פרשת נח
צהר תעשה לתבה ואל אמה תכלנה מלמעלה... | בראשית ו', ט"ז
A light shall you make for the ark, and to a cubit finish from above…
Hashem wished to save the one righteous person of the generation – Noach – so he commanded him to build an ark. What was the secret of this ark? What is its power?
Rav Guttman quotes HoRav Moshe Wolfson shlit”a who offers an idea that reveals the secret of the תיבה. The word for ark is "תיבה". A "תיבה" is also a WORD. The deeper message of the destruction of the mabul and the salvation of the "תיבה" is the incredible power of speech.
The way to save ourselves from a world of destruction is through refining our speech.
We actually see this idea from the letters of the word לשן (speech). Lamed, Shun, Nun Sofis. The "ש" has three parallel lines. The middle line symbolizes the individual and the two lines on each side point to the different directions a person can go. Either toward the "ל", the tallest letter, a symbol of upward striving and achieving great spiritual heights. The "ן" on the other side is the lowest letter. This direction can lead down to low places. Hashem told Noach to build a "תיבה" – an ark, but also a WORD, to demonstrate that it is with the power of words – the LASHON – that one can rise or fall, build or destroy.
As we begin the long stretch of winter and have an opportunity to really get into our holy job with our precious students, keeping this message in mind will propel was to greater success. With our words to our students, or an individual student, we can be destructive or build worlds.
Hazlocho
About the Author: Rabbi Yisroel Meir Rubinfeld
Rabbi Rubinfeld has been in the field of Torah education for over 3 decades and serves as an Executive School Consultant for Torah Umesorah. He provides an array of services to schools across North America, including teacher and principal mentorship, school and curricula evaluations, professional development and parent education.
Rabbi Rubinfeld's expertise includes classroom management and discipline, effective instruction, bullying, cultivating sensitivity in the classroom, impulse disorders (such as ADHD and ODD), and balancing the educational needs of mainstream and special needs children in the classroom.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is the also the founder and director of Torah Umesorah's Lilmod U'Lilamed department which provides professional development for teachers and principals throughout the year.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is a talmid of the distinguished Yeshivos of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim and Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood.