When I first began my journey as a baal teshuva, I looked at my rabbeim and teachers as almost angelic – so pure, so devoted, so far beyond where I stood at the time. I never imagined that one day I would be entrusted to lead a yeshiva myself. Now, standing at the front of my school welcoming students to our yeshiva, guiding young students, I realize that “angelic” doesn’t mean perfect or distant. It means striving each day to rise a little higher, to serve with humility, and to reflect Hashem’s Torah in a way that inspires others.
My hope is that our students see in their teachers not unattainable angels, but human beings reaching upwards – and that they too will be moved to live in an “angelic” way, lifting themselves and those around them closer to Hashem. As Chazal teach, ‘lo alecha hamelacha ligmor’ – it’s not on us to finish the work, but to keep moving forward. That steady progress is what makes education truly angelic.”