Jewish education is much more than a simple process of transmitting knowledge: it is an experience that touches the soul of each student, turning learning into a profound encounter with their identity. True Jewish education does not remain in notebooks; it leaves its mark on the heart, where a genuine commitment to tradition, values, and spirituality blossoms—one that will accompany the student throughout his or her life.
Currently, I am a morah in first grade, teaching tefillah and the chagim. Each school year represents an immensely gratifying experience for me, as I have been able to witness how my students grow not only intellectually, but also in their spiritual and personal development. When they first arrive in the classroom, they are small, timid children, full of excitement but also uncertainty. It is wonderful to see how, little by little, that initial fear is transformed into confidence, joy in learning, and pride in identifying as part of the community of “big kids” in elementary school.
In the classroom, learning is not a monologue. I am not an authority dictating absolute truths; rather, we establish a living and dynamic dialogue. The children arrive with curious eyes and restless hands; they receive our traditions, the tefillot and the chagim, and also reinterpret and enrich them with their own sensitivity and way of feeling. With every spontaneous question, with every reflection that arises during the study of the parashah (weekly Torah portion) or in the celebration of a holiday, my students constantly invite me to see and live Jewish education from a fresh and genuine perspective.
The subject Shorashim at the Colegio Hebreo Monte Sinaí in Mexico is an experiential learning process that goes far beyond the mere acquisition of theoretical data about history, mitzvot, or traditions. Its essence lies in the deep connection between the student and his or her cultural, spiritual, and communal heritage. That is why the goal is for learning to transcend the limits of the classroom: it is about engaging emotions, practices, and values that shape the daily life of Jewish existence and build identity. Every piece of knowledge is constructed through experience: with an open heart, with hands at work, with song and participatory action.
Unlike other subjects, Shorashim encourages students to be active protagonists and not mere passive receivers of information. Knowledge becomes concrete and meaningful when children bake challah for Shabbat, when they enter the sukkah with enthusiasm, when they hear the sound of the shofar in Elul, or when they perform acts of kindness to help those in need. Each of these experiences acts as a spark that connects past with present and plants within them a strong and steady Jewish identity, one that will remain intact throughout their lives.
In this formative process, my students also become my teachers. Without intention—or even awareness—they show me that living Judaism goes far beyond following instructions or rituals; it means feeling it with an open and pure heart. In their games, in the spontaneous way they tell me how they celebrate a chag at home with their families, or in the excitement with which they say tefillah every Friday, they teach me that true Jewish education is not limited to the walls of the classroom. Even as a morah, I continue to be a student, learning daily from their enthusiasm, their sincere perspective, and the purity with which they live what they learn.
Within the school, we celebrate the holidays in a way that allows the children to literally taste them, smell them, sing them, and rejoice in them with all their senses. When they leave school, these experiences are carried into their families, where the students become little ambassadors of tradition, spreading the warmth and light that each chag represents. Thus, education is not confined to the classroom but becomes a bridge that spans generations, strengthening both community and family ties.
When a chag approaches, we do not limit ourselves to studying its mitzvot and customs, but seek to discover its deepest essence. We teach children to understand that Judaism, more than a set of actions or rules, is a system of meanings that responds to the “why” behind each practice. This understanding shapes them not only as well-prepared students but also as more sensitive human beings, with greater capacity for connection and commitment to both their spiritual heritage and the world around them.
I came to understand that Jewish education is not a solitary path walked only by the teacher or the student, but a shared journey, a constant dialogue, and co-learning that enriches everyone who participates. Each smile that arises in the classroom, each curious question, and each sincere gesture from my students reminds me that I am not the only one teaching. They, with their innocence and the purity with which they live Judaism, become my true teachers. They show me that teaching and learning are two sides of the same blessing, and that every day in the classroom is an opportunity to grow together.
As the Talmud says in Tractate Ta’anit 7a: “Rabbi Hanina said, ‘I have learned much from my teachers and even more from my friends, but from my students I have learned more than from all of them.” This teaching becomes the fundamental basis of my vocation and drives me to continue pouring my heart into each class, knowing that the true value of Jewish education is this spiritual exchange that transforms the soul of all who take part in it.
In Shorashim we live an authentic generational and spiritual exchange, where we all grow, develop our identity, and are transformed together.