‘Blue Ribbon’ Rambam: Ethics in Orlando

This year’s gathering of Blue Ribbon schools from across the country heard something they never heard before. Among the 400 representatives from across the nation there was a yeshiva high school chosen by the Department of Education to be awarded the coveted Blue Ribbon status: Rambam Mesivta.

Every year, out of 37,000 high schools in the United States, .14% — about 1 and a half out of every 1,000 schools — qualify to be named as Blue Ribbon schools.

The application process is lengthy and the standards are rigorous. Ultimately, to qualify, Blue Ribbons schools must have average SAT scores which rank in the top tier nationally.  Rambam Mesivta, of Lawrence, was the only yeshiva in the country to thus qualify.

Blue Ribbon schools were then asked to submit a topic to discuss and review at an educators conference. Rambam’s topic, “Teaching Values in a Challenging World,” was chosen by the Blue Ribbon school committee and Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman, Rambam’s rosh mesivta, made the presentation this past Wednesday.

“I thought it would be important to share some of the insights that Chazal taught  us and demonstrate to those assembled the universal value of those lessons,” said Rabbi Friedman.

Among other references to Biblical and classical Jewish sources, Rabbi Friedman repeatedly cited Pirkei Avos in terms of the proper attitude and shared that it is the prerequisite for a successful education.

“Two thousand years ago, Hillel the sage instructed teachers to encourage students to ask questions and not be bashful and concomitantly told them not to be short-tempered or frustrated, lest it discourage [their students]  from learning and asking,” said Rabbi Friedman.

Other topics covered dealt with the importance of introspection and recognizing one’s own shortcomings and developing effective strategies to correct them.

“While we understand the ongoing nature of teshuva and the growth it affords us, many others in attendance viewed this as a ‘novel’ idea, which they appreciated hearing about,” said Rabbi Friedman.

After the lecture concluded, the room was filled with applause and admiration for the “ancient” values of Torah which remain relevant in every generation.