Rabbi’s Corner

By Rabbi Jonathan Aaron
of Temple Emanuel

Joshua ben Perachyah said, “Get yourself a teacher, acquire a friend [with whom to study], and judge everyone favorably.” These words from Pirke Avot speak about the special relationship between students and teachers. One could read this text as if it is speaking to the learner: find a great teacher and that teacher will become your friend, and this relationship will lead to a love of all people. Or one could read this text from the point of view of the teacher: The student that finds you will become like a friend to you, and will lead you to appreciate the gifts that all students can bring. Either way you read this quote, you can gain a better understanding of the power of the teacher/student relationship.

This power of connection through learning is especially true in the kinds of relationships that KOREH L.A. fosters. One on one, the students of KOREH L.A. enter the world of education and reading in a personal way, forging a relationship that is meaningful and potentially long-lasting with their teacher. The volunteers that teach the students can also find lasting relationships and deeply meaningful moments from their interactions with their students. Both the student and teacher have the opportunity to meet and know and learn from each other, to break down the barriers of race and culture and upbringing, leading to an appreciation of the human being that is sharing the experience with him/her.

Our ancestors knew about the long lasting effect of teaching someone to read. One never forgets the teacher who opened up for them the world of words and images and ideas. And the teacher never forgets the student who gained skill or insight that helped them to achieve more success in life. In this way, the relationship is reciprocal: The student and the teacher receive the blessings that come from learning to read. The blessing of knowledge, the blessing of friendship, and the blessing that is received from performing a mitzvah.

KOREH L.A.’s mission is to bring people together for the purpose of reading. The result of that mission leads to much more. It leads to students finding teachers, and teachers acquiring students, building friendships, and gaining an understanding of the world that leads to goodness between people. KOREH L.A. does not only create readers – it creates relationships that can last a lifetime.