a teacher. So it is up to you, the students, the set the tone and have a good influence on each other.
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