“Kallah teachers, mentors and the like need to know their place and when and where to insert themselves— and if it’s ever appropriate to leave the parents out completely”
As Tishah B’Av ebbs away and I reflect on my thoughts of the day, I feel very grateful to Mishpacha for the meaningful, insightful and inspiring Tishah B’Av-related articles in the magazine this past week.
I organized a Leil Tishah B’av program for teenage girls in our community of Ramat Beit Shemesh, and while I am an experienced and enthusiastic (I like to think) teacher and was not nervous to actually speak to the group, I felt quite overwhelmed for most of the week leading up to it. My responsibility and opportunity to relay the “right” messages, with the “right” tone and the “right” takeaways for the day, was a bit daunting.
My Shabbos morning reading left me feeling so much calmer as I read through and internalized one piece after another in The Forum section, which helped me gain insight and practical messages both on a personal level, and also to add to my half-prepared shiur for later that day.
While I truly gained from each article, I’d like to specifically thank Rav Leuchter whose thoughts on clarity and finding personal meaning in mitzvos was the core of the talk, Yeshaya Krausz who helped me “shift gears,” as he writes, as to the general approach of individuality and being more open and honest, and Mrs. Sarah Chana Radcliffe of Family First, who helped me wrap up the shiur by encouraging the girls to spend some time processing their experience and feelings before another Tishah B’Av leaves us.
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